Richard Koh Fine Art (RKFA) is delighted to present a solo feature by Malaysian artist Hasanul Isyraf Idris at VOLTA NY, Booth D9, Pier 90, 12th Avenue (at West 50th Street) New York, NY 10019. His fourth solo feature with the gallery, Hasanul will present a series of intricate mixed media drawings, a continuation of his Higher Order Love series which began in 2016.
Etched on an ancient marble in a Jewish burial site in Penang, Malaysia, HOL, references a complex high-level mathematical theory “Higher Order Logic”. Interpreted as an acronym for “Higher Order Love” by the artist, it means eternal love or unconditional love that is manifested into an ever growing and mutating world fed by memories and sensations of the real-world. Memories as interpreted by the artist, evolve and mutate and eventually transform into a cerebral wilderness similar to a permanent forest reserve. Much like his earlier works, the universe of HOL is informed by the artist’s personal experience, life events and rites of passages. The physical manifestation of the universe is divided into chapters that displays episodes of memories and snippets of the artist’s life, conjuring complex scenes and wondrous landscapes populated by raging wild animals, strange characters in quarantine suits, a lake of seeds and places of worship. Real-world and fiction are woven on paper through precise and intricate drawn lines and luscious color swatches.
HOL (Higher Order Love) Chapter 2.3 Wound: Environment of Naga and Doubt present stories and memories of tales from a time in Pulau Pangkor of racial riots, migration and alienation, a time which relates to Hasanul’s ancestry and heritage through stories lived and told by his parents. They depict scenarios of an aftermath, where groups of people are divided into departments in charge of border control, medic, conservation and preservation respectively. These drawings come together as a reflection on global situations within the historical and current context.
Hasanul Isyraf Idris (b. 1978, Malaysia) was trained at Mara University of Technology (UiTM), in Perak. He has received a number of awards, including the Young Contemporary Arts Award in 2007 at the National Visual Arts Gallery, Kuala Lumpur, the Incentive Award at the Open Show held at the Shah Alam Gallery and the Consolation Prize for the Young Talent Art Exhibition at the Penang Art Gallery, Penang. Hasanul produces works in a variety of media, from paintings and meticulously crafted drawings to painted oven-baked clay sculptures. Gathering inspiration from within and well as local folklore and regional myths, he articulates his personal struggles as an artist by personifying them as strange characters that inhabit his invented universes. Influenced by the graphics of underground comic books, 1960s science fiction, fast food, street art and fashion, he juggles pop-culture references with a personal viewpoint. Recurring topics in his practice are the meaning of life and death, memories and fantasies, sin and reward.
VOLTA NY – Global Vision – Hasanul Isyraf Idris
07 - 11 March 2018
VOLTA NY
Booth D9
Pier 90, 12th Avenue,
New York, 10019.
