Lot 36 | Auction XVIII

Latiff Mohidin is an artist that likes to invent his own rules, to create new things. This piece is strong, dramatic, orderly and precise in terms of brushwork and composition. This series explores the relationship between shapes, figures, colours, balance, perception and the mind of the artist. The resulting abstract art is the representation of the artist’s contemplating and dedication to this piece of art. A dome-shaped structure accommodating a vibrant and vigorous burst of rapid, random colours spontaneously done by the hand of the artist, before reaching what seems like volcanic lava. It is as if the audience is taken on a journey through a flowing river before reaching a volcano, or the peak of one’s mind. It is highly absorbing, beckoning the viewer to come and invest a moment longer to understand what the motif of the painting is, at the same time being reflective with its aloof nature.

Latiff was born in 1941, and is as well-known a poet as an artist as well. He was trained in art at Hochschule fur Bildende Kunste in Germany, Atelier La Courriere in France and Pratt Graphic Centre in America. Among the honours and awards he has received are the Salon Malaysia’s 1968 second prize in Graphic Design and the Malaysian Literary Awards for four years in a row, the National Literary Award in 1984 and 1986 and the Southeast Asian Writers Award in 1984 for writing.