LOT 25
ILHAM FADHLI
B. Kelantan, 1980
The Obedient Son, 2014
Oil on canvas
90 x 150 cm
Private Collection, Kuala Lumpur
Signed and dated “Ilham 2014” on lower right
RM 4,500 – 9,000
Ilham Fadhli is a Malaysian contemporary artist whose dark, surreal landscapes transport viewers into unfamiliar worlds where reality and imagination collide. A graduate of Universiti Institut Teknologi MARA in 2003, he later became the 16th Artist-in-Residence at Rimbun Dahan from 2010 to 2011, an experience that shaped his explorations of absurdist and surrealist narratives. His works often feature delicate figures set against dramatic colours and eerie backdrops, creating dreamlike scenes that invite reflection on identity, tradition and the human condition. Exhibiting widely in Kuala Lumpur and abroad, Ilham has presented both solo and group shows, including Friction with Haslin Ismail in 2008, To Lie in Ruins at Pace Gallery in 2010, and international showcases such as Kembara Jiwa Fukuoka in Japan in 2013. In works like The Obedient Son (2014), he layers fragility and symbolism into his miniature worlds, portraying obedience as both anchor and burden, and prompting viewers to confront themes of family, memory and belonging. His art resonates with a haunting beauty, drawing audiences into spaces that are at once unsettling and deeply human.