Image size: 26.5 x 19 cm
Latiff Mohidin, born in Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia in 1941 completed his primary education in Singapore. While in Singapore, at an early age, Latiff’s precocity in understanding paintings earned him the nickname, ‘Wonder Boy’. From 1960-1964, Latiff studied art at Hochschule fur Bildende Kunste in Berlin, Germany and did brief residencies in Paris and New York. Inspired by his exploration of Southeast Asia in 1964, Latiff has since produced compelling series of artworks – the result of a synthesis between his European experience and the rediscovery of his homeland. He is also a poet who has published several volumes of poetry. ‘Palm, Sabak Bernam’, in technique and concept, recalls the dual modes of viewing: an initial layer of pigment representing the totemic structure that resulted from an interlocking of architectural and natural forms; and another layer of sharp, fine ink lines denoting the myriad of its movements. What shapes Latiff’s articulation of nature since his adolescent years is his inquisitive query on the movements of leaves and branches – albeit its unity, they grow in an unpredictable, irregular and ever-contradictory manner.
