Ruzzeki Harris – one of Malaysia’s talented artists who has earned a place in the art world outside our homeland, is once again showcasing his work across the causeway.
Chan Hampe galleries presents Point Blank, the third solo exhibition by Malaysian artist Ruzzeki Harris. Harris has been actively exhibiting in Southeast Asia for over ten years. Moved by what strikes him as ironic or poignant, both world events and personal encounters prove worthy subject matter for his reflections. While his earliest works were abstract, Harris’s stylistic preference evolved into figurative surrealism. Animals, fruits, and human skulls meld into totem-like representations and provide an acerbic commentary on contemporary life
Bayu Utomo Radjikin, Director or HOM Arts Trans, says of Ruzzeki Harris, “His works are an extension of his psyche and represent his effort to exist and to be heard. Neither to preach nor to teach, his works are like a graffiti on the road wall … point blank to the passer by.”
In the Point Blank series, Harris’s subjects appear in isolation, floating on slate grey backgrounds almost as though the imagery were plucked from a nearby alley.
2014
oil on canvas
158 x 121cm
The artist cites street art as one of his many influences and his extraordinary technical mastery of the figurative speaks to a facet of that aesthetic. While sociopolitical or cultural critique may be a subtext of the work, most serve primarily to document and perhaps solidify the artist’s response to the world around him. Reflective of the surrealist mindset, these paintings represent the unadulterated thought and emotion of the artist.
The artist’s past exhibitions:
May, 2011
‘DICTUM’ A Solo Exhibition by Ruzzeki Harris
RA Fine Arts – The Gallery @ Solaris Dutamas
Mar, 2009
1st Mail Art Festival in Malaysia
Shah Alam Gallery
2008
‘Gravitate’
HOM Art Trans
Art Residencies:
HOM Art Residency at HOM Art Trans
MalihomAiR in Penang
NAFAS in Jogjakarta, Indonesia
Awards
2009, finalist, Malaysian Emerging Artist Award.
Point Blank runs from 28 August 2014 until 14 September 2014 at Chan Hampe Galleries, located at Raffles Hotel Arcade #01-21, 328 North Bridge Road. The exhibition is open Tuesday through Sunday from 11am – 7pm. http://www.chanhampegalleries.com
Photo credits: Wei Ling Gallery, http://www.ArtSlant.com, Chan Hampe Galleries
ArtQulture 