LOT 99
TAJUDDIN ISMAIL
(B. N. Sembilan, 1949)
White Veil No. 5, 1994
Signed and titled “Taj 1994” on lower right
Signed and titled on verso
Acrylic and stucco on board
38 x 38 cm
Provenance
Private Collection, Kuala Lumpur
SOLD – RM 8,400
This artist’s training in Graphic Design, Interior Architecture and Fine Art heavily influenced his ‘boxscapes’ and ‘gridscapes’ works in the early 70s and 80s. While they seem more architectonic in form and character, they still revolve around conversations with nature, in spite of their more ‘urbane’ feel.
Any layout or any landscapes for that matter have their own grid systems, as they are integral in composing any work. These dictate the arrangements of forms and spaces, and that caught Tajuddin’s interest, as something so ordinary has the ability to be so exceptional and he demonstrates that through this piece, tinted in his usual choice of subdued colours.
“A simple square can be exciting. In the early days I used squares and boxes to create my works. That’s why I called them
boxscapes (a landscape of boxes). They were all based on the grids, on lines. How lines confine space, build space and break free from space. In such simple exercises, we can create something poetic out them too,” said Tajuddin.