A testament of his archive's quality, renowned art collector Dato' Parameswaran is able to present a meaningful artist retrospective via a stock clearing exercise.
Wayang kulit is synonymous with the Kelantanese Nik Zainal Abidin, where a substantial number of the self-taught artist's works are displayed, along with a few oil paintings and intricate wood carvings. It is evident that the subject matter has a significant influence on Nik Zainal's aesthetic - his figures are elongated, its forms taken from a hand-crafted tradition. Characteristically flat, its flatness is emphasised further with the use of watercolours as his primary medium.
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| Drupada (1992) |
Beyond the historical appeal, this exhibition provides an insight into, the factors that made these works aesthetically pleasing. Close inspection of the paintings and pencil sketches, indicates a discipline to draw within square grids, establishing structure amongst the sinuous forms and active figures. The artist displays a keen awareness of pictorial space, where experimentation with primary and secondary colours, black and the uncoloured, coalesce in pleasant harmony. Multiple characters gather within a canvas, each with a different colour and facing a different direction, yet the dynamism never dampens as though a
wayang kulit show is really playing.
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| Wayang Kulit in White (1971) |
Many distinguished pieces are exhibited, but I was particularly attracted to 'Rejection', a relatively quirky work that is less crowded. The character on the left displays a priceless expression, contrasting colours harmonise beautifully, its background light yet sombre. I never thought
entertaining can be used to describe a painting, but it seems befitting for this work. One can glance over Nik Zainal's other figurative and landscape drawings, but
wayang kulit remains the main attraction for this
inimitable artist. In a world where sculptured form and surface texture is emphasised, it is fun to appreciate attractive art on a flat surface.
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| Rejection (1992) |
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