Ibrahim Hussein

Acquired directly from the artist
Private Collection, Singapore

This work is in good overall condition as viewed. This work has been strip lined for stretching purposes. There is evidence of wear along the edges of the work, but this does not affect the overall image as most of this is covered by the frame. There are some minor light stains along left border, only visible upon very close inspection. Examination under ultraviolet light reveals no evidence of retouching as viewed. Framed.
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Ibrahim Hussein is one of the most preeminent Malaysian modern artists, widely known for rising from poverty to international acclaim and as the inventor of a technique called “printage” that combined printing techniques with collage. Unassuming and modest, describing himself as having “one blind eye, one broken tooth, [and] one mole”, Hussein created honestly and with a profound sense of passion, producing works as a direct response to his surroundings and encouraging others to empathize and understand.

Born in rural Malaysia, Hussein started life in dire circumstances and at a physical disadvantage from being blind in his right eye. In spite of this, he showed great talent and determination, finding a British colonial administration to sponsor his education in the arts. He studied at the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts in Singapore before moving to London in 1959 to join the Byam Shaw School of Art, where he received an Award of Merit Scholarship. Subsequently, he returned to Malaysia to become a resident artist at the University of Malaya. Known for his fine, sinuous line work, Hussein creates in a singular, atypical style of abstraction, reflecting the environment around him.

Untitled is a square composition hailing from his Kama Sutra series, featuring a bird’s eye view of a multitude of bodies entangles with one another. The use of only a few colors keeps the work visually simple and enhances its appearance as a print. Balanced and muted, Hussein cleverly hides the sexual nature of the work in plain sight; he encourages viewers to either appreciate the artwork from afar purely as a visual, or to observe it from closer up to fully grasp its content. Hussein also uses negative space effectively to define the human forms, adding differences in tonality to create dynamism and depth within the chaotic scene.

In the present lot, Hussein demonstrates his trademark stylization, where each point is a beginning with no ending, producing a regenerative effect. The bodies tessellate and overlap continuously across the canvas, making it difficult to distinguish one from the other. By portraying people in the midst of such an act of intimacy, Hussein reduces them to their most basic selves, stripped of wealth, status and pretenses. With these artistic choices, he makes a statement about notions of sex and sexuality; he depicts sexuality as a fluid, perhaps even unimportant construct as it is impossible to make out the acts between individuals, and sex as a universal necessity, indulgence and unifier across humanity.

Despite the fact that Hussein is a household name artist in Malaysia, his works are extremely rare and hard to find. In addition to its visual coherence and complexity of subject matter, Untitled strikes a delicate balance between superficial accessibility and intriguing depth. The composition as visual art is balanced, dynamic and rhythmic, while it further engages the viewer as a thought piece, provoking discourse on concepts of sex and sexuality in a tasteful way. Untitled is a fine example of Hussein’s sensitive approach to heavy matters and the artistic skill deserving of his recognition.