Latiff Mohidin.indd

L AT I F F M O H I D I N
MODERN
SCULPTURES
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C U R AT E D B Y T. K . S A B A PAT H Y
P R E V I E W
A P R I L
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P U B L I C
A P R I L
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E X H I B I T I O N
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Έ C L O S E D O N M O N D AY S A N D P U B L I C H O L I D AY S Ή
G5-G6, Mont’Kiara Meridin, 19 Jalan Duta Kiara, Mont’Kiara, 50480 Kuala Lumpur
T: +6-03-7721 8189 | info@theedgegalerie.com
www.theedgegalerie.com
Supported by
TA B L E O F C O N T E N T S
Foreword
4
Thoughts on Latiff Mohidin’s Modern Sculptures
8
In Exhibition
14
Artist’s Collection
74
Conversation on Modern Sculpture
86
Biodata
92
Index
95
^ƵďŚĂŶĂůůĂŚ͕ϭϵϴϭ
dŚĞŵĞƌŐŝŶŐ<ƵďĂŚͬŽŵĞƐ͕ϭϵϴϲ
4
FOREWORD
LATIFF’S FIRST SOLO ON SCULPTURES
The name “LaƟī Mohidin” needs liƩle introducƟon to collectors of Southeast Asian,
parƟcularly Malaysian, art.
And for the second Ɵme, we have the honour of collaboraƟng with the eminent arƟst
on a major exhibiƟon of his works.
Our Įrst project with him was on his solo show, enƟtled >ĂƟīDŽŚŝĚŝŶ͕^ĞĂƐĐĂƉĞ͕
ZĞĐĞŶƚWĂŝŶƟŶŐƐ͕ϮϬϭϬͲϮϬϭϰ͕ which was held in 2014 in Singapore from Aug 20 to 24 at
the Opera Gallery and in Kuala Lumpur from Sept 3 to 20 at The Edge Galerie.
This new exhibiƟon, enƟtled >ĂƟīDŽŚŝĚŝŶ͕DŽĚĞƌŶ^ĐƵůƉƚƵƌĞƐ͕ϮϬϬϳͲϮϬϭϱ, is the
disƟnguished arƟst’s Įrst solo show of sculptures. Thirty-one of them have been selected
for the exhibiƟon and catalogued in this publicaƟon while 10 other works are also documented here.
Since the 1960s, LaƟī has been creaƟng sculptural works with various types of materials, ranging from ciment fondu to brass, marble and steel.
Many of the early sculptures were small, such as the 1967 dĂƌŝĂŶƵƌŽŶŐ or ŝƌĚ
ĂŶĐĞ (118cm x 116cm x 30cm).
Incidentally, ŝƌĚĂŶĐĞwas exhibited at The Edge Galerie in our inaugural collector’s
show in 2013. That exhibiƟon, &ĂǀŽƵƌŝƚĞƐĨƌŽŵƚŚĞĂŝŶnjĂŚĂƌŝŽůůĞĐƟŽŶ͕ included
LaƟī ’s famous painƟng, DĂůĂŵDĞƌĂŚ(WĂŐŽͲWĂŐŽ series), among other remarkable
works loaned by well-known art collector Zain Azahari, who is an old and dear friend of
the arƟst.
And among LaƟī ’s proudest commissioned works for the public space include his
1981 ^ƵďŚĂŶĂůůĂŚwall sculpture. The 122cm by 610cm copper work is installed at
Dewan Canselor Tun Abdul Razak (DECTAR), UniversiƟ Kebangsaan Malaysia, in Bangi,
Selangor.
Also completed in the 1980s and 1990s were other iconic stainless steel sculptures.
ASEAN
Among LaƟī ’s public sculptures is the liƩle known work enƟtled, dŚĞŵĞƌŐŝŶŐ<ƵďĂŚͬ
ŽŵĞƐ installed in the ASEAN Square within the Damuan RecreaƟonal Park in Brunei.
This stainless steel sculpture, which spans 3m by 4.5m by 1.2m, was completed in
1986. It is among the works of six arƟsts who represented the original six ASEAN member countries, i.e. Brunei Darussalam, Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand and the
Philippines.
The sculptures - which range in height from three metres to 6.5 metres – were completed during the Fourth ASEAN Square Sculpture Symposium, held from Jan 11 – Feb
24, 1986. “Harmony in Diversity” was the theme and which symbolised ASEAN solidarity and the aspiraƟons of its member countries, which included love, peace, freedom
and mutual respect.
The concept of LaƟī ’s sculpture was described as, “to achieve a harmonious relaƟonship between two symmetrical halves of nature. By conƟnual repeƟƟon to balance its
descending and ascending energies.” The moƟfs include nature represented by the blade
of a leaf; Malay art and craŌ, represented by the “corak pucuk rebung” (bamboo shoot
moƟf) ; Islamic geometric design, represented by the “arch” and society, represented by
the growth of a new naƟon and quality of life.
<ĞƌŝƐ͕ϭϵϴϳ
5
LaƟī with scale models of ,ĂƌŵŽŶLJ and dŚĞ&ŽƵŶƚĂŝŶ
In 1987, LaƟī completed yet another stainless steel sculpture in Kuala Lumpur and
which was installed on the grounds of the Malayan Banking headquarters. EnƟtled the
<ĞƌŝƐ, this skyscraper-like sculpture soars to a height of 17m and its base is surrounded
by a deep trough of water.
Some 10 years later, in 1998, LaƟī completed two revolving, stainless steel sculptures. EnƟtled, <ŝŶĞƟĐ/ and<ŝŶĞƟĐ// (both 4.2m high), they were installed on the right
and leŌ Ňanks of the main entrance to the Petronas Towers, which itself was completed
in 1996.
These works are cited by the arƟst as among his fondest public sculptures. And to this
day, he conƟnues to be concerned about their upkeep.
But they are by no means LaƟī ’s only public works. In the near future, two new monumental sculptures by LaƟī will be installed. One will be in Singapore and the second
will be erected in Johor.
In the historic Malay district of Kampong Glam in Singapore, LaƟī is creaƟng a
9m high sculpture enƟtled, ,ĂƌŵŽŶLJ, for the DUO mixed development project that
spans 160,722 square metres. The verƟcal steel sculpture is commissioned by M + S,
a joint-venture company of Khazanah Nasional of Malaysia and Temasek Holdings of
Singapore.
Khazanah Nasional has also commissioned LaƟī to create another sculpture of similar size to be sited at the Iskandar Malaysia property development scheme in Johor. The
semi-circular, steel sculpture is enƟtled, dŚĞ&ŽƵŶƚĂŝŶ.
Dates for the installaƟon of the two seminal LaƟī sculptures have yet to be
announced.
6
APPROACH TO SCULPTURE
LaƟī ’s thoughts and concerns, and his approach to creaƟng sculptures are documented
in this catalogue, whose text is based on the edited transcript of a three-hour-long interview conducted by disƟnguished art historian T K Sabapathy (who is based in Singapore)
with LaƟī (who is based in Penang) on Feb 3 this year at The Edge Galerie. Part of the
text is derived from another three-hour-long conversaƟon partly recorded on LaƟī ’s
mobile phone while on a road trip from Penang to Kuala Lumpur in November last year.
Both in their sevenƟes now, the arƟst and the curator share a link to events of the
past that only they know and remember. Only Sabapathy could have conducted the
interview and cajoled or challenged LaƟī to reveal his innermost thoughts about his
sculptures.
In our quest to promote Įne art in the country and to raise social aspiraƟons, we are
indeed indebted to various arƟsts, collectors, curators, insƟtuƟons and supporters who
have helped us in myriad ways.
We have to single out IJM Land for generously supporƟng us in art exhibiƟons and
events that serve to inculcate a love for the arts.
We have also to specially thank Khazanah Nasional Berhad managing director Tan
Sri Azman Mokhtar for readily consenƟng to launch LaƟī ’s Įrst sculpture exhibiƟon on
April 27.
Ho Kay Tat
Publisher & Chief ExecuƟve Oĸcer
The Edge Media Group
April, 2016
<ŝŶĞƟĐϭ͕ϭϵϵϴ
<ŝŶĞƟĐϮ͕ϭϵϵϴ
7
LaƟī (leŌ) at home in Penang with Sabapathy
8
THOUGHTS ON
LATIFF MOHIDIN’S
MODERN SCULPTURES
BY T. K. SABAPATHY
In June 2015, LaƟī Mohidin telephoned. Instantly, I knew the reason for and outcome
of the call. He was thinking of exhibiƟng his recent works. Would I curate and write for
the show?
ConversaƟons along these lines had been carried out during the past twenty years
and more, beginning in 1993. That year, it led to an exhibiƟon and a publicaƟon Ɵtled
WĂŐŽͲWĂŐŽƚŽ'ĞůŽŵďĂŶŐ͗ϰϬzĞĂƌƐŽĨ>ĂƟīDŽŚŝĚŝŶ in Singapore. The exhibiƟon was
held in the NaƟonal Museum Art Gallery, the predecessor of the Singapore Art Museum and the NaƟonal Gallery Singapore.
When there is to be an exhibiƟon, LaƟī telephones to ask that I be involved. And I
have never refused.
On this occasion, the content of the proposed show was completely surprising.
It was to be an exposiƟon of sculptures. He had, he said, produced about eighty,
three-dimensional works in the past eight years. They had not been publicly shown. It
was to be his Įrst sculpture show. Would I curate a display of them?
I held my breath. Did I hear rightly? Sculptures! Eighty of them! How and when
did all of them come about? An exhibiƟon devoted solely to sculptural works? It was
altogether unprecedented for LaƟī and for any arƟst in Malaysia.
Sculpture rarely sees the light of day; an exposiƟon devoted exclusively to it is uncommon. When it appears, it is inserted in inconsequenƟal sectors of display spaces,
receiving liƩle or passing aƩenƟon.
There is another maƩer that aīects the status of sculpture to the extent of cloaking
it in uncertainty.
Art worlds are presently swamped by producƟons and projects that are transacted as
installaƟons or as having installaƟon-like propensiƟes. So much so, convenƟonally produced two-dimensional and three-dimensional works such as painƟngs and sculptures
tend to be curated so that they physically and psychologically impinge on viewers, demanding aƩenƟon persistently. Disinterested viewing gives way to intervenƟonist seeing.
In these circumstances, sculpture regarded as a discreet visual category consisting of objects on pedestals and Ňoors, or as a disƟnct aestheƟc enƟty for beholding
contemplaƟvely, is virtually non-visible. Would LaƟī ’s producƟons prompt fresh
thinking on these situaƟons and sƟmulate renewed interest in sculpture as such? I was
suĸciently curious and, yes, I agreed to curate and write.
THE EXHIBITION
Thirty-one works produced between 2007 and 2015 are on display. Each is conceptualised, executed and presented as an autonomous creaƟon bearing disƟnct formal
and symbolic aƩributes. The preferred material is metal, especially stainless and mild
steel; a few are cast in resin. Their fabricaƟon entails the use of technological apparatus and methods, undertaken in workshops with the assistance of technicians. A few
of the works are coloured; they are chromaƟcally enhanced by the addiƟon of pigment
on their metal surfaces. Most are bare; they yield, instead, the innate properƟes and
characterisƟcs of their material consƟtuƟon.
For LaƟī, it is immensely signiĮcant that his sculptured producƟons are esteemed
as modern. He is decisive on this issue.
I have underlined the uncertain posiƟon of sculpture generally and hinted at its
ambiguous placement in LaƟī ’s pracƟce. An exhibiƟon such as this may well belie the
credibility of my observaƟons. This show is, in all respects, excepƟonal; there are no
precedents for it in the history of LaƟī ’s art.
For instance, in a sprawling overview of his art pracƟce, which spans 60 years, and
conceptualised as a retrospecƟve, sculpture as a categorically percepƟble form of art
barely makes an impression. In the accompanying publicaƟon, it merits coverage of
less than a page. It is listed as a minor topic towards the end of a voluminous tome accompanying the exposiƟon, and consists of fractured, unconnected observaƟons. I cite
it so that readers may appraise not only what has been published on such a presƟgious
occasion but to also ascertain the shadowy status of sculpture as such.
tŽƌŬƐŽĨƐĐƵůƉƚƵƌĞ͕ůŝŬĞƉƌŝŶƚƐ͕ƐƚĂƌƚĞĚŽīĨƌŽŵƐƚƵĚŝŽĞdžĞƌĐŝƐĞƐ
ǁŚĞŶ>D΀>ĂƟīDŽŚŝĚŝŶ΁ǁĂƐŝŶĞƌůŝŶ͘dŚŝƐĂƌƚĨŽƌŵďĞŐĂŶƚŽƌĞͲ
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ĐĞŝǀĞĂƩĞŶƟŽŶǁŚĞŶĂƐĞƚŽĨ>D͛ƐƐĐƵůƉƚƵƌĞƐǁĞƌĞŝŶĐůƵĚĞĚŝŶƚŚĞ
Pago-PagoĂŶĚMindscapeƐĞƌŝĞƐ͘,ŝƐŝŶǀŽůǀĞŵĞŶƚǁŝƚŚƐĐƵůƉƚƵƌĂů
ƉƌĂĐƟĐĞŚĂƐƉƌŽŐƌĞƐƐĞĚƌĞŵĂƌŬĂďůLJĨŽůůŽǁŝŶŐƚŚĞĐŽŶƐƚƌƵĐƟŽŶŽĨ
ŚŝƐůĂƌŐĞƐĐĂůĞƉƵďůŝĐƐĐƵůƉƚƵƌĞƐŝŶƉůĂĐĞƐůŝŬĞDĞŶĂƌĂDĂLJďĂŶŬ
;Keris͕ϭϵϴϴͿĂŶĚ<>;KineƟc I and KineƟc II,ϭϵϵϴͿŝŶ<ƵĂůĂ
>ƵŵƉƵƌ͕ĂŶĚhŶŝǀĞƌƐŝƟ<ĞďĂŶŐƐĂĂŶDĂůĂLJƐŝĂŝŶĂŶŐŝ;Subhanallah͕ϭϵϴϭͿ͕ĂƐǁĞůůĂƐŝŶĂŶĚĂƌ^ĞƌŝĞŐĂǁĂŶ͕ƌƵŶĞŝ;The
Emerging Kubah / Domes͕ϭϵϴϰͿ͘
dŚĞƉƵďůŝĐƐĐƵůƉƚƵƌĞƐƐƚĂƚĞĚĂďŽǀĞĂƌĞŵĂĚĞƵƐŝŶŐƐŚĞĞƚƐŽĨ
ŵĞƚĂů͕ƐƵĐŚĂƐĐŽƉƉĞƌĂŶĚƐƚĂŝŶůĞƐƐƐƚĞĞů͘ůŵŽƐƚĂůůŽĨƚŚĞŵŝŶͲ
ĐŽƌƉŽƌĂƚĞŐĞŽŵĞƚƌŝĐĂůĨŽƌŵƐͶŵŽƐƚƉƌŽďĂďůLJƌĞŵŝŶŝƐĐĞŶƚŽĨƚŚĞ
ĂďƐƚƌĂĐƚƐƚLJůĞŚĞĞdžƉůŽƌĞĚŝŶƚŚĞ MindscapeĂŶĚLangkawiƐĞƌŝĞƐ͘
,ŝƐĞĂƌůŝĞƌƐĐƵůƉƚƵƌĂůƉŝĞĐĞƐŝŶƚŚĞPago-PagoƐĞƌŝĞƐ͕ŝŶĐŽŶƚƌĂƐƚ͕
ĂƌĞŵŽƌĞŽƌŐĂŶŝĐ͕ŵĞĚŝƵŵŝŶƐŝnjĞĂŶĚŵĂĚĞĨƌŽŵ͞ĐŝŵĞŶƚĨŽŶĚƵ͘͟
ŵŽŶŐƚŚĞŵĂƌĞTotem;ϭϵϲϳͿ͕Burong I;ϭϵϲϳͿ͕Landscape
;ϭϵϲϳͿĂŶĚDaun 3;ϭϵϲϴͿ͘1
The scanty treatment meted out to sculpture in LaƟī ’s pracƟce occurs in virtually
all extant publicaƟons on this arƟst. I refer to another that is comparable in importance to the volume issued for the 2012 retrospecƟve show.
In 1993, forty years of his art was displayed and a publicaƟon was produced. Together,
the two components bore the Ɵtle WĂŐŽͲWĂŐŽƚŽ'ĞůŽŵďĂŶŐ͗&ŽƌƚLJzĞĂƌƐŽĨ>ĂƟīDŽͲ
ŚŝĚŝŶ͘ For that occasion a handful of sculptures created in the late 1960s (the very ones
listed in the 2012 account, although there is no acknowledgement in it of their earlier
showing) were displayed and illustrated somewhat desultorily. Even so, they were not
menƟoned, let alone discussed in the text wriƩen by art historians, curators and arƟsts,
and published. I was the editor of the publicaƟon and guest curator for the exhibiƟon!
How then do we square up to the present exhibiƟon, coming to it as we do, with
the weight of sculpture’s conƟnuing neglect? Thirty-one objects are selected from
10
about eighty works produced over eight years — an intense, relaƟvely unbroken duraƟon for thinking on and producing a body of three-dimensional creaƟons. A body that
exempliĮes marked degrees of kinship within it, whereby producƟons are technically,
formally and symbolically related to one another, even as each secures an autonomous arƟsƟc existence. This is by any reckoning substanƟal, if not formidable. It is also
unparalleled in his pracƟce.
I have described its public appearance as excepƟonal and unprecedented.
Is it then to be deemed as inexplicable, mysƟfying even? To say so, is to forego
prospects for advancing criƟcal perspecƟves for seeing this show. To say so, is
to surrender capaciƟes for recognising sculpture as an idenƟĮable aspect in this
arƟst’s pracƟce, and for appreciaƟng it as in some ways connected to that pracƟce.
I suggest we step back from the edge of incomprehension and consider grounds for
appraising LaƟī ’s involvement with sculpture, freshly. The aim is to, speciĮcally, develop culƟvated approaches to viewing his modern sculptures, as they are displayed
on this occasion.
A thoughƞul move could begin with conĮrming the sovereignty of painƟng.
PainƟng (with drawing) deĮnes LaƟī ’s visual art pracƟce. The only medium that
claims comparable recogniƟon with it is poetry. Although poetry and painƟng are
concurrently presented from Ɵme to Ɵme for twinned aƩenƟon, how the two may
be relatedly appraised is a maƩer that has not been studied.
Sculpture appears in this milieu, obviously not on par with these two aspects. When
compared with painƟng, it is undeniably secondary in terms of conƟnuous producƟon.
It appears sporadically and sparsely; when it is seen, it tends to be regarded as bearing
aĸniƟes with painƟng. Hence, there are three-dimensional works associated with the
WĂŐŽͲWĂŐŽ series, with the >ĂŶŐŬĂǁŝ series and with the DŝŶĚƐĐĂƉĞ series. This is not
to say that such producƟons are mere derivaƟons or shadows of pictures. They bear
hallmarks of sculptural imaginaƟon and realisaƟon. And in the case of the Langkawi
series, it was spurred by sculptural thinking and making that gave rise to a sequence
that was long lived.
LaƟī is not singular in producing sculpture in a pracƟce that is chieŇy advanced
and esteemed by painƟng. He keeps company with a number of arƟsts who were in
the vanguard of modern Malaysian art in the 1960s and 1970s; arƟsts who developed
interest in more than one studio discipline in their respecƟve creaƟve pracƟces.
Among painter-sculptors are Datuk Syed Ahmad Jamal, Yeoh Jin Leng, Cheong Lai
Tong, Tang Tuck Kan, Redza Piyadasa, Choong Kam Kow and Lee Kian Seng. While the
pairing of sculpture with painƟng is generally acknowledged, it has not been suĸciently studied. Here is a topic for the consideraƟon of future researchers and curators.2
I have remarked that sculpture and painƟng are developed co-extensively by LaƟī
in his studio pracƟce and that, although they are aĸliated, they are not symmetrically weighted. Notwithstanding this diīerence, I have also noted the integrity with
1
ϲϬzĞĂƌƐ>ĂƟīDŽŚŝĚŝŶZĞƚƌŽƐƉĞĐƟǀĞ, NaƟonal Visual Art Gallery, Kuala Lumpur, 2012, p 70.
I have drawn aƩenƟon to the painter-sculptor in an exhibiƟon and publicaƟon on modern sculpture in Malaysian art. For convenience, I cite what was then wriƩen. “The contribuƟon of the painter-sculptor to
the development of modern art is well documented. This relaƟonship is based on a need for the expansion and exploraƟon of formal imagery under the impetus of the new concepts of space, Ɵme and psychology, which might not be possible in painƟng or sculpture respecƟvely. This preference has the advantage of working with material whose nature is as tractable as that of pigments; furthermore, modelling provides
free rein for the experimental freedom which is not possible in the Ɵme-consuming process of carving.” T.K.Sabapathy, sŝĞǁŽĨDŽĚĞƌŶ^ĐƵůƉƚƵƌĞŝŶDĂůĂLJƐŝĂ, NaƟonal Art Gallery, Kuala Lumpur, 1976, unpaginated. This text is republished in /ŵĂŐŝŶŝŶŐ/ĚĞŶƟƟĞƐ͘EĂƌƌĂƟǀĞƐŝŶDĂůĂLJƐŝĂŶƌƚ͕sŽůϭ, edited by Nur Hanim Khairuddin and Beverly Yong, with T.K.Sabapathy, Rogue Art, Kuala Lumpur, 2012, pp 176-185, citaƟon
appears on p 180. For a thoughƞul report on sculpture in Malaysian art, see Tengku Sabri Ibrahim, ‘A Story of Malaysian Sculpture’, /ŵĂŐŝŶŝŶŐ/ĚĞŶƟƟĞƐ͘EĂƌƌĂƟǀĞƐŝŶDĂůĂLJƐŝĂŶƌƚ͕sŽů͘ϭ, pp 186-197.
2
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Figure 1 EŽƚĞŬϯ͘>ĂƟīDŽŚŝĚŝŶ͘^ŬĞƚƐĂƌĐĂ͘hůƵ<ĞůĂŶŐ͘ϭϵϴϵ
which sculpture is pracƟsed. LaƟī pays aƩenƟon to principles that characterise
modern sculpture. He thinks intensely and methodically studies ways for representing these values.
For instance, he uses notebooks for inscribing sketches, drawings and schemes
that are to be realised sculpturally or as sculptural works. These are oŌen annotated.
He also writes his thoughts. One such compilaƟon is numbered as three and Ɵtled
>ĂƟīDŽŚŝĚŝŶ͘^ŬĞƚƐĂƌĐĂ͘hůƵ<ĞůĂŶŐ͘ϭϵϴϵ;>ĂƟīDŽŚŝĚŝŶ͘^ŬĞƚĐŚĞƐĨŽƌ^ĐƵůƉƚƵƌĞ͘
hůƵ<ĞůĂŶŐ͘ϭϵϴϵͿ. (Figure 1). On its Įrst page is a handwriƩen text revealing his
thoughts on and ideals for sculpture. Flagging them as “the essence of sculpture”, he
rounds oī his ruminaƟons boldly and declaraƟvely (Figure 2). He writes the following in capital leƩers.
LJƐĐƵůƉƚƵƌĞǁĞŵĞĂŶƚŚŽƐĞƉůĂƐƟĐĂŶĚƐƉĂƟĂůƌĞůĂƟŽŶƐŚŝƉƐ
ǁŚŝĐŚĚĞĮŶĞĂŵŽŵĞŶƚŽĨƉĞƌƐŽŶĂůĞdžŝƐƚĞŶĐĞĂŶĚŝůůƵŵŝŶĞƚŚĞ
ĞŶǀŝƌŽŶŵĞŶƚŽĨŽƵƌĂƐƉŝƌĂƟŽŶƐ͘ϯ
Figure 2 LaƟī ’s views on sculpture from EŽƚĞŬϯ
12
It is tempƟng to claim a descripƟon such as this as proposing a deĮniƟon. It is far
more fruiƞul to read it as signalling principles or aƩributes that are foundaƟonal for
seeing works on display in this exhibiƟon. It is fruiƞul to interpret it as also indicaƟng
LaƟī ’s concepƟons of modern sculpture. The terms, he employ, such as “plasƟc”,
“spaƟal”, “spaƟal relaƟons” and “environment” are current in discussions of sculpture.
Especially for painter-sculptors, as the appeal of such descripƟons enable the sculpture
to be realised in real space what could only be depicted or suggested in painƟng.
The perƟnence of this descripƟon is not only or even chieŇy for keeping in mind
painƟng-sculpture relaƟonships. In this instance, it is wriƩen with sculpture clearly in
mind and to highlight primary values for sculpture as such and in its own right. InteresƟngly, solid mass and palpable shape are conspicuously omiƩed in this scheme; the
repercussions of their omission aīect his recent producƟons deeply. Their omission
signiĮes what he upholds as salient in his producƟons as modern sculpture. More on
this a liƩle later.
The descripƟon may be read too as underlining the importance of human values
and ideals. We pay heed to this emphasis because it may otherwise be construed as
unveiling an indiīerent, removed-from-living utopia. LaƟī installs “personal existence”
as consƟtuƟng the heartbeat of his sculptural world. Yet, it is not a personal existence
that is overtly autobiographical, anecdotal or incidentally Įgural. He envisions sculpture as illuminaƟng “the environment of our aspiraƟons”, thereby projecƟng for it a
spaƟal and social extensiveness. These are mighty, opƟmisƟc, even hopeful asserƟons.
It is well worth the while to keep these in mind as we move towards seeing the
sculptures. They are, aŌer all, fabricated from steel and cast in resin — materials
produced by industrial technologies for industrial use. When execuƟng his works, LaƟī
required the assistance of technicians capable of operaƟng machinery and tools requisite for arƟsƟc purposes and for producing three-dimensional works in a workshop.
The sculptures bear the hallmarks of their technological sources and make up. They
are streamlined, with precise contours and are sharply silhoueƩed in space. When
they cast shadows, these are razor thin. They are machine-made but are not mechanical, not mechanised and not machine-like in disposiƟon.
They are not objects fabricated from a blueprint or replicated from a prototype.
Each is individually conceptualised and executed. There are works such as ůĂĚŝŶϭ͕Ϯ
ĂŶĚϯ (illustrated from pg. 34-36) that bear marked kinship with one another but do
not appear as look-alikes; each is disƟnct, bearing diīerent formaƟons. CollecƟvely
and individually, they yield sustained viewing.
When reading his descripƟon of what sculpture is, I remarked that LaƟī omits
solid mass and palpable shape. In the three composiƟons named above, featuring the
fabled magical lamp, we do discern interest in mass and shape denoted by curving,
convex planes. These aƩributes do not, however, anchor the sculptures Įrmly onto
3
their supporƟng bases or plaƞorms as they convenƟonally would; they are, instead,
lightened by the translucent formaƟon of the resin.
When mass and shape that are palpable are omiƩed in his scheme, as they are in
the majority of works produced and displayed here, what then do we see or discern?
What then are among the formal qualiƟes and perceptual properƟes that determine
his sculptural world? At the risk of being reducƟve, I would say that the works tend to
deĮne sculpture in terms of space, volume and surface, rather than mass and shape,
which were dominant criteria in LaƟī ’s three-dimensional composiƟons in the late
1960s and early 1970s, years during which he created a cluster of works enabling
criƟcal appraisal, suĸciently. Space, volume and surface assume pre-eminence in one
of the two mainstreams of modern sculpture. LaƟī ’s recent sculptural pracƟce and
producƟons are Įrmly located in this stream.
Now, sculptures sit lightly, not ponderously, in the display areas. Sharply contoured
planes undulate in space, embracing and enfolding volume. Space is internalised in
each work; it is integral to each work’s being. And yet, it is not conĮned or contained.
Each composiƟon appears porous, penetrated by and penetraƟng space; simultaneously, each work is seen as inscribed Įrmly and precisely in space.
Steel is enlivened, quickened with life-like animaƟon and energy. Each work
shapes its atmosphere and arƟculates its environment visually and psychologically. In beholding these sculptures, our apprehension of space is imaginaƟvely and
experienƟally enriched. Ways by which space is conĮgured and given shape appear
as inĮnite.
This exhibiƟon consolidates sculpture as a signiĮcant and enduring aspect in LaƟī ’s
pracƟce; it also hoists it onto an enhanced creaƟve register. The works mark profound
changes in his thinking and making of sculpture.
>ĂƟīDŽŚŝĚŝŶ͘^ŬĞƚƐĂƌĐĂ͘hůƵ<ĞůĂŶŐ͘ϭϵϴϵ͕;>ĂƟīDŽŚŝĚŝŶ͘^ŬĞƚĐŚĞƐĨŽƌ^ĐƵůƉƚƵƌĞ͕hůƵ<ĞůĂŶŐ͕ϭϵϴϵͿp 1, unpublished.
13
14
IN EXHIBITION
15
Khat 1
2008
61cm x 92cm x 26cm
Stainless steel
16
17
Window
2008
91cm x 61cm x 41cm
Painted brass
18
19
Birth
2010
88cm x 56cm x 25cm
Stainless steel
20
21
Khat 2
2010
80cm x 81cm x 33cm
Stainless steel
22
23
Madame Arp:
Homage to Jean Arp
2010
61cm x 46cm x 16cm
Stainless steel
24
25
Arabesque 2
2011
33cm x 110cm x 13cm
Stainless steel
26
27
Growth 1
2011
104cm x 56cm x 10cm
Stainless steel
28
29
Growth 2
2011
104cm x 56cm x 10cm
Stainless steel (Ɵtanium)
30
31
Yin Yang 1
2012
45cm x 73cm x 25cm
Stainless steel
32
33
Aladdin 1
2013
64cm x 51cm x 18cm
Resin
34
Aladdin 2
2013
64cm x 51cm x 18cm
Resin
35
Aladdin 3
2013
65cm x 51cm x 18cm
Resin
36
Aladdin 4
2013
65cm x 51cm x 18cm
Resin
37
Boat 1
2013
30cm x 56cm x 16cm
Resin
38
39
Boat 2
2013
24cm x 56cm x 23cm
Resin
40
41
ConƟnence 1
2013
33cm x 50cm x13cm
Stainless steel
42
43
ConƟnence 2
2013
33cm x 50cm x 13cm
Stainless steel
44
45
ConƟnence 3
2013
33cm x 50cm x 13cm
Stainless steel
46
47
Object 1
2013
35cm x 33cm x 20cm
Resin
48
49
Object 2
2013
39cm x 44cm x 21cm
Resin
50
51
Object 3
2013
26cm x 46cm x 17cm
Resin
52
53
Object 4
2013
26cm x 46cm x 17cm
Resin
54
55
Tian
2013
84cm x 53cm x 21cm
Stainless steel
56
57
Tian 2
2013
66cm x 41cm x 15cm
Painted steel
58
59
Vessel 1
2013
36cm x 54cm x 35cm
Painted steel
60
61
Vessel 2
2013
36cm x 54cm x 35cm
Stainless steel
62
63
Vessel 3
2013
36cm x 54cm x 35cm
Stainless steel
64
65
Dark Muse: Homage to Brancusi
2014
49cm x 29cm x 29cm
Mild steel
66
67
Flight – Homage to Noguchi
2014
81cm x 39cm x 18cm
Resin
68
69
Shiraz 2
2015
127cm x 248cm x 46cm
Stainless steel
70
71
Isfahan 3
2015
158cm x 113cm x 61cm
Stainless steel
72
73
74
ARTIST’S COLLECTION
75
Voyage 1
2012
47cm x 50cm x20cm
Stainless steel
76
Voyage 2
2012
54cm x 92cm x 30cm
Stainless steel
77
Yin Yang 2
2012
52cm x 74cm x 38cm
Stainless steel
78
Boomerangs
2013
77cm x 18cm x 8cm
Mild steel
79
Diamond
2013
38cm x 48cm x 8cm
Painted steel
80
Tao
2013
122cm x 66cm x 50cm
Painted steel
81
Vessel 4
2014
34cm x 43cm x 20cm
Stainless steel
82
Flight 1
2014
33cm x 20cm x 13cm
Steel
83
Tashkent 2
2014
77cm x 84cm x 20cm
Painted steel
84
Isfahan 2
2015
198cm x 168cm x 50cm
Painted steel
85
CONVERSATION ON
MODERN SCULPTURE
>ĂƟīDŽŚŝĚŝŶ;>DͿƚĂůŬƐǁŝƚŚĂƌƚŚŝƐƚŽƌŝĂŶd͘<͘^ĂďĂƉĂƚŚLJ;d<^ͿŽŶŚŝƐĂƉƉƌŽĂĐŚƚŽǁĂƌĚƐĐƌĞĂƟŶŐƚǁŽͲĂŶĚƚŚƌĞĞͲĚŝŵĞŶƐŝŽŶĂůĂƌƚŝŶ
ƌĞůĂƟŽŶƚŽŚŝƐPago-Pago, Langkawi, Mindscape, Gelombang͕Rimba ĂŶĚVoyageĂƌƚǁŽƌŬƐĞƌŝĞƐ͘dŚŝƐƚƌĂŶƐĐŝƉƚŝƐďĂƐĞĚŽŶĂƚŚƌĞĞͲ
ŚŽƵƌͲůŽŶŐĐŽŶǀĞƌƐĂƟŽŶĐŽŶĚƵĐƚĞĚĂƚdŚĞĚŐĞ'ĂůĞƌŝĞŽŶϯ&ĞďƌƵĂƌLJϮϬϭϲ͘
TKS: Here we go again LaƟī, another conversaƟon for another exhibiƟon and publicaƟon project. I want to focus on sculpture in your art. Of course, even as that is the
focus, it cannot be divorced from your painƟng because the two are inter-connected.
Let’s begin in Berlin and your formal art educaƟon. In notes that you have
wriƩen you talk of seeing sculptures in the academy with a classmate who was a
student of Karl Hartung, who is of course a renowned sculptor.
LM: He is.
TKS: And then later on you also came across works by Hans Uhlmann.
Germany was completely defeated during the Second World War; its major ciƟes
were virtually destroyed by intense bombing and had to be reconstructed; you
were in the middle of all that reconstrucƟon. I don’t know whether anybody has
asked why you chose to go to Germany. Everybody else went to Paris or they went
to London or to the US. Why?
LM: I think it was fate. I mean aŌer my Cambridge school cerƟĮcate examinaƟon
in 1959, the German Embassy in Kuala Lumpur said I’ve been selected to receive a
four-year art course in Berlin, sponsored by the German Academy Deutscher Akademescher Aust Guschdientst (DAAD). DAAD is the German acronym for their academic
exchange service in Bonn, under the German Federal government.
I was in my village, near Seremban — in the state of Negeri Sembilan — at that
Ɵme, and I was suddenly thrown into this world city, and of course, everything was
more than a culture shock.
And I remember, like you say, when I arrived in 1960, some parts of Berlin, even at
that Ɵme were crumbling, ruins here and there.
When I came to the academy, some friends, became very aƩached to me; they
were very kind. They helped me a lot and one of them was a student of Karl Hartung.
Karl Hartung was very famous besides Hans Uhlmann. But Karl Hartung was more
tradiƟonal; he used plaster of Paris for modelling Įgures. And Hans Uhlmann was
called a modernist, he was a sort of a Cubist, he used metal.
For the Įrst Ɵme, I saw how sculpture was made. From the powdery white plaster
of Paris, something very smooth, very solid came out. I was like, what sort of trick is
this? How is it done? So, I was very curious. I was very impressed.
In Berlin, the father of modern sculpture, Rodin — he was French—and a lot of
other arƟsts, especially German sculptors had very big sculptures outdoors, near and
around buildings. So I told myself, one of these days, I’m going to make some sort of
sculpture.
TKS: And you encountered sculptures in your travels in Europe; in Paris, where you
saw works of some of the greatest arƟsts of the Ɵme, Picasso, MaƟsse!
LM: Henri Laurens.
TKS: And then, of course, the great form makers – Brancusi, Jean Arp!
LM: Especially, Jean Arp.
86
TKS: And Noguchi. You came across their sculptures in museums and in public
spaces?
LM: Mostly in museums. So, when the interest took over, I went to a lot of museums,
not really to study, but to ask and know who Brancusi and Jean Arp were. I became
more interested in Jean Arp because of his poetry; plus, he was a surrealist. Brancusi
also paid homage to African sculptors, didn’t he? Noguchi paid homage to him, I
mean to Brancusi, didn’t he?
TKS: Yes. So, there’s a line connecƟng all of them to you, or you to them. It’s your
lineage, your arƟsƟc lineage.
LM: In painƟng I can be an expressionist, in my sketches I can be very impressionisƟc,
but in sculpture, the way I understand it, it should be solid, concrete and possibly
lots of smoothness, in the sense that it’s polished. So you see in sculpture, if I could
have done it in wood for example, I would polish, polish, polish; or with stone, I would
polish, so to make it more concrete. So that’s how it happened in sculpture, especially
coming out from organic maƩer.
TKS: But your earlier works are quite diīerent.
LM: I agree, because it came out from WĂŐŽͲWĂŐŽ.
TKS: That’s right. It was in 1967, late 60s, that you began to occasionally produce
three-dimensional works.
LM: I realise that WĂŐŽͲWĂŐŽ has this element, this sculptural element; it’s central, it’s
solid; it’s either embedded or grows from the ground. In a way, it’s sort of sculptural.
TKS: This is not surprising because one of the sources for Pago-Pago is your encounter with built-forms such as stupas, chedis, Khmer temples in your travels through
Nusantara. Pago-Pago came out of these three-dimensional worlds, and out of
Pago-Pago emerge sculptural forms. There is circularity in these relaƟonships.
LM: You’re right, especially those of the Angkor and Bali series.
TKS: Where you cannot tell sculpture apart from architecture as the two are intricately connected, one feeding into the other. And you transformed impressions of
these in your imaginaƟon. Let’s look at works you produced in the 1960s, which are
very disƟnct. Earlier you point to intense aƩenƟon to surfaces of your sculptures,
wanƟng to give them sheen, polish, wanƟng to give them Ɵght skins.
LM: That is later. Here, we seeWĂŐŽͲWĂŐŽ turned into sculpture.
TKS: Yes, that’s a wonderful photograph showing a landscape of sculptures,
illustraƟng a variety of shapes and forms. Some are verƟcal and upright, some are
reclining, and some are just siƫng there like things or stones. So, there’s a whole
world out there. I’m interested in your approach to materials. And this is very much
a hands-on thing, you are modelling, you’re shaping, you’re pulling and pushing.
LM: Building up, shaping up, directly.
LaƟī with the biggest sculpture, ^ŚŝƌĂnjϮ, selected for the exhibiƟon
TKS: With your bare hands; so, the touch of the hand is as direct as the touch of
your brush on your painƟng surface; of course, these come out three dimensionally
while pictures are not. Was it something that was important for you in the making
of the sculpture at that Ɵme? Were you conscious of this handling, manipulaƟng of
materials, tacƟlity, perhaps?
LM: I remember travelling to Nepal with a friend, arriving at a town, of which the
name, I do not recall and seeing a man throwing pots, doing ceramics. I went to him
and said I wanted to give it a try. So, for the Įrst Ɵme I tried to throw a pot, and it was
terrible. I thought I could shape the clay, I didn’t understand that the clay would shape
you. I put too much water and it went limp because the combinaƟon was not good.
You need to have the right amount of clay, water, and spin the wheel.
So, I realised every material has its limit, and this is what was happening. You know
what I did?
While the wheel was sƟll slowly spinning I took a small stone and threw into it. I got
a very wet and I got a very weird shape but I enjoyed that day, although my vase was
very weird looking. There was this, as you say, tacƟle, the thing with your hand, and
there are so many elements going on, water, clay, your own temperament.
When I returned home I tried cement in Singapore while making the dĂƌŝĂŶƵƌƵŶŐ
(sculpture) what we called at the Ɵme “ciment fondu”. I found it in the hardware shop,
and it’s diīerent because it’s black. It comes in two colours actually – black and white.
And when I liŌed it up, it was heavy. I asked why is it heavy? It has this metal element
and I said, this is good for sculpture. When it dries it’s almost like metal, its quality. So,
I did two or three in white but mostly in black. I was just using this ciment fondu.
TKS: There is a sculptor in Singapore, Ng Eng Teng, who used ciment fondu as his
main sculptural material, from about 1959/1960 and throughout his pracƟce. You
have to assemble an armature for this?
I’m scared (that) when you do sculpture you don’t go anywhere. You stay put in
doing it, as it takes Ɵme. Later on, you do the skin, the texture, and you have to spray. I
really enjoyed this.
TKS: At this Ɵme you were already well into your Pago-Pago world.
LM: Correct.
TKS: And there is now, some kind of spill-over from your painƟngs in the way you
look at things, the way you look at shape, both natural shapes and forms, as well as
built shapes and forms. You sort of pay homage to your pracƟce as this comes out
of Pago-Pago, like quotaƟons.
LM: What is amazing, and I’m not talking about my sculptures, is that there are quite
a number of modern buildings by various architects around the world nowadays that
somehow appear WĂŐŽͲWĂŐŽ-esque in a sense, you know the shapes are slightly twisted and have WĂŐŽͲWĂŐŽ-look-alike kind of shapes. I’m talking about modern architecture, you know in Dubai, here and there. Not natural like mine, and that’s interesƟng.
TKS: I think it’s very interesƟng. PainƟngs have given birth to sculptures, sculptures
have given birth to architecture; so it’s a wonderful sort of network of connecƟons
or relaƟons. I think creaƟvely and historically, it is important to recognise this. At
that Ɵme, how and when were these exhibited? Were sculptures exhibited with
your painƟngs?
LM: No, not unƟl the 1973 retrospecƟve exhibiƟon. There were a few in that show. Do
you remember the dĂƌŝĂŶƵƌƵŶŐ? That was the Įrst Ɵme people realised the presence of sculpture.
LM: Yes, you have the skeleton, the wire, and the main structure, the shape, and you
throw some cement.
TKS: Yes, I remember the show. And I included your work Ɵtled Burung Cenderawaseh (Bird of Paradise) in an exhibiƟon of modern sculpture in Malaysia that
I curated for the Balai Seni Lukis Negara (NaƟonal Art Gallery) in 1976. OK. Fast
forward to the present! This show, scheduled for April of this year, is your Įrst solo
exhibiƟon of sculpture. Only sculptures, no painƟngs!
TKS: And you model or apply the cement onto it!
LM: Yes, modern sculpture.
LM: And you have to wrap it with a piece of cloth Ɵll it dries; so you don’t go anywhere.
87
TKS: We’ll come to that later.
LM: No painƟng, solely sculptural works. Yes, the Įrst solo sculpture, you’re right.
TKS: It will come as a great surprise to the public, to those who remember the
works that were produced in the 1960s, and there are very few who do remember.
Only a few, as increasingly people have less and less memory about anything and
are virtuous about not remembering. You have produced a handful of public commission sculptures such as the KineƟc pair at the KLCC (Petronas Towers).
LM: These are scaƩered here and there and produced from Ɵme to Ɵme.
TKS: Yes, generally there are only scaƩered or spoƩy encounters with your sculptural works. That is why, this exhibiƟon will come as a surprise. You have consolidated
thinking on sculpture, suĸciently, to produce 30 works and more, and are puƫng
them as an exhibiƟon. I wish to trace developments since the 1960s, beginning with
nature as a source and then onto the impact of the Pago-Pago pictures and other
pictorial series on your sculpture, and beyond.
There are two major approaches for making sculpture, tradiƟonally; one is by
carving, where you subtract, and the other is by modelling, where you add, you
build it up. Yours, has been a modelling approach. And then in the 1970s you
changed by adopƟng a construcƟve approach, if I may call it. You made objects that
were somewhat between sculpture and something else, somewhere in between! I
may not be saying it clearly.
LM: You put it on a wall.
TKS: And you put it on a wall, which makes it an even greater puzzle. Because sculptures are supposed to be free from the wall, free-standing like our bodies.
LM: The >ĂŶŐŬĂǁŝseries.
TKS: I guess you can call it the Langkawi series, because it went over almost 10
years, but within the Langkawi series you used a new term, namely: “archa dinding” (literally translated as wall sculpture). I remembered that moment. We were
both in Penang, at the UniversiƟ Sains Malaysia where you were appointed as the
Įrst arƟst-in-residence. That’s where it started. And they were largely made out of
wood. You were working like a carpenter, a “tukang kayu”; in the studio, sawing,
sawing, sawing, and puƫng this and that together.
LM: Polishing, grinding.
TKS: And I was wondering what is this guy doing? He is a painter and now he’s producing this. It took everybody by surprise and those who commented on your exhibiƟon tried to make some sense of you. Zakaria Ali wrote a review, SiƟ Zainon wrote a
criƟque and I wrote a report. It was a very important moment. The wall sculpture was
transformed into the Langkawi series and that in turn was transformed.
LM: In between those we have two phases of DŝŶĚƐĐĂƉĞ, the Įrst and second.
TKS: How do you look back on those years and those producƟons?
LM: I wanted to do something that is generally known as sculpture. It’s relevant at that
Ɵme; just sculpture you know and something solid, something organic coming out of
the >ĂŶŐŬĂǁŝ, shaped like WĂŐŽͲWĂŐŽ-like forms but trimmed, with the horns cut out.
I mean, the quesƟon is, “yes” or “no”. Is it a painƟng? Yes, it’s a painƟng. Is it sculpture?
Yes, it is sculpture. Is it both? You know! That kind of thing. As a pracƟce, aŌer the >ĂŶŐͲ
ŬĂǁŝ series I wanted to do something but did not know what. I had returned from New
York, where I was doing printmaking. On my return, I thought I could conƟnue with this
but there were so many problems because of the humidity and all that; so I gave up the
whole idea of printmaking. To cover my disappointment, one day, I drew something on a
board. I remember something appeared in dark blue and as a shape; I put a curve around
it. That’s the origin of the >ĂŶŐŬĂǁŝseries, the Įrst >ĂŶŐŬĂǁŝ, which developed into about
a dozen works or so. To do sculpture you have to really sit down in your studio, lock your
front door, just stay put. DŝŶĚƐĐĂƉĞdidn’t resolve the >ĂŶŐŬĂǁŝ problem, and I had to
resolve that with the three gestural, painƟng series- 'ĞůŽŵďĂŶŐ͕ZŝŵďĂand sŽLJĂŐĞ.
88
What’s next? If you’re a sculptor then the answer is in the material not so much
on the idea; the answer for me is in the material. Art is in the material; the secret of
that art is in the material, in its making. When I had an urge to think about sculpture, I
produced drawings — of mulƟple, rough shapes and schemes— unƟl the 1980s.
TKS: You talked about the problem of sculpture as residing in the material, that its
secret lies in the material. This is an incredibly important thing to acknowledge and
recognise. I wish to stay with this for a bit. Earlier, we talked about modelling as
an approach for you, when working with materials; we talked about manipulaƟng
material, of the impact of the hand on the material and vice versa. It is sensual in
this sense.
LM: It is. That’s what I said, the clay makes your hand, and your hand makes the clay.
TKS: For the wall sculptures, you measured and shaped the forms and arrangements precisely.
LM: Yes, symmetrically.
TKS: And you used a hand saw and carefully arranged various parts so they held
together. The shiŌ is phenomenal.
LM: I had become not a sculptor anymore.
TKS: A designer, a fabricator!
LM: Now I’m measuring almost like an architect, it’s so mechanical.
TKS: Almost simultaneously you started on what is now recognised as the Langkawi
series. In them you retained interest in precise contours and linear formaƟons. You
created a whole series of works combining the organic with the geometric. Geometry and organic-ism were inter-related. And you have included colour.
LM: I always go back to nature, the natural word. You don’t call it abstract, but it’s
natural; the circle, the square, the triangle, nature itself. The organic part of nature;
nature itself. But, of course, it’s man-made precision, not God-made. I am now using
industrial material and industrial technologies for making sculptures.
TKS: Yes, we’ll come to that later. Compared with the Tarian Burung, you’re now “cleaning” nature. You’re taking out all the accidents, all the incidents out of the nature.
LM: Only one aspect of it, only one aspect, the ‘cleaning’ part as you said, actually, I’m
not very happy with that.
TKS: Not happy with that expression?
LM: Because it depends on the material; if you use cement, or clay you can model.
But when we use metal plate which is Ňat, either brass or aluminum, what do you do?
My opinion is, that we cannot force nature or anything in creaƟvity. When you say the
material has limitaƟons, meaning that if you apply force in manipulaƟng, it’ll break. I
don’t do that. In this case, I follow the Ňat plane.
So, in sculpture, there are so many things you have to consider; one is the material, the limitaƟon, the way it’s done, the way it’s made. You cannot model with metal
without breaking it. You can but I am not into that. I just like to follow the nature of
it. I’m not really cleaning but using the obvious shape of the plane as it is and in its
natural way. That’s why some parts are almost completely Ňat.
TKS: What you have just said in reply to my remark of cleaning nature indicates
that you have been faithful to what you said earlier about being truthful to the
behavior of material and bringing about some kind of unforced relaƟonship with
your interest or intenƟon, not to impose your will on it.
LM: Correct, not to really manipulate it.
TKS: Your earliest sculptures were highly manipulated. Now it’s a diīerent kind of
thinking. Although the materials you have been using are all industrial materials.
LM: The thing you menƟoned is important, whereby you try to pursue and do both.
Like in the >ĂŶŐŬĂǁŝseries, it was interesƟng because it is half-painƟng and half-sculpture. See what happens. I think that excites me.
TKS: I’m also excited talking about it. We move into the 1970s. The Langkawi, the
Mindscape (series) were not, I’d say, controversially new at that Ɵme. They were recognised as new, perhaps not immediately but generally. It is interesƟng to hear from
you that not everything that you have made at the Ɵme was conƟnued; some were
abandoned because you felt they were not true to your nature as an arƟst or how you
looked at the world. And then you went back to painƟng and produced Gelombang.
LM: I don’t know what you would call it. It is a counter acƟon, aiming for the meditaƟve.
At that Ɵme when the three gestural painƟng series were started I had seƩled down.
TKS: Ah yes, married and a family.
LM: It took me some Ɵme to realise that art somewhat compensate, or some how is
connected with one’s life.
TKS: This is interesƟng.
LM: It was a meditaƟve Ɵme. I was in the ŶĂŬůĂŵ period originally, a bit restless.
When>ĂŶŐŬĂǁŝ started with the DŝŶĚƐĐĂƉĞ, in the 1970s to 1980s, I was in a meditaƟve phase, very controlled. Yes, art does connect with life.
MATERIAL
TKS: Let’s move on to the use of industrial material.
LM: SomeƟmes in the hardware shop you Įnd interesƟng materials. Glazes, enamel,
translucent kinds of materials that can be used. Like varnish which is manufactured in
many colours that can be used to provide sculptures with a kind of skin.
TKS: These are works that you produced in the early 1980s.
LM: In 1981, I had an exhibiƟon with DŝŶĚƐĐĂƉĞϮ. I produced 40 works for UniversiƟ
Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) and they are sƟll there.
TKS: Would they be among the Įrst in which you used industrial materials?
TKS: While you were doing this did you stop painƟng or set painƟng to one side?
LM: I wanted to do painƟng all the Ɵme. Most of the Ɵme I scribble words, do some
translaƟon of works by writers. I tend to forget about sculpture; but someƟmes, it
comes back. So, it is shiŌing from one to the other.
TKS: The mainstreams of your creaƟve pracƟce are measured in terms of painƟng
and poetry.
LM: If you concreƟze my painƟng it’ll become my sculptures. When you take that
dimension away it becomes painƟng again. There’s a shiŌ from one-dimensional to
two-dimensional and on to three-dimensional. In a way this is good.
TKS: So, at this Ɵme, sculptures appear parallel with your painƟngs.
LM: Parallel yes, at this Ɵme. We have about 30 or 40 works of painƟngs and about the
same number of sculptures.
TKS: You have not completely gone away from your base in nature. Although you’re
using industrial material, industrial techniques, you’re not producing images that
talk about the mechanised world, of automaƟon and roboƟcs. In the works that
are to be shown, we discern in them many of the things that we have discussed in
terms of material, processes, symbolic content and resonance, all of which have
their roots in your art, right from the very beginning.
You have decided to go along a certain path in producing these works, a path that
is really quite familiar. You say, every Ɵme you Įnish about 10 works you put them in
storage and you forget about them. You then start another bunch. This is similar to
the paƩern in your series of painƟngs; a series is made of a number of components
that are created over a period of Ɵme. You say you don’t remember what you did
earlier when producing and storing your sculptures; unconsciously you do.
LM: Consciously and unconsciously, yes, both. The development is not done directly.
LM: Yes. They are made of brass; I soldered them with help from a friend. I produced
in all, about 50 works between 1981-1983.
TKS: Yes, it is not as if you are following a programme or a schedule for an arƟsƟc
agenda. But there are family resemblances among them, a geneƟc code that links
them.
TKS: Looking at their formaƟon, they look as although they are clearly contoured,
sharply edged.
LM: It all came from my DNA.
LM: The material, brass, is soŌer then stainless steel.
TKS: And that soŌness makes the forms more Ňuid; brass is ducƟle and you can sƟll
manipulate it. It need not seƩle into a single, Ňat plane. There’s a lot of movement.
LM: Yes, lots of movement. Especially the curvature and all that.
TKS: Yes, and within there are further details of the movement.
LM: Yes, the eīect of polish!
TKS: There’s another aspect to this LaƟī, the eīect of light shining on surfaces.
LM: Yes, some secƟons are not ground, not polished. It’s very diīerent from stainless
steel.
TKS: Is this the only occasion when you employed brass?
LM: Yes, aŌer that I stopped.
TKS: Why? It seems to have such rich possibiliƟes.
LM: I wanted to resolve the DŝŶĚƐĐĂƉĞ problem and move forward to the next phase
in painƟng. This sculpture was part of the exhibiƟon but it’s not part of DŝŶĚƐĐĂƉĞ,
conceptually. All the Ɵme I was thinking how to resolve the issues posed by DŝŶĚƐĐĂƉĞ
as an act of painƟng. In thinking of the act of painƟng led to a series of gestural works
on canvas, one series aŌer another that went on for almost 20 years. I had forgoƩen
about sculpture unƟl I had my sŽLJĂŐĞ exhibiƟon in 2007. And then, suddenly, I had a
lot of Ɵme, to draw. I produced two notebooks Įlled with drawings of sculptures. And
sculptures came up again. And now I have tended to produce one or two sculptures,
put them away in storage, and produce more and put them away, and have over eight
years accumulated about 80 works. We are now showing about 30 of them.
TKS: Okay, your arƟsƟc DNA. There are themes or topics that are disƟnguishable.
One of them has to do with khat or Islamic calligraphic wriƟng. Alphabets, such as
alif, wa that are foundaƟonal for wriƟng, are prominent in these sculptural forms.
Of course, there are other interests as well.
LM: For a long Ɵme, even as a child, when I was wriƟng khat, there are two things
happening.
There’s the leƩer or the word; in between that there’s space. We call it negaƟve
space. And to my mind someƟmes, the negaƟve space comes out and is an unseen
form, like the yin and yang kind of thing. I guess why I enjoy employing khat so much is
because of the unseen form, the empƟness, the negaƟve which is a form by itself. Just
as in Malay craŌ we have elements that are cut out creaƟng relaƟonships between
the negaƟve and posiƟve. To me, someƟmes that is more interesƟng. But the negaƟve
doesn’t appear if we don’t have the posiƟve part. You can never have a negaƟve part
alone. To me, as a sculptor, this is very interesƟng.
TKS: When listening to you, I hear you talking about the sculptor’s language, the
aestheƟcs of modern sculpture. When you talk of space and forms, they are the
foundaƟons for sculpture.
LM: It’s always there, in my mind even when I’m painƟng. The basics are always there.
And our mind must always try to quesƟon and re-quesƟon. Is there more to it? Can I
pursue this? Can you go deeper than this? And when you go deeper, what happens?
So, to me, nature, the form, the shape, the negaƟve, posiƟve, the possibiliƟes are
endless. The possibility to explore. To me that is more interesƟng. Because I know the
language is not something foreign, it’s basic. Once you know the language, you can
talk, you can have dialogue.
89
TKS: You’re right these are deĮning criteria. There is something I noƟced while
looking through your recent works. The surfaces and planes are precise and exact.
So much so, the negaƟve space, as you call it, is also precisely contoured.
LM: You need to learn how to look at every basic things. You have to be looking at an
object three-dimensionally at one glance, at one instant, in your mind. You look at it
and you know what’s behind it.
TKS: Although we talk of negaƟve-posiƟve, in terms of the composiƟon the two are
integral to one another; one needs the other, one deĮnes the other.
LM: Yes.
TKS: Space now becomes part of the composiƟon.
Space is not just that on the external surfaces, but is internalised.
LM: This is how it happens; yin and yang are actually like leŌ and right, like man and
woman. Two in one, one in two. It’s already there.
TKS: As far as I know, you have never used Arabic or Jawi leƩers or text in your art.
LM: No, never, this is the Įrst Ɵme.
TKS: Is it something that came from within, so that you could show or reveal something of yourself?
LM: It’s not so much Arabic or Malaysian, and it has nothing to do with religion. It’s just
how the word, how khat is wriƩen. So, at the moment of making the sculpture, I was
interested on how khat, not so much on the word’s meaning, is wriƩen sculpturally.
TKS: Whether you and I like it or not, and whatever your opinion might be, we need
to consider the great importance given in Malaysia for Malays to show their Muslim
idenƟty. You hear of this all the Ɵme. An arƟst must show her/his Muslim-ness.
Somebody seeing your work would say: “Ah, LaƟī is also wanƟng to do so”.
TKS: I appreciate that. This would be the most concentrated eīort by you to
produce works with these methods. When looking at what you have created, I am
drawn to varieƟes of scale and proporƟon of the individual works; some are like
statueƩes, for the gallery, to be placed on pedestals.
LM: Very “constructural”.
TKS: Others are more demanding in terms of space. Bearing in mind this variety,
could they Įt into one show? Are they compaƟble with one another?
LM: Yes, there’s one work that is about eight feet (2.4m) in length. But I don’t mind.
I had already meant to put them in one exhibiƟon. The impact on the audience is of
great interest to me. I am really curious how it will all look! I want to see, how people
will respond to it. You know, the making of whether it is big or small is almost the
same. In fact, for the smaller ones you take more Ɵme, because you need to be more
careful. So, these are things that I don’t know unƟl I’ve done it. First the scale, the
making of it, then the impact. So, why not put in one show and see what happens?
TKS: You are moƟvated by your own curiosity.
LM: Yes.
TKS: I want to move to more general things. You describe yourself as a modern
sculptor. You also remarked that in Malaysia there is no tradiƟon of modernist
sculpture.
LM: Sculpture as such.
TKS: Can we talk a liƩle bit about that?
LM: Yes, yes.
TKS: Is this because pracƟƟoners have largely been painters? And is it because
painƟng is sovereign in modern art in Malaysia?
LM: Yes, from Ɵme to Ɵme this happens, but that would be oversimplifying it. I think
there’s more to it. When I started to use khat, I thought it’s something to start with,
something exciƟng. I think it’s an exciƟng beginning for me.
LM: Are you talking about me or generally?
TKS: I think you made your point. Has this series of sculptural works been saƟsfying
for you?
LM: Let me begin with why there is very liƩle sculpture being done. Or why there are
so few sculptors that we can count on one hand.
First of all, we have a diīerent historical background from other countries such as
Indonesia, Thailand. They got used to sculptures long, long Ɵme ago, so there’s some
sort of conƟnuity, of tradiƟonal to the modern to the contemporary in sculpture. So
we deĮne tradiƟonal sculpture as being religious. Then, we have the modern sculptures. In Indonesia, you can start with the Bandung group, and so on. SpeciĮcally I like
to highlight modern sculpture in my pracƟce. As I told you, I was very much aƩracted
to works by Brancusi, works by Arp, and later by Noguchi. They are all modern sculptors. You know very well that modern sculpture started with Rodin and then later it developed with Brancusi and then by Picasso and the Cubists. So, you can trace the story,
from the beginning of the 20th century, right! Arp, he is not only a sculptor but also a
poet. I was also very fond of Arp as he is special. Anyway, talking about modern sculpture, I cannot Įnd any of it here. I Įnd it in Singapore, the Philippines, Indonesia and in
Thailand. There is another maƩer: in the 1960s, the 1970s, the 1980s, there was great
concern among arƟsts about idenƟty but nobody talked to me about aestheƟcs.
So, there is a void in sculpture. I thought it beƩer to highlight “modern” so as to
disƟnguish it from involvement with craŌ. I think the problem is you have to jump from
tradiƟonal craŌ to the modern. Many are sƟll stuck with Malay craŌ, they have not
come out from there, so there’s a void in that so-called, modern sculpture.
LM: SomeƟmes, honestly I must say, someƟmes. SomeƟmes for me, it doesn’t work.
If you try to compare materials, it’s not fair. You cannot compare brass with stainless
steel; they are diīerent. You have to take the material as it is, but the point is how
much can you do with it? How much can you accomplish with it as a Įnished work?
At other Ɵmes I make mistakes. I realise one cannot use metal in any way I like. I
cannot do rounded shapes with certain kinds of metal, so I resort to resin, but I know I
won’t do too much with resin.
TKS: Why not?
LM: Because it requires a diīerent kind of thinking.
TKS: But isn’t it so with all sculpture? Let’s talk a liƩle of that. Earlier you said it is
important for you to be able to start and Įnish something and that you need to have
a hand in it, from the beginning, with the excepƟon of your commissioned works. Yet,
for all these works you need technical assistance for execuƟng, fabricaƟng and compleƟng them. You have to send them to a workshop, a place other than studio.
LM: There are some sculptures I can do on my own. I can sit at home to cut and
weld, but not more than that. But if I want to do more, I have to see my friend in his
workshop, but he does not understand what sculpture is. This too is interesƟng for me.
These works are Įrst aƩempts; I have never done this before. I am not able to give a
single response to you.
90
TKS: Generally. You say that work that is produced is in the tradiƟon of craŌ and
that this is not sculpture in the modernist sense. Why in your view, is this so?
TKS: Your aĸnity is with the modern.
LM: Whether you wish to call it that or if you wish to argue with it, I thought it would
be clearer and coherent to regard my work as modern rather than contemporary.
Contemporary is Ɵme, now. I think that part is very clear.
TKS: You have posiƟoned yourself decisively; you have drawn your sculptural family
tree. You think that is where you belong. And you have deĮned what it is to be
modern.
LM: Yes, I follow that tradiƟon.
TKS: Yes, the tradiƟon of the modern, and really the aestheƟcs of the modern.
And that is important, to determine arƟsƟc value and it’s understanding. We have
talked at great length on material, on shapes and forms and textures, on space, that
is interior and exterior. All these have to with principles and values of the modern,
wherever. Because we subscribe to, value and believe in them.
LM: I like the word “believe”, we need to believe, believe in what you’re doing.
TKS: And what you’re doing as an arƟst. That’s where it begins. We are dealing with
objects, things even, and seeing how they sit in space, and how one connects with
another. If these sculptures are perceived as bodies, as alive, then we as bodies are
connecƟng with other kinds of bodies.
LM: Time and space.
TKS: Yes, Ɵme and space.
LM: So, to me, it’s very important to understand the basics, the language of it.
TKS: Could we move to talking about your commissioned work. You have accepted
commissions, and you have produced commissioned work. Is your approach to a
commissioned work diīerent from your approach to your studio work?
LM: Yes, it’s diīerent.
TKS: Let me break that quesƟon down. Do you have intense discussion with your
commissioners? Is there debate, discussion?
LM: Yes.
TKS: Is that very demanding?
LM: It is.
TKS: Do you like it?
LM: SomeƟmes… just to see the end result.
TKS: Okay, do you think it’s worth your while?
LM: I think so. In the end, and once you forget the making of it.I imagine, how would
it look like, measuring 20Ō, 30Ō or 40Ō. And it will be there for a long, long Ɵme. This
is the curious part and it is intriguing, from one commissioned job to another. And
people looking and touching. You know, building owners who commission works do
not give money for this kind of work. The boss will normally say we might as well install
a fountain; it is much cheaper. My Įrst commissioned job, I think, was with Maybank in
1988. I wanted to do something diīerent. AŌer Maybank, there was a Petronas commission for the KLCC which is interesƟng because it had this kineƟc element, a kind of
windmill movement. The velocity of the wind in that part of the city is intense and one
day the thing was spinning furiously. I thought it would burst and come apart.
TKS: But it held?
LM: Yes. In the making of a commissioned job, it has to be very heavy on the technical side of it. You have to follow the rules and laws in the technical manual and in
engineering, and so many people are involved in it – technicians, electricians and the
landscape architect. In the end, I’m more involved in the design of it, rather than the
making of it. Of course, I’m involved, I have to because I just can’t leave the whole
thing, and there are a lot of adjustments to be made.
But when it comes to the details I have to let it go because they know more. At the
end of the day it’s my work, I’m responsible, so I’m involved more on the aestheƟc side.
There I have to impose my concepts. I can’t just draw a plan or sketch and leave it to
them. There are cases where arƟsts pass their designs on to the constructors and later
complain. I’m not that kind. To make things easier, you tell them what you want clearly,
and how you want it, they will assist you, because their role is to assist you. So, I thought
it beƩer this way, rather than later on, you know, something happens, and you blame
them. The whole process takes a long Ɵme you know, few months, maybe years.
I went to Japan twice for the Maybank project. The Japanese are like an army unit.
When you go to their oĸce it is like being in a baƩleship. Once I was there, they did the
Įnishing of the sculpture, cut it into three secƟons and shipped them to Port Klang.
So, there was one component I was not very happy with and it had to do with a parƟcular type of screw; so when I complained, and aŌer discussing the maƩer. A whole
variety of screws were brought out, maybe hundreds of them and I was asked which
screw and nut I wanted. I idenƟĮed it and on the very next day everything was done.
The fabricaƟon, construcƟon and Įnish were all done meƟculously. At the end of the
day, this thing will be there over a lifeƟme. They guarantee that this one will be perfect
even aŌer 70 years. That’s the commissioned job story, I learnt a lot.
TKS: You have to think and work collaboraƟvely not individualisƟcally. You menƟon
the Japanese engineers and fabricators saying that work will live for 70 years. That
leads me to the next maƩer about commissioned works especially when they’re
outdoors. How to take care of them? I mean, it’s easy to put these things out somewhere and then forget about them. Gradually they begin to deteriorate, things fall
apart, and then somebody would say, “that’s enough lah! Let us just dismantle this
and get rid of it.”
LM: I’m very happy you pointed this out. I’ve experienced this problem with three or
four of my Įnished sculptures. The fact is, right from the beginning, I told them of the
maintenance part. For the sculptures in KLCC, every month, someone must see to it
that the work is polished and check its rotaƟng mechanism and Ɵming. Maintenance
people should check, instrucƟons are given. But the point is, the maintenance people
are not always the same people; aŌer a few months they change. They should always
check, the chief maintenance oĸcer should always look into it aŌer every few months.
I like to add more. You see maintaining a sculpture very diīerent, because this is
a “living” thing, especially when it rotates. Even stainless steel corrodes. So, maintenance work ideally should be done every one or two months. Weekly, you need to
have somebody to inspect and check that there are no foreign things in the pool. And
we need to tell people what a sculpture is. So, educaƟng the public is another thing,
because if you don’t maintain it, something might happen, the lifespan of the sculpture will be shortened.
TKS: That’s why I use the word “conservaƟon”. For an outdoor sculpture commission, one should aƩend to it with experƟse. So, you don’t put a fresh coat of paint
or scrub with a wire brush just to get the dirt oī, or apply a pressure hose.
LM: If something is wrong, they will call me and if I cannot resolve it myself, I have to
ask the expert – from Japan or wherever – to come over for two days. Pak LaƟī will be
there and both of us will work together.
TKS: The soluƟon for me is to appoint a conservator along with the commission, if
one is serious and if one values the work as a work of public art.
LM: This happens to every arƟst who is involved in this kind of commissioned projects,
more or less the same story, all over the world. Sculpture is less popular and the public
will be more criƟcal of sculptures than painƟngs. They heavily criƟcise art creaƟons,
but nobody criƟcises scienƟĮc creaƟons.
TKS: Maybe we could read these reacƟons as encouraging signs because artworks
maƩer, they maƩer to people. People get emoƟonal, they get upset, they are joyous,
they challenge what they see every day. You and I may not like to hear what is said.
But these reacƟons and criƟcisms are symptoms of the power or the eīect of art.
91
LATIFF MOHIDIN
Born: 20 August 1941, Seremban, Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia.
EDUCATION
JOINT EXHIBITIONS
1947
1950
1951
1954
1960
1969
1969
1953
1955
1956
1957
1958
Malay School Lenggeng, Negeri Sembilan.
Malay School Kota Raja, Singapore.
English School MercanƟle InsƟtuƟon, Singapore.
English School King George V, Seremban, Negeri Sembilan.
Hochschule fÜr Bildende KÜnste, Berlin, Germany.
Printmaking, Atelier La Courriere, Paris, France.
Printmaking, PraƩ Graphic Centre, New York, U.S.A.
ONE-MAN SHOWS
1951
1963
1964
1964
1966
1967
1968
1968
1969
1971
1971
1971
1972
1973
1976
1977
1979
1980
1983
1983
1988
1989
1990
1994
1998
2007
2009
2012
2012
2014
92
LaƟī Mohidin’s Įrst exhibiƟon, Malay School Kota Raja, Singapore.
Frankfurter KunstkabineƩ, Frankfurt-am-Main, Germany.
Ladengalerie, Berlin, Germany.
Bangkapi Gallery, Bangkok, Thailand.
Balai Ampang, Kuala Lumpur.
NaƟonal Library, Singapore.
BriƟsh Council, Singapore.
TRIO Gallery, Bangkok, Thailand.
Galeri 11, Kuala Lumpur.
BriƟsh Council, Kuala Lumpur.
1st Open-Air Art ExhibiƟon, Taman Jaya, Petaling Jaya
Alpha Gallery, Singapore.
Commonwealth InsƟtute Art Gallery, London.
RetrospecƟve ExhibiƟon, NaƟonal Art Gallery, Kuala Lumpur.
Dewan Tunku Canselor, UniversiƟ Malaya, Kuala Lumpur.
215 Jalan Macalister, Penang.
Library Gallery, UniversiƟ Sains Malaysia, Penang.
Dewan Canselor Tun Abdul Razak, UniverisiƟ Kebangsaan, Bangi.
Wooden Structures & Metal Sculptures, UniversiƟ Kebangsaan, Bangi.
DŝŶĚƐĐĂƉĞ, Australian High Commision, Kuala Lumpur.
'ĞůŽŵďĂŶŐ, Maybank Art Gallery, Kuala Lumpur.
ƌĂǁŝŶŐƐ – GARIS, MAS Building, Kuala Lumpur.
'ĞůŽŵďĂŶŐ, Museum Art Gallery,Penang.
WĂŐŽͲWĂŐŽƚŽ'ĞůŽŵďĂŶŐ, ϰϬzĞĂƌƐŽĨ>ĂƟīDŽŚŝĚŝŶ,
Singapore Art Museum.
ZŝŵďĂ, Galeri Petronas, Kuala Lumpur.
sŽLJĂŐĞͬ<ĞŵďĂƌĂ, Galeri Petronas, Kuala Lumpur.
dŚĞ:ŽƵƌŶĞLJƚŽtĞƚůĂŶĚƐĂŶĚĞLJŽŶĚ, Singapore Art Museum.
^ĞƌĂŶŐŐĂ, Bank Negara Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur.
ϲϬƚĂŚƵŶ>ĂƟīDŽŚŝĚŝŶ͕ZĞƚƌŽƐƉĞŬƟĨ, Balai Seni Lukis Negara,
Kuala Lumpur.
Seascape, Recent PainƟngs 2010-2014, Singapore & Kuala Lumpur
Malayan AgriHorƟculture AssociaƟon, Kuala Lumpur.
FederaƟon Arts ExhibiƟon, Teochew AssociaƟon Hall, Kuala Lumpur.
Third Annual Malayan ArƟsts ExhibiƟon, Arts Council, Kuala Lumpur.
Malaya Independence (Merdeka) Trade Fair, Kuala Lumpur.
2nd Young ArƟsts ExhibiƟon, BriƟsh Council Cultural Centre,
Kuala Lumpur.
1962
DAAD, Stadhalle, Bad Godesberg, Germany.
1964
1st Malaysian Art ExhibiƟon, Arts Council, Kuala Lumpur.
1965
8th NaƟonal Art ExhibiƟon, NaƟonal Art Gallery, Kuala Lumpur.
1965
Sullivan Art CollecƟon, NaƟonal Art Gallery, Kuala Lumpur.
1965
Malayan Art Travelling ExhibiƟon to Europe – Glasgow, Dublin,
London, KÖln, Berlin, Hamburg, St.EƟnne, Paris, (unƟl 1967)
1965
Contemporary Art in Asia, Cathay PaciĮc Airways,
(Held in 14 ciƟes in Asia)
1965
5th InternaƟonal Contemporary Art ExhibiƟon, New Delhi, India.
1965
EŝŶĞƚĞĞŶzĞĂƌƐŽĨƌƚŝŶDĂůĂLJƐŝĂ, NaƟonal Art Gallery,
Kuala Lumpur.
1966
Contemporary Malaysian PainƟngs, New Delhi, India.
1966
Permanent CollecƟon ExhibiƟon, NaƟonal Art Gallery.
1966-67 Touring Art ExhibiƟon to Thailand, Laos Cambodia and Indonesia.
1967
'ZhW Show, Balai Ampang, Kuala Lumpur.
1967
10th NaƟonal Art ExhibiƟon, NaƟonal Art Gallery, Kuala Lumpur.
1968
11th NaƟonal Art ExhibiƟon, NaƟonal Art Gallery, Kuala Lumpur.
1968
First Triennale of Contemporary Art World, New Delhi, India.
1969
First InternaƟonal Triennale of Xylography, Carpi, Italy.
1969
Salon Malaysia, NaƟonal Art Gallery, Kuala Lumpur.
1969
Malaysian Art Travelling ExhibiƟon, Australia & New Zealand.
1969
10th Biennale in Sao Paulo, Brazil.
1969
Special BeneĮt Print Sale & ExhibiƟon, PraƩ Graphic Centre,
ManhaƩan, New York.
1970
TIGA, Galerie Internasionale, New York.
1970
AsiaƟc Art in America, SMU – Pollock Galleries, Dallas, U.S.A.
1970
Expo 70, Osaka, Japan.
1971
Cultural Congress Show, NaƟonal Art Gallery, Kuala Lumpur.
1971
The InternaƟonal Biennial of Prints, Tokyo.
1971
Man and His World, Montreal, Canada.
1971
Malaysian Art 1935 – 1971, UniverisiƟ Malaya, Kuala Lumpur.
1971
PJ Art Show, Bangunan LBPJ, Selangor.
1971
Inaugural ExhibiƟon, Alpha Gallery, Singapore.
1971
Young ArƟsts from Around The World, InternaƟonal Play Group,
UCB, New York.
1971
1st Manifestari 2 Seni, Kuala Lumpur.
1972
2nd Manifestari 2 Seni, Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka, Kuala Lumpur.
1972
1972
1973
1973
1973
1974
1974
1974
1974
1974
1975
1975
1976
1976
1976
1976
1977
1977
1977
1978
1978
1978
1978
1978
1979
1979
1979
1979
1980
1980
1980
InternaƟonal Society of PlasƟc and Audio-Visual Art ExhibiƟon,
NaƟonal Art Gallery, Kuala Lumpur.
Personal CollecƟon ExhibiƟon, Kuala Lumpur.
NaƟonal CollecƟon 1993 Show, Kuala Lumpur.
The Modern Art Society 8th ExhibiƟon, Victoria Memorial Hall,
Singapore.
Nusantara Literary Seminar ExhibiƟon, Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka,
Kuala Lumpur.
Art on Loan ExhibiƟon, NaƟonal Art Gallery, Kuala Lumpur.
Asean Mobile ExhibiƟon, Kuala Lumpur, Jakarta,Bangkok,
Singapore & Manila.
ZĞƚƌŽƐƉĞĐƟǀĞďƐƚƌĂĐƚʹdžƉƌĞƐƐŝŽŶŝƐƚƐϲϬ͛Ɛ, NaƟonal Art Gallery,
Kuala Lumpur.
Anak Alam Graphic ExhibiƟon, Galeri Anak Alam,Taman Budaya,
Kuala Lumpur.
NaƟonal Open ExhibiƟon, NaƟonal Art Gallery, Kuala Lumpur.
dŚĞďƐƚƌĂĐƚdžƉƌĞƐƐŝŽŶŝƐƚŽĨƚŚĞϲϬ͛Ɛ, NaƟonal Art Gallery,
Kuala Lumpur.
2nd Anak Alam ExhibiƟon, Penang Museum.
ExhibiƟon of PainƟngs on Loan from the Private CollecƟon of
Lim Chong Keat, NaƟonal Art Gallery , Kuala Lumpur.
Modern Sculpture in Malaysia, NaƟonal Art Gallery, Kuala Lumpur.
InstallaƟon of DYMM Seri Paduka Baginda Yang Dipertuan
Agong ExhibiƟon, NaƟonal Art Gallery, Kuala Lumpur.
DLJŽůůĞĐƟŽŶ, NaƟonal Art Gallery, Kuala Lumpur.
North Malaysia Week FesƟval, Australia.
PlasƟc Arts in Malaysia 1957 – 1977 , NaƟonal Art Gallery,
Kuala Lumpur.
3rd Anak Alam Graphic ExhibiƟon, Pusat KraŌangan Bukit Nanas,
Kuala Lumpur.
Travelling Art ExhibiƟon within Malaysia with works from the Permanent
CollecƟon of the NaƟonal Art Gallery.
German Cultural Week, Dewan Tunku Canselor, Kuala Lumpur.
Malaysian Art 1965 – 1978, Commonwealth Art InsƟtute, London.
4th Triennale of Contemporary World of Art, New Delhi, India.
Malaysian Art 1965- 1978, NaƟonal Art Gallery, Kuala Lumpur.
8th InternaƟonal FesƟval of the Arts, Singapore.
Joint ExhibiƟon: LaƟī Mohidin & Khoo Sui Ho, Museum, Penang.
10th Anniversary Art ExhibiƟon, UniversiƟ Sains Malaysia, Penang.
Anak Alam Print ExhibiƟon, Wisma Loke, Kuala Lumpur.
Art & Images, NaƟonal Art Gallery, Kuala Lumpur.
Asean Mobile Art Exhibiton, Jakarta & Bali, Indonesia.
Contemporary Asian Art Show, Fukuoka, Japan.
1981
1981
1982
1982
1982
1982
1983
1983
1983
1984
1984
1984
1984
1986
1987
1988
1993
2002
2004
>ĂŶĚƐĐĂƉĞŝŶDŽĚĞƌŶDĂůĂLJƐŝĂƌƚϭϵϯϬʹϴϭ, NaƟonal Art Gallery,
Kuala Lumpur.
Asean ExhibiƟon of PainƟngs, Graphics & Photography – Thailand,
Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia & Philippines.
dŚĞdƌĞĂƚŵĞŶƚŽĨ>ŽĐĂů>ĂŶĚƐĐĂƉĞŝŶŽŶƚĞŵƉŽƌĂƌLJDĂůĂLJƐŝĂŶƌƚ
ĨƌŽŵϭϵϯϬʹϴϭ, NaƟonal Art Gallery, Kuala Lumpur.
25 Years of Malaysian Art, NaƟonal Art Gallery, Kuala Lumpur.
Art, Sculpture, Graphics & HandicraŌ ExhibiƟon, NaƟonal Art Gallery,
Kuala Lumpur.
Asean ExhibiƟon of PainƟngs and Photography – Indonesia, Malaysia,
Philippines, Singapore & Thailand.
EĂƟŽŶĂůƌƚ'ĂůůĞƌLJϮϱzĞĂƌƐ, NaƟonal Art Gallery, Kuala Lumpur.
A Tribute to Galeri 11, Jalan Pinang, Kuala Lumpur.
Anak Alam Portrait ExhibiƟon 83, USM Museum & Gallery, Penang.
Prints from the Permanent CollecƟon, NaƟonal Art Gallery,
Kuala Lumpur.
PainƟngs & Calligraphy, NaƟonal Art Gallery, Kuala Lumpur.
10 Years Anak Alam ExhibiƟon, Taman Budaya , Kuala Lumpur.
Modern Islamic Art ExhibiƟon, NaƟonal Art Gallery, Kuala Lumpur.
4th Asean Square Symposium, Bandar Seri Bagawan ,
Brunei Darussalam.
DĂůĂLJƐŝĂŶƌƚϭϵϱϳͲϴϳ, NaƟonal Art Gallery, Kuala Lumpur.
Contemporary PainƟngs of Malaysia, PaciĮc Asia Museum, Pasadena,
California.
CommunicaƟon In Graphic – Print Making, NaƟonal Art Gallery,
Kuala Lumpur.
DĞŶũĞũĂŬ<ĞŵďĂůŝͬ>ŽŽŬŝŶŐĂĐŬĂƚϮϬzĞĂƌƐŽĨDĂůĂLJƐŝĂŶƌƚ,
Australian High Commission, Kuala Lumpur.
^ŝƟEƵƌďĂLJĂ, Balai Seni Lukis Negara, Kuala Lumpur.
AWARDS
1953
1957
1958
1960
1968
1969
1969
1972
1st Prize & Special Prize in oil painƟng, Malayan AgriHorƟculture
AssociaƟon, Kuala Lumpur.
3rd Prize in Art & Photography, Malayan Independence (Merdeka)
Trade Fair, Kuala Lumpur.
Honourable MenƟon, 2nd Young ArƟsts ExhibiƟon, BriƟsh Council,
Kuala Lumpur.
DAAD, German Academy Student Exchange Scholarship, Bonn.
2nd Prize Graphics, Honourable MenƟon in Other Media, Salon Malaysia,
NaƟonal Art Gallery, Kuala Lumpur.
French Ministry of Culture Scholarship, Paris, France.
John D.Rockefeller 3rd Fund Scholarship, New York, U.S.A.
Literary Awards: 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976,
Government of Malaysia.
93
1977
1980
1984
1984
1986
1988
CreaƟve Fellow, UniverisiƟ Sains Malaysia, Penang.
Guest ArƟst, UniversiƟ Kebangsaan Malaysia, Bangi.
S.E.A. Write Awards, Bangkok, Thailand.
Literary Award 1982/83
Literary Award 1984/85
Guest Writer, Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka, Kuala Lumpur.
LITERARY WORKS (1963 – 2012)
A. POETRY ANTOLOGIES
Sungai Mekong / DĞŬŽŶŐZŝǀĞƌ(1971)
Kembara Malam /EŝŐŚƚdƌĂǀĞůƐ( 1974)
Wayang Pak Dalang/ WƵƉƉĞƚĞĞƌ͛ƐtĂLJĂŶŐ( 1977)
Serpihan Dari Pedalamn/ &ƌĂŐŵĞŶƚƐŽĨ/ŶƚĞƌŝŽƌ (1979)
Pesisir Waktu/ ĚŐĞŽĨƟŵĞ (1981)
Rawa- Rawa / DĂƌƐŚůĂŶĚ(1992)
Sajak-Sajak Dinihari / DŝĚŶŝŐŚƚWŽĞŵƐ (1996)
Sajak-Sajak Lengkap LaƟī Mohidin / ŽŵƉůĞƚĞWŽĞŵƐŽĨ
>ĂƟīDŽŚŝĚŝŶ (2007)
B. CATATAN / NOTES
Garis Dari TiƟk Ke TiƟk (1988)
Notes on the arƟst’s early childhood to 1969,
charƟng his travels in the 1960s to Europe and Asia.
Catatan LaƟī Mohidin (2010)
Notes on Malay literature in the 1970s
Catatan Dua Baris (2011)
Modern Malay idioms by LaƟī Mohidin
TRANSLATED WORKS OF LATIFF MOHIDIN
&ĂďůĞƐŽĨĂǁŶ (2003) - English
'ĞƐĂŵŵĞůƚĞ'ĞĚŝĐŚƚĞ (2005) - German
>ŝŶĞƐʹ&ƌŽŵWŽŝŶƚƚŽWŽŝŶƚ(1993) – English
DĞŬŽŶŐZŝǀĞƌ(1974) – English
>ĞDĞŬŽŶŐ (2009) – French
WĂƐƐĞŶŐĞƌŽĨdŝŵĞ(2011) – English
94
WORKS TRANSLATED BY LATIFF MOHIDIN INTO MALAY
ĂŶƚĂů/ŵƉŝĂŶ (1981)
Japanese Noh theatre play, dŚĞDĂŐŝĐWŝůůŽǁ (1950), by Yukio Mishima.
'ŝƚĂŶũĂůŝ (1986)
A collecƟon of poems by the Indian poet Rabindranath Tagore (1861-1941). The
original Bengali collecƟon of 157 poems was published in 1910.
tŽLJnjĞĐŬ(1987)
A stage play wriƩen by Georg Büchner (1813-1837). The work was incomplete at his
death but it has been posthumously “Įnished” by diīerent authors, editors and translators. tŽLJnjĞĐŬ is one of the most performed and inŇuenƟal plays in German theatre.
dĂŽdĞŚŝŶŐ (2007)
The central Taoist text, ascribed to Lao-tzu (Zhou Dynasty, 1046-256 BC), the legendary founder of Taoism. Apparently, wriƩen as a guide for rulers, it deĮned the “Tao”, or
“The Way”. It is widely regarded as the philosophical basis of Taoism.
WŽĞŵƐĨƌŽŵZƵŵŝΘZƵďĂŝLJĂƚ<ŚĂLJLJĂŵ(2007)
• Jallaluddin Rumi was a 13th Century SuĮ mysƟc and poet from Persia known as
Maulana or simply, Rumi. He produced a proliĮc range of inspiring and devoƟonal
poetry which encapsulates the SuĮ’s experience of union with the divine.
• dŚĞZƵďĄŝLJĄƚŽĨKŵĂƌ<ŚĂLJLJĄŵ is the Ɵtle that Edward FitzGerald gave to his translaƟon of a selecƟon of poems, originally wriƩen in Persian and numbering about a
thousand, aƩributed to Omar Khayyám (1048–1131), a Persian poet, mathemaƟcian
and astronomer.
&ĂƵƐƚʹϭ (2012)
&ĂƵƐƚ is the protagonist of a classic German legend. He is a scholar who is highly successful yet dissaƟsĮed with his life, so he makes a pact with the Devil, exchanging his
soul for unlimited knowledge and worldly pleasures. Part 1 of the story has been translated based on the version wriƩen by German author Johann Wolfgang von Goethe.
INDEX
Aladdin 1
34
Khat 1
16
Aladdin 2
35
Khat 2
22
Aladdin 3
36
Madame Arp: Homage to Jean Arp
24
Aladdin 4
37
Object 1
48
Arabesque 2
26
Object 2
50
Birth
20
Object 3
52
Boat 1
38
Object 4
54
Boat 2
40
Shiraz 2
70
Boomerangs
79
Tao
81
Continence
1
42
Tashkent 2
84
Continence
2
44
Tian
56
Continence
3
46
Tian 2
58
Dark Muse: Homage to Brancusi
66
Vessel 1
60
Diamond
80
Vessel 2
62
Flight : Homage to Noguchi
68
Vessel 3
64
Flight 1
83
Vessel 4
82
Growth 1
28
Voyage 1
76
Growth 2
30
Voyage 2
77
Isfahan 2
85
Window
18
Isfahan 3
72
Yin Yang 1
32
Yin Yang 2
78
95
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EXHIBITION PERIOD:
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COVER
LaƟī Mohidin, tŝŶĚŽǁ, 2008, 91cm x 61cm x 41cm, Painted Brass
96