Wednesday, July 29, 2009

The Critic's says



AlAmbya (the prophets): 87

Feb, ’09. Size 40” X 40”.

Medium: Mixed medium on Linen.

Meaning of ayat:

And (remember) Dhun-Nun (Jonah), when he went off in anger, and imagined that We shall not punish him! (i.e. the calamities which had befallen him)! But he cried through the darkness (saying): La ilaha illa Anta (non have the right to be worshipped but you, o Allah), Glorified (and exalted) be You (above all that evil they associated with you)! Truly I have been a wrongdoer.




Haffendi Anuar or Eddie is a graduate from Rhode Island School of Design near New York. He is a budding Art Critic in Malaysia and this is what he wrote about Shukor Yahya's work for a Qalam exhibition at Chandan Gallery, Damansara Height, Kuala Lumpur.

The assimilation of geometric abstraction and pop art into Islamic calligraphy works could be seen in Shukor Yahya’s. Yahya’s colorful, hard-edged square-kufic pieces use a centered composition that imitates fertile, overflowing arabesque designs.

The play of simple shapes and geometry transform the paintings into a visual delight displaying savvy design sensibilities and control. Yahya’s “restrained touch” differs greatly from the angst-fueled works of Din Mohammad’s, Ghani’s and Hourmain’s where expression is the main concern. His usage of Qur’anic http://www.quranflash.com/en/quranflash.html verses in his paintings hint of the traditional practice of Islamic calligraphy which was meant as a way to document specific verses from the Qur’an onto parts of architecture or objects for the purpose of contemplation or decoration.


In AlHadid : 8 aquamarine blue and dark violet background holds an orange-yellow abstract grouping of sentences from the Qur’an in a rigid centered composition framed in a square canvas. Small colorful primary and secondary colored squares and rectangles playfully dart in-and-out of the kufi maze, cryptic in its message to the lay-man, hinting at the esthetics of Egyptian hieroglyphs and the musical nature of Peat Mondrian’s mature paintings.

Al Hadid: 8. May, ’09. Size 40” X40”.

Medium: Mixed medium on Linen.

Meaning of ayat: And what is the matter with you that you believe not in Allah! While the Messenger (Muhammad S.A.W.) invites you to believe in your Lord (Allah); and He (Allah) has indeed taken your covenant, if you are real believers.




The work is like a melting pot of pop-culture and mystical influences, clearly demonstrating the modern inventiveness of his approach. He stated that his paintings are meant in a jovial nature, to allure viewers to the works for the purpose of contemplation and intimacy with the sacred.

For a full write up, please log on to: http://www.espifinearts.blogspot.com/




AlBaqarah: 267

Completed on 6th June, 2009. 40 x 76 ½”. Mixed medium on Linen.

Meaning of ayat:

O you who believe! Spend on the good things you have legally earned, and of that which We have produced from the earth for you, and do not aim at that which is bad to spend from it, (though) you would not accept it, save if you close your eyes and tolerate therein. And know that Allah is Rich (Free of all needs), and worthy of all praise.



Thursday, July 16, 2009

Qalam


Surat Cinta (Love Letter), 1995
24cm X 16 cm, Etching.
Ahmad Khalid Yusof
(1934-1997)







Dr Suleiman Isa (1995) in his Art & Srirituality published by the National Art Gallery of Malaysia, wrote; in search of meaning and purpose in life many Muslim artists seeks to discover peace and certitude through Islam. For God is both the source of light and the truth.

Given the morally and spiritually corrosive influence of the postmodernist ethos, for many Malaysian Muslim artists, to render their art in the sevice of Islam, to integrate their artistic activities to their spirituality, indisputably becomes a most critical and challenging task.


Alif Lam Mim, 2003
Acrylic on Canvas.
Muhammad Din Muhammad
(1955-2007)





In tribute to the late Ahmad Khalid Yusof and Muhammad Din Muhammad, a group of artists consists of Yusof Ghani, Ahmad Zaki Anuar, Hussein Hourmain and Shukor Yahya are going to have their works exhibited along sides with the old masters', entitles Qalam on the 15th. August, at Chandan Gallery, Damansara Height, Kuala Lumpur, at 5pm.

Don't be late unless you are ready to miss your opportunity to own a state of the art Islamic calligraphy painted by contemporary painters from Malaysia. F&B will be served, so it'll be ok if you come hungry.











(Al Thalak or Divorce: 2-3)
aka. Ayat 1000 Dinar
March,’05. Size: 50” X 83”.
Medium: Emulsion on Canvas.
By
Shukor Yahya

www.kufikufi.com

Meaning of ayat:

And for those who fear Allah, He (ever) prepares a way out. And He provides him from (sources) he never could imagine. And if anyone puts his trust in Allah, sufficient is (Allah) for him. For Allah will surely accomplish his purpose: verily, for all things Allah appointed a due proportion.

Note; Whosoever recites this ayat at the break of down or at dusk God will make their business reaps big profit and their life will prosper.