ABSTRACT EXPRESSION

 

                                                                                                                           Of all works in Aqal, it is Suzlee Ibrahim’s latest composition I most look forward to see.

                                                                                                                           I have followed his career closely over the years, and long admired abstract his                                                                                                                      expressionist works, potent with visual drama and feverishly complex. Ombak (Waves)                                                                                                                                and Sahara Series, Lagu Buat Kekasih, (Song For A Lover) Lagu Tasik Cini                                                                                                                              Of  (Song Cini Lake) and The Kingdom series, based on his travels to Pahang’s   

                                                                                                                           Kota Gelanggi caves have left an indelible imprint.

Amid writing an essay for Rafiee Ghani’s A Dialogue for Gallery 69 recently, my research chanced upon Suzlee’s own writings as curator for Rafiee’s 2011 Freedom exhibition at Pinkguy Art Gallery. It was, I surmised, a good omen.
Suzlee’s entry for Aqal, The Rock (polyurethane oil and wood varnish, 2013) is a bold exodus from his previous acrylic, oils, gesso, collages and burnt canvas works.

“I use fire to heat up and burn polyurethane to get accidental effects based on its character and behaviour. Polyurethane is flexible under heat and melts under strong fire. The results of heat or fire applied unto the various thickness of polyurethane may be different from my visual expectations. The work process involved enabled me to evaluate, compare and assess the results and effectiveness of the material for relief artworks to interpret my artistic expressions,” he shares.

Liberated from the confines of his earlier methods, Suzlee inspired a work in which aesthetics no longer depended on forms and shapes. The Rock proves his mettle as an artist unafraid to experiment and investigate alternate mediums which in the end results in a deliriously multifaceted body of relief work which are both at the same time, subjective and artful.