TO be given the privilege of having a “Yusof Ghani” experience is the next best thing to acquiring one of his paintings, which, I believe, is beyond my reach.
So, when one of Malaysia’s best known painters exhibited his works here recently at Asia House, many who attended got more than they bargained for — with music and fashion thrown in as well as the opportunity to paint on the same canvas as the master himself for the lucky few.
For the 67-year-old painter, who had exhibited his works in Berlin, Moscow, Washington, San Francisco, Singapore, Jakarta, Tokyo and Madrid, this solo exhibition was his first in the city.
Yusof’s “SEGERAKvi:Transcendent Figures”, not only exhibited 15 of his works on canvas, but 12 of these were printed on clothes that were worn by models mingling with the crowd.
The Art to Wear collection by Sofearose comprises Islamic attire that was flowy and elegant.
The five-day exhibition from April 3 was officiated by Malaysian High Commissioner to the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland Datuk Ahmad Rasidi Hazizi.
The works on the walls of the exhibition hall, at one glance, showed a riot of colours that initially shocked the senses.
But slowly, patterns and figures seemed to emerge in movements that took over one’s imagination.
“Art of War”, an oil-on-canvas painting which was also the main display, captured one’s imagination as one followed the strokes of the painter’s brush.
Yusof had painted his way in a career — as a painter, sculptor, lecturer and publisher — that spanned more than three decades.
Most of his works depicted universal elements and themes.
Each of his work is expressionist in nature and depicts the play of emotions.
“I usually take an hour or so to get inspired before transferring all that energy onto the canvas,” said Yusof, adding that the flow of his brushes would not have worked without music in the background.
Thus, we see movements, motion and energy in his work, which Tom Nakashima, an international artist and a close friend of Yusof since the 1980s, described as a dance process that “had always given Yusof’s painting a peculiar signature”.
Nakashima described him as a transavantgarde painter, whose nature, he said, “is the joy that begins when music is transformed through dance and comes into being as painting”.
Indeed, I saw that come alive when he demonstrated his painting technique to us on the second day of his exhibition.
With the beat of the drums and haunting sound of the flute in the background, Yusof initially stared at his canvas, then made some images and wiped them out as if on second thought.
He repeated the process a few times and when the rhythm picked up, the strokes became bolder and stronger, covering the canvas with a riot of colours that to the uninitiated brought no meaning whatsoever.
It became more meaningless when a few of us were invited to put our marks on the canvas.
Too many painters would spoil a painting, came to mind.
But, the master painter was on hand to rescue the painting and made it his own with some final wipes here and a stroke there, and wallah…it’s a Yusof Ghani masterpiece!
“All my works are spontaneous,” he said as he talked me through “Art of War”, which had been grabbed by a buyer.
It is the music in the background that became the force that shaped the images on his canvas.
As the rhythm picked up, one could see his movements, fast and furious as if the images were racing to get out and be imprinted on the canvas.
It is understandable that Yusof works best throughout the night when he is alone with his thoughts.
Transferring his work onto textiles for clothes was an idea that was conceived for a show last year, but that had to be abandoned when the project was cancelled.
So, the Art to Wear collection was debuted here instead with the exhibition, making it an added attraction as models
mingled with guests in peplum dresses, some with capes, long skirts, abayas, cardigans and kimonos.
This was done in collaboration with his son, Muhammad Zaki, who is the managing director of Sofearose, an Islamic fashion house based in Petaling Jaya, and his wife, Farrah Aina.
“With the theme ‘Exclusive Urban Fashion’, we want to show that simple can be sophisticated.
“This would appeal to women who want to be seen as elegant and yet modest,” said Yusof.
The clothes were made with each of Yusof’s creations in mind, with themes such as Ombak (waves), Seni Tari (dance) and Wajah (image), using fabrics such as bridal satin and organza.
Sometimes, an exhibition is just an exhibition and you leave with the images in mind and nothing more.
However, the “SEGERAKvi: Transcendent Figures” by Yusof had left me with much more than that — one that moved me in rhythm and took me into a world of psychedelic colours with calming effect.