Zain Azahari - The Edge Galerie

FAVOURITES FROM THE
Zain Azahari
COLLECTION
Favourites from the
Zain Azahari Collection
Presented by
Contents
FOREWORD
by Ho Kay Tat
Publisher and Group CEO, The Edge Media Group
4
PREFACE
by Zain Azahari
6
A TINY JAMAL, A HUGE GUNAWAN
AND EVERYTHING IN BETWEEN
introduction by Anurendra Jegadeva
10
THE PAINTINGS:
MALAYSIAN
22
INDONESIAN
50
THE ART OF COLLECTING:
A CONVERSATION WITH ZAIN AZAHARI
interview by Rahel Joseph
70
CURATOR’S BIOS
76
ARTWORK INDEX
77
FOREWORD
HO KAY TAT
PUBLISHER AND GROUP CEO
THE EDGE MEDIA GROUP
5
Welcome to the The Zain Azahari Collection, our first showcase of private art collections. The
Edge Galerie is privileged and honoured that such a distinguished and respected art collector
had agreed to share some of his prized pieces with art lovers. Our objective in presenting private
collections is to encourage individual art collectors as well as institutions and corporations to
share their treasured art works with the public.
This series is also aimed at documenting important works in private collections and those housed
in institutions. This is because in the past, a number of important Malaysian art collections
have been dispersed or sold without documentation, or even taken out of the country. These
non-selling exhibitions will come with an invaluable catalogue to offer other collectors, art
enthusiasts and researchers the chance to learn about the collectors and the motivation behind
what they do.
Zain Azahari Zainal Abidin is an extraordinary art collector held in high esteem by everyone
acquainted with his impressive collection of Malaysian and Indonesian art. Born near Teluk
Intan, Perak, on Dec 25, 1934, Zain has had an illustrious career as a lawyer.
He is a distinguished intellect and a devout Muslim. Behind his rather quiet and reticent
personality lies a steely determination to seek the best artwork that he can afford. When he sets
his sights on a particular painting, he will quietly declare, “mati-mati, I must have it”.
That was the case with Chang Fee Ming’s iconic watercolour, Mandalay, for which Zain paid a
record price at an auction in Singapore early this year. The painting depicts the robes and legs
of two Buddhist monks. Zain’s determined bidding tactic was also acknowledged when another
avid collector decided to give way to Zain when he zoomed in on Patrick Ng’s Dancing Couple
at an auction in Kuala Lumpur recently. The artwork depicts a Malay couple engaged in a joget
dance.
Both pieces, which are part of the 400-odd paintings he has collected over 50 years, are in
this exhibition and they reflect his broadminded view on collecting good art. The 40 paintings
Zain personally selected for The Edge Galerie’s exhibition represent works which have great
emotional appeal to him. He says he buys paintings based on how he feels when looking at
them, or as he describes it, “when my heart starts beating faster”.
Enjoy Zain’s amazing collection from the heart.
Ho Kay Tat
Publisher & Group CEO
The Edge Media Group
PREFACE
ZAIN AZAHARI
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Over the years, I have been invited numerous times – by institutions and individuals – to hold
exhibitions showcasing the highlights of my art collection.
I am fundamentally a reserved person and, of course, caught up with career and family
commitments. So I have in the past avoided the limelight of presenting these masterpieces on
a public platform. After all, my collection is my personal joy and the experience of collecting it
has been extremely rewarding in so many personal ways.
Over the last five decades, while pursuing works for my collection, I have gained an ocean of
knowledge about the Malaysian and Indonesian art movements. And I have enjoyed the actual
chase for particular works. In the process, I formed wonderful and close relationships with
artists, collectors and art industry people, which I really cherish.
But most important of all is my deep love and appreciation of every work in my collection. Every
morning when I wake up and walk up the stairs to my living room, I am still astounded by the
genius and breathtaking beauty of the creations before me. Whether the rotation of the works
features a Latiff Mohiddin I acquired 30 years ago or the Budi Ubrux that just arrived, my sense
of wonderment is as vivid as it has ever been.
Until now, although I have always willingly lent works from my collection, even the precious
ones, to institutional exhibitions and selected private showings, they have, by and large, been
confined to our home, my sons’ homes and my office. Thus, access to them has been limited
to family, friends and co-workers.
However, as the collection has grown, the expectation to share these subliminal works with the
larger public has become not only more pressing, but also – according to some of my close
friends and art practitioners – crucial.
One of those closest and oldest friends, Shahrizan Abdullah, has been at me for a number of
years now to show at least parts of the collection with an organisation or a gallery of stature in
Kuala Lumpur. In speaking with her and other close peers, I have come to realise the value in
showing this collection that has grown over the last 50 years.
I would also like to acknowledge Anurendra Jegadeva and Rahel Joseph, who are currently
documenting the collection for an upcoming project. They were also at my side for the daunting
task of choosing 40 works for The Edge and curate the exhibition.
My thanks goes to The Edge Galerie for the serious platform it has provided to showcase these
treasured favourites. Mind you, choosing just 40 works was no easy feat.
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Where the Malaysian part of the collection is concerned, I believe that through commitment,
careful research and, of course, the good fortune of being at the right place at the right time
(much more than financial means), the examples in the exhibition represent, very eloquently,
the growth and development of our Modern Art Movement.
Showing the collection and telling the stories of the works is my sincere way of helping new
collectors understand the joys of collecting works of art that later become part of our nation’s
rich heritage.
I also believe that it is important to encourage a growing base of collectors as we play a part,
through patronage and acquisition, in supporting and furthering a dynamic and exciting art
movement that will continue to grow.
In the last two decades, I have also grown very interested in Indonesian art. After all, our art
movements are the same. We are like sister movements, one old and the other fledgling. Yet
both have their own flavours, born of the Nusantara but shaped by our individual histories.
Therein lies their intrigue.
I think it is crucial for us to be exposed to and learn from each other’s art movements and this
exhibition is a wonderful opportunity for Malaysian art enthusiasts, to see some of the most
exciting examples of Indonesian modern and contemporary art.
In presenting this exhibition to the public, it is also my intention, in a small way, to expose the
younger generation to the career possibilities and joy that fine arts offer. It is, after all, through
the young that our future as a nation and a people is ensured and it is only in the arts that a
crucial part of our Malaysian collective soul remains intact.
In closing, I would like to add that, at 78 this year, collecting art has been a kind of culmination
of my life’s work, which, along with my family and my faith in the Almighty, has been my
constant companion through the hardest times in my life, giving me my most joyous moments.
And for that, I am eternally grateful.
Zain Azahari
Kuala Lumpur
September, 2013
A Tiny Jamal,
a Huge Gunawan
and Everything In Between
by Anurendra Jegadeva
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A magnificent Hendra Gunawan takes centre stage in Zain Azahari’s living room.
Makan Durian is a huge painting with all the hallmarks of a Gunawan masterpiece.
It contains a simple narrative — we are connected to the Land and the Land is
connected to us …
The protagonist of the painting is suave and rugged. Perhaps, he is a travelling storyteller or a shaman or maybe just the whiskered village Romeo.
In the painting, he savours a creamy yellow nugget of the king of fruits.
With flirtatious flourish, he offers the fruit to a gorgeous she-hulk of a woman, child
latched to her breast, as her retinue gossips in the background. Her torso is an impossible emerald green, her shapely legs a mismatch of red and orange hues. Her
friends are rendered in brown and orange and yellow and grey and as always, the
rich landscape stretches as far as the eye can see.
A Southeast Asian masterpiece, this Gunawan painting is a feast for the eyes and
an assault on the senses.
Yet, Zain is almost as excited to show a small painting that is tucked away near his
bedroom.
Batu Caves by Syed Ahmad Jamal measures not more than 18 inches by six inches. It is a treasured wedding gift from an old classmate and the first piece of art Zain
ever owned.
Done in the period and style of Jamal’s Bait artwork, this Batu Caves painting
boasts delicate layers of blue and green washes surrounding the dark centre of the
cave’s entrance. The steps are rendered in dashes of grey and blue that eloquently
lead the eye to the heart of this abstract work.
The collection may contain many seminal Jamals but this little one – the eldest
child – is the collector’s favourite.
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Both these works, the gargantuan Gunawan and the jewel-like Jamal, provide the
inspirational bookends for Zain’s collection.
Together, this early Jamal and the more recent Gunawan, disparate in scale and
geography as they may be, convey the breath of the collection as well as the 50year journey that has culminated in one of the most significant private collections
of Malaysian and Indonesian art in the country.
And the space between the Gunawan and the Jamal downstairs gives you a sense
of the scale and quality of his collection.
Flanking the Gunawan is an orange and gold Langkawi and a smallish, dark and
shiny Hoessein Enas portrait of a beautiful Malay woman in a pink baju and a red
selendang. Opposite the Enas is a lovely misty Sudjojono.
The other feature wall in the living room boasts an Affandi landscape – a dark blue
moon over an erupting Gunung Merapi.
On the way to the Jamal painting, we are accosted, first by another Gunawan, a delightful Kerton, then Chang Fee Ming’s famous Mandalay and an unusual Widayat.
A signature Basoeki Abdullah portrait of the elegant and noble field worker precedes
Cheong Soo Pieng’s tender union of Mother and Child, a rare oil finished in rich
luminous green, ochre and orange pigments that looks like it was painted yesterday.
Spanning five decades and about 400 works, Zain’s collection makes up in quality
what it may lack in numbers (these days many regional collectors boast super-collections of over 1,000 contemporary works).
During the past year, spent documenting Zain’s collection, we have been astounded
by museum-quality masterworks, art-historical gems, hidden treasures and strange
creations by many of the best loved and sought-after artists in both Malaysia and
Indonesia.
THE QUEST
Having always possessed the hallmarks of the serious collector (Zain’s vinyl collection dates back to his student days in London when his limited student’s stipend
was often spent on jazz records over daily living expenses).
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As far as the fine arts is concerned, Zain remembers many weekends attending
numerous free art appreciation classes organized by London’s many public art institutions or organizations like the British Council.
As such, the gift of Batu Caves some years later was the natural impetus and trigger for the beginnings of an art collection.
Since then, the collection has, to put it mildly, gone through some impressive
swells.
As such, when Zain was invited by The Edge to stage an exhibition of his favourite
works from the collection, the task was a near impossible one.
The truth of the matter is that Zain Azahari is vested in all the works in his immense
collection. In spite of their vast numbers and five-decade chronology, he remembers where they are and he cherishes their back-stories and their meanings. He
celebrates their aesthetic prowess with an expert eye and recalls meeting artists,
visiting studios and even after all this time, loves the quest, the search and the
chase for a particular work.
Zain even laughs fondly at the occasional gaffe in the collection – they are few and
far between but as with many major collections, they do exist.
Most of all, Zain seems to rely largely on his own instinct, informed by a carefully
nurtured knowledge of art and its histories as well a tried and tested network of
artists and industry friends. He is a careful collector who is hardly extravagant and
is often skeptical of the trends and fashions of the art market or the popular status
and stature of artists or particular works as defining factors in any acquisition.
Having said that — at the heart of Zain’s collection — are of course the works of
many popular artists of undeniable status and stature.
Foremost among them is one of our Malaysian heroes, Abdul Latiff Mohidin.
There can be no denying that the foundation for Zain’s collection is built on an
impeccable range of masterpieces from this modern Malaysian master’s repertoire.
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Admired as an artist and loved as a dear friend, Zain has collected Latiff ’s work from
the start — the earliest Pago-Pagos’ to the Langkawi Series, a magnificent Mindscape, the Gelombangs’, Rimbas’ to the newer Voyage works. Most recently, he
also acquired a spectacular work from the artist’s latest series where Voyage continues into the universe asking life’s larger questions of the cosmos.
However, most notable in this legion of Malaysian masterpieces is Latiff ’s Malam
Merah.
Malam Merah is special, not only for its pure aesthetic prowess (making it one of
Latiff Mohidin’s greatest works) but also because of its provenance.
In 1994, it appeared in the first Christie’s auction of Southeast Asian art that included
Malaysian works as well.
At the time, it set the record for the most expensive Malaysian work ever sold in
auction and along with the other four Malaysian works that were sold, helped place
Malaysian art as a valid commodity on an international platform.
MALAYSIAN MODERN ART MOVEMENT
Having collected modern art since the early 60s, there is no surprise that, besides
the Latiffs’, Zain’s collection also boasts some of the most important art-historical
works from that exciting period of Malaysian Modern art.
The collection includes such masterpieces as Hoessein Enas’ famous depiction of a
farmer and his beast of burden under an early morning noon and Ibrahim Hussein’s
Farewell to New York (acquired during the artist’s Universiti Malaya residency in
the 70s and not shown since).
It also boasts, amongst its impressive numbers, sentimental Mazeli Mat Soms’,
spectacular Khoo Sui Hoes’, hard-edged Jolly Kohs’, romantic Chuah Thean Tengs’
as well as works by Grace Selvanayagam, Cheong Lai Tong and Dzulkifli Buyong,
alongside many of the other pioneers of the Malaysian Modern art movement.
Buyong is another personal favourite and forms a notable part of his collection.
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While the usual playful Buyongs’ are well represented here — the Malay girls at
prayer time, washing, combing their hair or performing other absolutions before
the azan — the standout piece and perhaps, one of my favourites from the entire
collection is Buyong’s Four Friends (1963).
Here Buyong captures that single moment that is the birth of our Malaysian Modern art movement. Floating above a row of lillies, against a pastel blue sky are four
young men, arms interlocked and sarongs filled with the rush of buoyant air.
As a young journalist, I was fortunate enough to interview both Redza Piyadasa
and Ismail Zain together as they argued about who the artists were …
One version is that they are Piya, Jamal, Latiff and Laitong. Another version has
Patrick instead of Laitong and Ib (as Ibrahim Hussein was popularly known) instead
of Jamal…. needless to say it almost becomes a moot point since their identities
are interchangeable. Together, these are the artistic parents of our modern movement, captured in the mind’s eye of one of the most intelligent and enjoyable fine
artists that period of Malaysian art has to offer.
This piece has everything – wonderful aesthetics, loaded art historical meaning –
literally, the stuff of legends.
The other really fascinating thing about this collection is that it has remained current. It successfully tells the story of our art movement, from the Classical in the
works by Hoessein Enas and Mazeli Mat Som to the Modern, with the works by
Syed Ahmad Jamal as well as the GRUP (a loose artist collective of the 60s that
included the Malaysian art’s first modernists like Syed Ahmad Jamal, Latiff Mohidin,
Ibrahim Hussein, Jolly Koh, Yeoh Jin Leng and Cheong Laitong) through to the
Contemporary with major works by Jalaini Abu Hassan, Ahmad Zakii Anwar and
Chang Fee Ming. In fact, with the exception of a short period in the early 90s, Zain’s
collection has continued to grow and evolve with a contemporary currency that
few established or older collections possess.
Where the Contemporary is concerned, the work of celebrated watercolourist
Chang Fee Ming features importantly as the next significant swell in the growth of
Zain’s collection.
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Talking about the passing of his second son in 1987, Zain describes a period of soul
searching when he lost interest in “not only art, but most other things”.
He speaks of a visit to a gallery in Bali in the mid 90s where he saw a Fee Ming
painting and then a book of the artist’s works.
There is great tenderness and affection when Zain speaks of his friendship and
correspondence with and admiration for Fee Ming (although he only met him in
person recently).
Zain sees that moment of seeing along with the power of family and faith, as an
awakening of something vital in him that helped him heal.
Since then, the collection has continued to grow, still enjoying the Modern but
really concentrating on exploring the Contemporary strains of Malaysian art.
More recently, Zain managed to secure Fee Ming’s famous Mandalay for his collection and his fascination with the artist’s work continues with a passion.
Around that same time, in response to a post 9-11 world, Zain began to travel more
extensively in the region, especially Indonesia.
So began his deep appreciation for Indonesian art.
Since then, the Indonesian contingent in Zain’s collection has grown unimaginably.
Besides the usual Gunawans’ and Affandis’, Zain has amassed an impressive retinue
of Basoekis’, Kertons’, and some outstanding Popo Iskandars’. The Indonesian part of
the collection also features a trio of lovely Srihadis’ that include one of the delightful
signature dancers but more impressively boast two magnificent Borobudurs’ (one
of which was the artist’s own favourite).
Sudjojono’s small hill landscapes Cipayung and Cibulan are special treats.
Among the contemporary artists, works by Putu Sutawijaya, Mangu Putra and Sujana Suklu still his heart. Most recently Zain added a major autobiographical Agus
Sugawe to their number. Young turks like Stefan Buana and Budi Ubrux or emerging
artists like Balinese Ida Bagus Indra (Ibi) fascinate him as well.
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SOCIALLY CONSCIOUS
Born and raised near Teluk Intan (formerly Teluk Anson, in Perak), Zain draws from
many of the memories of his youth — village life, the call to prayer, games with
friends and always, the family circle — in connecting with the themes in the works
he love best.
He is especially fascinated by the almost instinctive and deep connection that Indonesian artists have with the Land, their histories and always the human condition.
As such, the natural landscape, even in their most abstract interpretations, captures
his mind’s eye.
For instance, Affandi’s swirling marks that tease out the grand fauna of Indonesia,
or the swelling tides with tethered boats in Madura or iconic erupting Gunung
Merapi connect with him on an intensely primal level.
Kerton’s renditions of village life — cock-fights and village dances — take him back
to his own distant past with a sense of humour and levity that brings a smile every
time.
The force of Mother Nature is powerfully conveyed in Mount Merapi and Borubudur, the epic three-panel vertical feat by Srihadi Soedarsono. Here, the artist
captures the fabled volcano at the moment of eruption in black, white and grey,
the spill of red lava and the textured black temple domes, the only respite from the
vastness of the mountain.
Almost in contrast to this abstract extravaganza is Basoeki Abdullah’s very formal
treatment of dramatic sky and the dark blue mountain, fronted by two children
with the family’s beast-of-burden in Buffaloes By the Riverside. Here – even with
the most city-driven of us – it evokes a longing for simpler pleasures, clearer values
and a slower time.
Growing up in a post-war period of great Nationalist fervour and political awakening in the region, both in Indonesia and of course, here at home in Malaysia, Zain
is also extremely socially conscious.
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Works like Mangu Putra’s Terbelenggu II that address social injustice and Stefan
Buana’s PilPres (Pilihan President) are clear indicators of his political leanings as
well as a deep-seated sense of social consciousness.
In fact, Putu Sutawijaya’s Lawan Diri Sendiri — reflecting inner conflict — seems to
sum up quite simply, Zain’s view of the world around him.
Being a devout Muslim, Zain is deeply spiritual in how he lives his daily life. This
spirituality guides his taste in art and life, never limiting that appreciation for the
world around him but definitely guiding his eye.
There is little doubt that he especially loves the Word as can be seen in calligraphic
works from the Muslim world, both classical and contemporary that are part of his
collection.
Aside from a few carefully chosen works by the late Ahmad Khalid Yusof, there is an
inspirational Anuar Rashid recently added to his collection that is currently another
of Zain’s favourites.
Mihraj – Ascension of the Golden Peacock is a glorious blue and golden painting
with the peacock expressed through a burst of white khat - the teachings of the
Quran brought to life in this work that symbolizes mortal Man’s ascension to the
Heavens.
And in exploring these particular themes that seem to run across his entire collection, Zain’s enjoyment of art is not simply limited to the big-ticket heroes of the
collection.
In fact, at times, Zain’s love for particular works, either from the Malaysian or Indonesian line-ups, seemingly quite unreasonably.
He is quick to point out that these are not necessarily the best or most important
works in his collection but they are certainly some of his favourites.
Just Go Home is a modest watercolour by the Indonesian artist, Rudolf Othman of
a duck pond with a little child tending the flock.
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It is a delicate green watercolour, romantic bordering on frivolous if compared to
the collection’s intense, message-driven Mangu Putras’ or the turbulent Putu.
Yet the work evokes a very primal emotional response in the collector built on the
nostalgia of his own past – always connected to the land, and almost always about
returning home.
For Zain, the painting triggers very acute and particular memories of the landscapes of his childhood and always – the fondest recollections of his immediate
family …
Zain was brought up by his maternal grandparents near Sungai Manik outside Teluk
Intan. He describes his Sri Lankan Tamil postmaster grandfather, who converted to
Islam because he `loved the Faith’ as a sweet-natured, religious and loving man but
it is his grandmother he reveres completely.
He tells of a little tough Yemenese woman who though uneducated was highly
intelligent and instilled in both him and his brother and sister a driven, aspirational
work ethic that had held them in good stead ever since.
And she kept chickens and ducks…
Sometimes, in spite of the Latiffs’ or the Gunawans’, the sincere connections to a
piece of work can be as simple as a childhood memory.
As such, the inclusion of this little green oasis was simply not negotiable!
MERDEKA PERIOD
Equally adamant was his stance on the inclusion of another small gem, this time
by Malaysian artist Patrick Ng.
Zain has a number of Patricks’ in his collection. One is a largish abstract drawing, a
packed tapestry of sylised flora reminiscent of the famous post-Merdeka Spirit of
Earth, Water and Air.
Instead, what he has chosen to include in The Edge line-up is another small, albeit,
luscious pastel on paper acquired at a recent auction in Kuala Lumpur. In Dancing
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Couple, the pair is rendered in mid-joget, the man resplendent in orange baju
Melayu, the woman in kebaya, the glimpse of her one beautiful eyebrow is all the
artist has given us privy to.
Like so many works from that Merdeka period, the crescent moon in the sky and the
fairy lights strung across the picture plane add to the celebratory mood of the piece,
conveying our collective hopes and aspirations for a bright future, the aspirations
of nationhood.
And five decades since Merdeka and since he started collecting art, the collection
remains current. Zain has always been interested in contemporary developments in
both the Indonesian and Malaysian art movements, supporting the works of young
or emerging artists like Anisa Abdullah and Fadilah Karim both of whom have been
included in this list of favourites alongside the Latiffs’ and the Affandis’.
Ultimately, large or small, Modern or Contemporary, Malaysian or Indonesian, assisting Zain Azahari in the selection of these works for The Edge showcase of the
favourite works from the collection was an extremely rewarding one.
While it was, as I said earlier, a very challenging one, it was also an extremely
heart-warming experience to hear firsthand, the stories of one collector’s adventures with art.
It was also hugely gratifying to be given access to these tremendous works of art
and to begin to form relationships with our favourite works from his collection.
(These days we often forget the collection is NOT ours…)
However, the main take-away from this experience, has been that Zain Azahari is
a hopeless romantic – in life and in art – and that is why the collection has grown
into what it is today.
One of the works that best encapsulate these qualities is a recently acquired
Jalaini Abu Hassan work – Di Murahkan Rezeki, Di Berkatkan Hati. The composition is dominated by a tandan of ripe and full bananas hovering over a cluster
of fragrant petai, its legend printed against the backdrop of a cool interior of a
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kampung dwelling.
For Zain, this work takes him back to his childhood, to humbler beginnings but most
importantly to the cherished values of the past that still remain relevant today.
The experience and knowledge and financial means, according to Zain, is nothing
without the heart and the sincere love for the art object and more importantly, for
the world around us.
That is what, Zain Azahari’s life’s pursuit, this collection, has given him – a truly enlightened appreciation for the world around him.
And it all started with that tiny Jamal.
MALAYSIAN
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KAMPUNG LIFE
Chuah Thean Teng
1960s
87cm x 64cm
Batik
25
DANCING COUPLE
Patrick Ng Kah Onn
Early 1960s
30cm x 48cm
Mixed Media on Paper
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BATU CAVES
Syed Ahmad Jamal
1961
52cm x 72cm
Oil on Canvas
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FOUR FRIENDS
Dzulkifli Buyong
1964
110cm x 75cm
Pastel on Paper
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UNTITLED
Mohd. Hoessein Enas
1965
110cm x 83cm
Oil on Canvas
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PENELOPE
Syed Ahmad Jamal
1966
78cm x 149cm
Oil on Canvas
30
BIRD DANCE
Abdul Latiff Mohidin
1967
Size variable
Cement, Metal Construction
and Black Spray
31
MALAM MERAH
Abdul Latiff Mohidin
1968
99cm x 81cm
Oil on Canvas
32
FAREWELL TO NEW YORK
Ibrahim Hussein
1969
150cm x 123cm
Printage, Acrylic on Canvas
33
MOTHER & CHILD
Cheong Soo Pieng
1976
40cm x 50cm
Oil on Canvas
34
GIRLS BEFORE PRAYER
Dzulkifli Buyong
1980
78cm x 55cm
Pastel on Paper
35
EXSTASY
Anthony Lau
1982
Size variable
Carved wood on Pedestal
36
UNION
Ibrahim Hussein
1983
205cm x 105cm
Acrylic on Canvas
37
38
TARI DRAWINGS
Yusof Ghani
(undated circa 1985)
37cm x 24cm
33cm x 24cm (x 5)
Ink, Pencil & Watercolour
on Paper
39
AWAITING
Chang Fee Ming
1991
54cm x 74cm
Watercolour on Paper
40
MANDALAY
Chang Fee Ming
1993
76cm x 56cm
Watercolour on Paper
41
OLEG TAMBULILINGAN
Ahmad Zakii Anwar
1997
180cm x 120cm
Acrylic on Canvas
42
MIHRAJ-ASCENDING OF
THE GOLDEN PEACOCK
Anuar Rashid
2008
150cm x 155cm
Oil on Canvas
43
VOYAGE II
Abdul Latiff Mohidin
2010
120cm x 120cm
Oil on Canvas
44
DI MURAHKAN REZEKI,
DI BERKATKAN HATI
Jalaini Abu Hassan
2011
152cm x 182cm
Acrylic on Canvas
45
AWANG DURJANA
Raja Shahriman
Raja Aziddin
2011
Size variable
Solded Metal
46
OPERA SINGER IN
BRACELETS
Anurendra Jegadeva
2012
92cm x 169cm
Oil and Acrylic on Canvas
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NUR
Fadilah Karim
2013
167cm x 198cm
Oil on Canvas
48
LEANING TOWER
OF TELUK ANSON
Anisa Abdullah
2013
244cm x 152cm
Mixed Media
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IMAGINATION AND
REFLECTION
Ramlan Abdullah
2013
Size variable
Stainless Steel
INDONESIAN
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MAKAN DURIAN
Hendra Gunawan
1976
140cm x 90cm
Oil on Canvas
54
CIBULAN
S. Sudjojono
1978
54cm x 38cm
Oil on Canvas
55
GOING TO THE MARKET
Widayat
1980
100cm x 100cm
Oil on Canvas
56
PERAHU MADURA
Affandi
1981
130cm x 100cm
Oil on Canvas
57
GUNUNG MERAPI
Affandi
1986
130cm x 100cm
Oil on Canvas
58
JAIPONGAN
Sudjana Kerton
1988
72cm x 88cm
Oil on Canvas
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JUST GO HOME
Rudolf Othman
1989
51cm x 40cm
Watercolour on Paper
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BUFFALOES BY THE
RIVERSIDE
Basoeki Abdullah
1992
155cm x 105cm
Oil on Canvas
61
BARONG
Popo Iskandar
1995
130cm x 100cm
Oil on Canvas
62
LAWAN DIRI SENDIRI
Putu Sutawijaya
2006
110cm x 80cm
Oil on Canvas
63
MOUNT MERAPI
AND BOROBUDUR
Srihadi Soedarsono
2006
130cm x 300cm
Oil on Canvas
64
TERBELLENGU II
Mangu Putra
2008
140cm x 200cm
Oil on Canvas
65
UNCONSCIOUS VISUAL 64
I Wayan Sujana Suklu
2010
300cm x 180cm
Mixed Media on Canvas
66
PILPRES (PILIHAN PRESIDEN)
Stefan Buana
2009
300cm x 120cm
Oil on Canvas, diptych
67
68
PEMANDANGAN DUNIA WI
(EARTHLY LANDSCAPE)
Agus Suwage
2011
200cm x 150cm
Oil on Canvas
69
PINK LOTUS
Budi Ubrux
2013
150cm x 200cm
Oil on Canvas
The Art of Collecting:
A Conversation
with Zain Azahari
by Rahel Joseph
71
Rahel Joseph: Encik Zain, you have one of the
largest and most prestigious private art collections in Malaysia. When did this passion for
collecting begin?
Zain Azahari: It all really began with my first
love, which was music. As a boy, I had a love
for music, even though I was growing up in the
kampung where we had nothing. No member of
my family listened to music because we didn’t
even have a radio. As for art, I hadn’t even heard
of anyone ever painting — I thought painters
only painted houses!
I remember as a child wanting to learn to play a
musical instrument. There was a teacher at the
convent near where we lived and she taught the
piano. I asked my mother whether I could learn
to play the piano on the occasional chance I got
to see her — I was brought up by my grandparents and only saw my mother a couple of times
a year — but she said that only girls learnt to play
the piano.
But I never lost that feel for music and when I
went to the UK to read law, I began to develop a
passion for music. I learnt to play the saxophone
and I started collecting records — especially jazz
records which I loved. In those days, a record
cost two pounds. I was on a very strict budget,
so I would sacrifice three of my weekly meals to
save the money to buy a record. My friend Pathmanaban (whom I subsequently discovered was
a cousin from my Sri Lankan Tamil grandfather’s
side of the family) would sneak out an extra
apple or two from the cafeteria which he would
then pass to me. I would eat that in place of my
lunch just to be able to afford my records.
felt completely lost.
I read law at one of the Chambers in London
and in my final year, I lived in a small dingy room
for two pounds a week. My room was next to
the boiler room, which meant that while it was
lovely and warm in winter, it was boiling in the
summer months! My lodging was near a gallery
in London and you could visit for free. I only had
thirty pounds to last me the whole month so
whenever I had any free time, I used to go there
and spend the time just looking at art. I started
visiting other galleries and it dawned on me that
there was something to this — it was really from
there that I started developing an appreciation of
what art was all about.
The British Council, British Museum and the
Tate Gallery sometimes held free lectures on art
appreciation and how to appreciate contemporary art and I attended all these lectures. I started
picking up knowledge about art and also started
to read widely.
I also loved going to the theatre and would often
hang around the theatres in the evenings hoping
for returned tickets at discounted prices. I really
enjoyed the theatre and had the privilege of
watching such great actors as Sir John Gielgud
and Sir Alec Guinness. As a student, I didn’t make
it a habit to go to parties so I had time to pursue
my interests.
RJ: How has the collection evolved over the
years? How did it all begin?
I amassed a collection of about 8,000 records
which I have to this day. So the love for art collecting really began with the music.
ZA: In 1958, I came home and started practising
here in KL at the chambers of Sir Roland Braddell
& R. Ramani. In those days, there was very little
to show for art — there was only the small National Art Gallery and no private galleries.
My love of art also came from my time in the
United Kingdom. When I went overseas for the
first time, I didn’t know what was happening — I
The first piece I acquired was actually a wedding
gift from an old classmate in 1962. It was a work
by Syed Ahmad Jamal called Batu Caves. I loved
72
it — I carried it with me everywhere, I just loved
the piece.
I started attending solo shows at the foyer of the
AIA building on Jalan Ampang and I remember
seeing exhibitions by Latiff Mohidin and Syed
Ahmad Jamal.
I acquired one of Latiff Mohidin’s Pago Pago
works for RM150. It seems very little now but in
those days RM150 was a lot for me — remember my salary was just RM800 in my first year of
practice!
I had some basic knowledge about art, having
spent time in London visiting the galleries and
attending lectures. I picked up a number of
Latiffs and Syed Ahmad Jamals in the early days,
including one or two Ibrahim Husseins.
When I started earning more money, I could
acquire more pieces. Even if I couldn’t afford it, I
would still buy them, it became a passion, I had
to have it. I would sacrifice something else just
to have them.
In truth, when I bought something I couldn’t afford, I didn’t think about whether the work would
rise in value in the future, I just wanted it — they
were such lovely pieces.
The 400 works or so I have now have been collected over a time span of 50 years.
There was a time in the late 1980s that I stopped
collecting because I was concentrating more on
religion and spiritual matters. However, when
I was visiting a gallery in Bali in the mid 1990s,
I saw a work by Chang Fee Ming which I really
admired. It was a painting of a man who was
looking out to the sea — you could just see his
back and the boats coming in. I thought he had
a very unique way of presenting a scene from
reality with him depicting just the man’s feet and
elements of his sarong. I loved the painting but
the owner didn’t want to sell! I was determined
to get a work by this artist and so I started researching and soon found out that he had many
international collectors. When I returned home, I
was determined to buy his work. That started me
collecting Malaysian art again.
You hear of people who have 2,000 pieces in their
collection which they have collected over a very
short period of time but when you examine their
collection, half of them are nothing special. To
these collectors, it is just about acquiring works.
You don’t learn to appreciate art in a span of
one year. It’s like the law — you get a degree and
acquire basic knowledge in the subject but you
need time and experience to hone your skills as a
lawyer. It is the same with collecting, it takes time.
If you want to start collecting, do it slowly.
I found joy in my life through art. It’s a complete passion. My wife sometimes asks me why
I continue to buy art when we don’t even have
space in the house but I think she puts up with it
because she understands this is important to me.
RJ: With about 400 artworks in the collection,
how do you keep track of the works? Can you
remember all of them?
ZA: It’s all in my head. I can remember every one
of them though, after a while, not every piece is
critical to you. There are pieces at the top of the
house that I have not seen for years. You have
your favourites — its like listening to music — you
keep going back to your favourite record. But
each work sets off the other, it’s all connected.
Having said that, though, there are works by
Latiff, Gunawan and Affandi that I can look at
every day. When I go through my living room,
I have to stop. Sometimes I just sit there on my
own and look at the works. At the end of the day,
the strength of the work is in its staying power,
whether we can keep looking at it and still dis-
73
cover new things.
RJ: Do you have a favourite work in your collection or would that be like picking a favourite child?
ZA: I couldn’t tell you, that’s almost impossible to
answer. I have so many works that I love — Latiff ’s works for example. If you look at the works
that were part of the Pago Pago series — “pago-pago” actually comes from the word “pagoda”
— they were influenced by the time he spent in
Southeast Asian region. You can also see the influence of his childhood in the works — the fish,
the trees, the leaves. Nature played a very large
part in his life when he was growing up. Latiff
was commenting on environment issues in the
60s long before anyone was talking about it.
Another favourite is a painting (Rupa dan
Ingatan Sebelum Malam) by I Wayan Sujana
(Suklu), a young Balinese artist. He has translated his dreams onto the canvas. The flowers in
the painting is perhaps his way of equating the
human figure to something beautiful like flowers. I love this piece. It’s very calming, somewhat
erotic.
There are artists, on the other hand, who have
got something to say — maybe about life or
about the environment — that they feel passionately about. In my collection there is this work
(Terbellengu II) by Mangu Putra which depicts
a man in chains. He is saying that a poor man is
chained by his poverty as if he is in a cage. He
has no hope, no future, it’s tragic. Mangu is very
passionate about these socio-political issues —
the poor, the environment — he is a wonderful
painter who has so many things to say. It is not
just a beautiful painting, he has something deeper to convey.
RJ: Tell us about your most recent acquisition.
What led you to acquire this particular work?
ZA: I bought a work by Patrick Ng at an auction
recently. It’s only a small piece but it’s a superb
work. In the painting, you see a Malay couple
dancing the joget on a platform. The man is
dressed in a baju melayu complete with samping and songkok and is dancing with a beautiful
girl in a kebaya. You cannot see the girl’s face,
you just glimpse her profile with her distinctive
eyebrows. I remember scenes like these from
my kampung days. Patrick Ng painted this work
around the Merdeka period and you can sense
the joy and the optimism of this particular time
in our history in the work.
There was another bidder at the auction bidding
for the work but I was determined to acquire this
work — I thought this one mati-mati must have!
After the auction was over, the other bidder - a
couple - said “We could see that you were not
going to give up so we gave up…” I told them
I was very grateful, otherwise the price would
have gone up even more!
RJ: When and why did you start collecting
Indonesian art?
ZA: In the 90s, I saw a Gunawan painting in a
hotel in Bali. That started my interest. I started
reading up about Affandi and the other great
artists until the day I decided I wanted to have
some of their works in my collection.
In the beginning, it was basically just the big
names — Sudjojono, Affandi, Gunawan — but
I started reading up more and acquiring other
artists.
I’m very fond of Indonesian art and have been
visiting Indonesia more and more. The Indonesians have a long art history as the Dutch
brought Western art to Indonesia. Just imagine,
one of the greatest Indonesian artists, Raden
Saleh, was a guest at the European courts in the
74
1840s. We don’t have that kind of history. Since
their art developed over a long period, there is
a maturity to the works that I think sometimes
we lack here. Indonesian art has that advantage
— they have so many great artists because they
have evolved from centuries of history.
You look at Gunawan’s work and you immediately sense the emotions they had when fighting
for Independence — they fought and died for it
— and their works exude this passion. The works
are very tactile, there is a sensuality to their work
— an earthiness…
Probably our tradition is too young and perhaps
we suffer from the influence of the so-called
guardians of morality.
Also, the whole idea of Nusantara is very strong
because even though it’s a different country, we
connect with it almost instinctively. I feel like I
have an immediate understanding. Some aspects
of Indonesian art also have Islamic tenets within
it that I can identify with. In your old age, you
think more about your religion. I can think of
Widayat and Umi Dahlan’s works which have
references to the Haj and the spiritual journey
one travels.
RJ: How do you make decisions when buying
art? Are you guided by intuition or are you
investment driven?
ZA: When I look at a painting, it really boils down
to how I feel about it.
It has to hit you in the heart. I can tell when I
look at a painting and my heart starts beating
faster.
I have seen so many paintings through the years,
but at the end of the day, I decide with my heart.
It has to feel true. If it’s a painting depicting a
farmer, you have to feel the man, you have to
feel his pain, the hard work he puts in every day.
If it gives you that feeling, then buy it.
Of course, over the many years of collecting,
you spend a lot of time looking at art and you
develop an eye and I also spend a lot of time
researching and visiting galleries.
RJ: Do you think about filling the gaps in the
collection?
ZA: Yes, I do. I didn’t initially but as the years go
by, if I am aware that I don’t have a particular artist in the collection, I do try and get at least one
painting by him or her. l will spend time looking
around for the right work, I don’t just pick any
painting. And it has to be an artist I really like.
RJ: Have you acquired any works that you
have later regretted?
ZA: I regretted one or two for personal reasons.
Maybe it had something to do with the fact that
I felt I had been taken for a ride and I felt bitter
about it. Or there were works that I had thought
at that time were good but later I felt were actually quite superficial. I never discarded any of
the works though. The works are still part of the
collection, they just don’t play such a big role in
my life.
RJ: There are collections that are very focused
and revolve around one single subject or art
form. Your collection has several different
ideas running through it. For example, a lot of
the works in the collection have an association
with the land.
ZA: At my age (78), I often think back on growing
up in the kampung. We used to visit a relative’s
house a few miles from where we lived, near
Sungai Manik. It was a vast area of paddy fields,
just miles and miles of paddy fields as far as the
75
eye could see. We used to catch fish — ikan
sepat — there. So I grew up there and when I
saw Basoeki Abdullah’s Buffaloes By The Riverside, I immediately wanted to buy it because it
reminded me of the paddy fields I grew up with.
One of my favourite works is Rudolf Othman’s
Just Go Home which depicts a boy herding his
ducks back home. In terms of artistic quality, it is
certainly not the strongest work in the collection
but I have a fondness for it because it reminds
me of my childhood. I was brought up by my
maternal grandparents and my grandmother, in
particular, was a huge influence on me. She was
not formally educated but she inculcated in both
my brother and me a strong sense of discipline
and a value system that is with me to this day.
RJ: Your collection also includes works that
don’t have that element of nostalgia – for example, contemporary political works.
ZA: Political works appeal to me because of my
background and my own experience growing
up. For example, Mangu Putra’s work with the
depiction of the man in chains, conveying the
terrible toll that poverty imposes definitely had
an impact on me.
RJ: Rather than using advisors, your decisions
are really being guided by your own eye and
your own judgement – are you constantly on
the look out?
ZA: Yes – I visit galleries and artist studios, it’s a
lot of legwork but I enjoy it. I recently visited Jai’s
(Jalaini Abu Hassan) studio and I ended up with
three works! That’s the danger of visiting artist
studios….
RJ: Your collection contains works by many
significant, established artists. How do you
feel about emerging artists? Who are you
keeping an eye on? Any advice for new collec-
tors?
ZA: Some of the young artists see the works of
the more experienced artists go into five figures
and they think they should be in that category.
That’s unfortunate because some of the works
don’t deserve to be in that price category. I have
seen very mediocre works that are priced at
over RM20,000 but the quality, the passion is not
there in the work.
There are younger artists though whose works
are interesting. The other day I was walking
around Publika (mall in Kuala Lumpur) and I saw
the work by a young artist — Anisa Abdullah —
and I immediately bought her work. I had never
heard of her but I thought she was a potential
talent. Her work is mostly in mixed media. Absolutely superb. Her works are priced very reasonably.
Another very talented artist is Fadilah Karim. I
have just acquired a work from her. In my view,
she has the potential to be amongst the very
best once she matures. This is the time to buy
her works before she becomes too expensive!
So yes, there are young artists who are highly
talented. But you have to have an eye for good
work — if you are a new collector and don’t have
experience, ask friends who do. I have found that
over the many years of collecting, that if you
spend enough time looking at art and reading
and researching on your own, you will develop
an eye.
76
Curators
Anurendra
Jegadeva
As one of Malaysia’s leading contemporary artists, Anurendra Jegadeva has exhibited actively
for over 25 years having participated in many
solo and group exhibitions both regionally and
internationally in England, Australia, India, Singapore and Indonesia. As an artist, Anurendra
works consistently to forge effective and fresh
narrative approaches to contemporary and
historical themes through his work. As a writer
and a curator, Anurendra has worked in various organisations and institutions including
Monash University, Melbourne where he was
the Gallery Manager and GALERI PETRONAS
where he served as Senior Curator.
Rahel
Joseph
Rahel Joseph is a writer and independent curator. She has over 18 years’ experience working in the corporate arts funding and cultural
relations sectors. She was Director of Cultural
Relations at the Australian High Commission
where she conceptualized and managed the
cultural relations programme for seven years
and subsequently managed the Exhibitions/
Public Programmes section at GALERI PETRONAS. In 2011, she set up Smart Arts, an editorial and arts consultancy company. A published
author, she has written for the stage and print
media including the New Straits Times, Off the
Edge and The Nutgraph.
77
Artwork Index
Malaysian
Indonesian
30
31
43
Abdul Latiff Mohidin
Bird Dance, 1967
Malam Merah, 1968
Voyage II, 2010
56
57
Affandi
Perahu Madura, 1981
Gunung Merapi, 1986
41
Ahmad Zakii Anwar
Oleg Tambulilingan, 1997
67
Agus Suwage
Pemandangan Dunia Wi (Earthly Landscape), 2011
48
Anisa Abdullah
Leaning Tower of Teluk Anson, 2013
Basoeki Abdullah
60 Buffaloes By The Riverside, 1992
35
Anthony Lau
Exstasy, 1982
68
Budi Ubrux
Pink Lotus, 2013
42
Anuar Rashid
Mihraj-Ascending of the Golden Peacock, 2008
53
Hendra Gunawan
Makan Durian, 1976
46
Anurendra Jegadeva
Opera Singer in Bracelets, 2012
65
I Wayan Sujana Suklu
Unconscious Visual 64, 2010
39
40
Chang Fee Ming
Awaiting, 1991
Mandalay, 1993
64
Gusti Agung Mangu Putra
Terbellengu II, 2008
33
Cheong Soo Pieng
Mother & Child, 1976
61
Popo Iskandar
Barong, 1995
24
Chuah Thean Teng
Kampung Life, 1960s
62
Putu Sutawijaya
Lawan Diri Sendiri, 2006
27
34
Dzulkifli Buyong
Four Friends, 1964
Girls before Prayer, 1980
47
Fadilah Karim
Nur, 2013
32
36
Ibrahim Hussein
Farewell to New York, 1969
Union, 1983
59
Rudolf Othman
Just Go Home, 1989
54
S. Sudjojono
Cibulan, 1978
63
Srihadi Soedarsono
Mount Merapi and Borobudur, 2006
44
Jalaini Abu Hassan
Di Murahkan Rezeki, Di Berkatkan Hati, 2011
66
Stefan Buana
PilPres (Pilihan Presiden), 2009
28
Mohd. Hoessein Enas
Untitled, 1965
58
Sudjana Kerton
Jaipongan, 1988
25
Patrick Ng Kah Onn
Dancing Couple, early 60s
45
Raja Shahriman Raja Aziddin
Awang Durjana, 2011
55
Widayat
Going To The Market, 1980
49
Ramlan Abdullah
Imagination and Reflection, 2013
26
29
Syed Ahmad Jamal
Batu Caves, 1961
Penelope, 1966
38
Yusof Ghani
Tari Drawings, c.1985
PRESENTED BY THE EDGE GROUP
Organised by
The Edge Galerie
G5-G6, Mont’ Kiara Meridin
19, Jalan Duta Kiara, Mont’ Kiara
50480 Kuala Lumpur
Exhibition Period: 18 October 2013 - 7 December 2013
Design by
The Edge Communications Sdn Bhd
Photography by
Puah Chin Kok
Printed by
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Front cover
Malam Merah, 1987, by Abdul Latiff Mohidin