PRESS RELEASE
THE BAUHAUS GALLERY AT WORLD ART DUBAI 2015
Dubai World Trade Centre – Booth D50
8 April Press/Official Opening , 9-11 April Public days
The Bauhaus Gallery is pleased to announce its participation at World Art Dubai featuring a solo exhibition project by Syed Thajudeen.
“We are aiming to showcase masterpieces by critically acclaimed Malaysian artist, Syed Thajudeen who has been painting and exhibiting worldwide for the past 50 years.” explains co-founder and Director of the gallery, Syed Fazal. “The booth will bring together works from the artists’ various series - deeply entrenched in culture, tradition and spiritualism.”
One of highlights of the booth is a spectacular large-scale mural on canvas, Springmood (Odissi). This painting measuring a whopping 183 x 450 cm took the artist two (2) years to complete down to its intricate details. Odissi as an art form is very sensual, originating from the ancient city of Orissa in India, with fluid movements and solid footwork. Syed Thajudeen captures the essence of the Odissi, the sensual lithe dancers in intricate finery, their graceful expressive fingers and rhythmic footwork; with the mastery of his strokes. Jewellery is an important component of the Odissi dancer’s costume. The intricately painted bangles, silver belts, ankle bells and the mukoot or crown add to the grandeur of the painting.
For the first time, Syed Thajudeen’s artwork will be depicted in fine jewellery. This endeavor will be a fusion between fine art and fine jewellery. It is the artist’s vision that his paintings become luxurious wearable art. The inaugural piece which will make its debut at the World Art Dubai 2015, is a unique and one of a kind enamel, 22k gold pendant cum brooch encrusted with diamonds. This is a collaborative effort between Malaysian master artist, Syed Thajudeen and American master goldsmith, Sydney Scherr.
This project also includes paintings on Syed Thajudeen’s famed ‘Kebaya’ series. The Kebaya is a traditional dress worn in the Malay Archipelago. The artist splendidly captures ladies in different moods adorning the lovely Kebaya.
“We are looking forward to the World Art Dubai. I am sure our collection will add to the splendor of the exhibition” says co-founder and Director Kulsanofer. “The programme lined up is particularly exciting and we are expecting a wide range of visitors. We look forward to welcoming them to our booth to meet Syed Thajudeen, who has most graciously accepted to be present at the booth to meet the press and visitors”.
ARTIST BIO
Syed Thajudeen (b. 1943) has been painting for the past 50 years and is recognized as one of the stalwarts of the Malaysian art scene. He has honed his mastery of the figurative figure being able to create miniature pieces to mural-sized masterpieces. Although Syed Thajudeen’s stylization are influenced by the Bauhaus art of Paul Klee and his Indian education background, themes of his work are mostly based on the Malay culture which can be seen in his Kebaya series. Syed Thajudeen has exhibited extensively around the world, including the USA, Belgium, UK, UAE and China with 9 solo exhibitions under his belt to date. 2015, is a significant year for Syed Thajudeen, as the Penang State Museum and Art Gallery will be hosting his retrospective, after a span of 40 years since his first solo at the same venue.
Syed Thajudeen’s paintings are a permanent collection of the National Art Gallery of Malaysia, Singapore Art Museum, Beijing Olympic Museum, corporate buildings and many private homes in Malaysia and abroad. He has taught Fine Arts at the MARA Institute of Technology, Malaysia and been a resident artist at the United Asian Bank. He currently serves as a board member of the National Visual Arts Development Board, Malaysia.
EDUCATION
1968-73 – Diploma in painting, Government College of Arts and Crafts, Madras, India.
1973-74 – Post-Diploma in painting, Government College of Arts and Crafts, Madras, India.
SOLO EXHIBITIONS
1975 – 1st Solo Exhibition, Penang State Museum and Art Gallery, Penang
1975 – 2nd Solo Exhibition, Samat Art Gallery, Kuala Lumpur
1997 – 3rd Solo Exhibition, Pelita Hati Art Gallery, Kuala Lumpur
2002 – Seroja, Sutra Gallery, Kuala Lumpur
2004 – Love and its Many Splendoured Images, Sutra Gallery, Kuala Lumpur
2006 – Cinta Tercipta… And there is Love…, National Art Gallery, Kuala Lumpur
2007 – Cinta Tercipta… and There is Love, Pelita Hati, Kuala Lumpur
2007 – Women in Kebaya : A Tribute to Datin Paduka Seri Endon Mahmood, Tanjung Art Gallery Penang
2010 – Paintings on Love, KL Lifestyle Art Space @ Jalan Maarof, Kuala Lumpur
2015 – Retrospective, Penang State Museum and Art Gallery, Penang
SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS
1965 – Group Show for the Opening of Penang State Museum by Tun Sir Raja Uda, Penang
1970-74 – Annual Shows, Government College of Arts and Crafts, Madras, India
1978 – Malaysian Art 1965-78, Commonwealth Institute, London, UK
1979 – Salon Malaysia, National Art Gallery, Kuala Lumpur
1982 – ASEAN Mobile Exhibition, Kuala Lumpur/ Singapore/ Jakarta/ Manila/Bangkok
1983 – 2nd Art Biennale, Bangladesh
1985 – 12 Malaysian Artist Exhibition, Taiwan
1988 – Contemporary painting of Malaysia, Pacific Asia Museum, Pasadena, California, USA
1989 – 1st ASEAN travelling exhibition of painting, Photography and Children Art, Kuala Lumpur/ Singapore/ Jakarta/ Manila/Bangkok
1990 – National Open Show, National Art Gallery, Kuala Lumpur
1990 – Malaysian painting in Cologne, Germany
1990 – First Asian Symposium on Aesthetics Workshop and Exhibition, Kuala Lumpur/ Singapore/ Jakarta/ Manila/Bangkok
1991 – Asian International Exhibition, National Art Gallery, Kuala Lumpur
1991 – Annual Open Show, National Art Gallery, Kuala Lumpur
1992 – Malaysian paintings in Brussels, Belgium
1993 – Malaysian Art 1993, Petronas Art Gallery, Kuala Lumpur
1994 – Islamic Art, Petronas Art Gallery, Kuala Lumpur
1994 – Time and Space -with Indian artists, Menara Maybank, Kuala Lumpur
1995 – Man and spirituality, National Art Gallery, Kuala Lumpur
1995 – International Islamic Exhibition, Jakarta, Indonesia
1998 – Malaysia Artist Group Show 1998, Cultural Foundation, Abu Dhabi, UAE
1998 – Rupa Malaysia, Brunei Gallery, University of London, England
1999 – Malaysian Contemporary Art Exhibition, National Museum of Art, Beijing, China
2001 – Open show, National Art Gallery, Kuala Lumpur
2003 – 45 @45, National Art Gallery, Kuala Lumpur
2004 – Contemporary Art of Malaysia at the turn of the 21st Century, Guangdong Museum of Art, China
2007 – Merdeka 50: A Celebration of Malaysian Art, Islamic Art Museum, Kuala Lumpur
2007 – Between Generations: 50 Years Across Modern Art in Malaysia, UM, Kuala Lumpur and USM, Penang
2010 – World Expo Shanghai, China
2012 – Olympic Games Art Exhibition, London
2013 – China Malaysia Friendship Exhibition, China
2014 – ReImagination Exhibition, Galeri Chandan, Kuala lumpur
SELECTED PUBLIC COLLECTIONS
National Art Gallery, Malaysia
Singapore Art Museum, Singapore
Olympic Museum, Beijing, China
Shell Malaysia
PETRONAS Gallery, Malaysia
Bank Negara Museum and Art Gallery, Malaysia
Avillion Port Dickson Resort, Malaysia
Yayasan Seni Berdaftar, Malaysia
CIMB Bank, Malaysia
ABOUT THE BAUHAUS GALLERY
The Bauhaus Gallery located in the suburbs of Kuala Lumpur was established with a sole purpose of promoting the art works of Malaysian contemporary artists. The Gallery aims to be a hub for art and culture, a meeting place of the creative minds, a thriving melting pot that pairs the old masterworks with the modern and cutting-edge contemporary art. The Bauhaus Gallery is also home to the largest permanent collection of art by the renowned Malaysian artist Syed Thajudeen. The artworks range from the miniature Kebaya series to mural sized masterpieces. The gallery also offers a collection of works by established Malaysian artists such as Nai Tong, Ismail Latiff, Eric Peris , Yusuf Ghani, and Stephen Menon. The gallery represents Shaydenim Salleh, Nik Hazri and many more. By holding a regular programme of exhibitions, screenings and talks, publishing catalogues and participating in international art fairs, the gallery engages the wider local and international community.
Media Contact
For more information, images or media enquiries contact Syed Fazal
info@thebauhausgallery.com
+60193817786
Springmood (Odissi)
Written by Kulsanofer
Syed Thajudeen is a master figurative artist who specialises in telling stories through his art. The subject matter of “Springmood” is the Odissi. Odissi is an ancient art of dance which originated from the state of Orissa, in eastern India more than 2000 years ago. The dance is a classical and devotional dance form, which requires the dancers to perform intense footwork in sync with elaborate hand gestures and fluid body movements.
Syed Thajudeen captures the essence of the Odissi , with the sensual lithe dancers, the graceful and expressive fingers and rhythmic footwork. The mastery of the strokes brings forth the fluid movement of the dancers as though they are in perennial dance. The dancers in the painting portray the beauty of the feminine form a reflection of ancient spiritual motifs of India’s great tantric temples.
The facial expressions, hand gestures and body movements are all used to portray an emotion or one of the nine rasas. The nine rasas are the essential aspects or energies that define love (shringara) , joy (hasya), wonder(adbhuta), courage (veera), peace (shanta), sadness (karuna), anger (raudra) , fear (bhayanaka) and disgust (vibhatsa). The torso movement is important and a unique feature of the Odissi dance. The torso moves while the lower half of the body is static. There are thirty six foot positions in Odissi called the Pada Bheda. The positions that are used in the painting are that of Meena Pucha Pada.
The vibrant colours in myriad hues of the painting reflect the cosmic energy and the spiritual elevation of the dancers. The Odissi is a devotional dance form which was initially performed in the temples by “devadasis” and “maharis” or temple girls who devoted their lives to God. The dancer attempts to create a relationship between the moving body and the soul in order to achieve moksha or liberation through dance.
Odissi is famous not only for its unique style but also its costumes. The artist has meticulously painted the intricate details of the mahkoot or the crown. The flower decorated back piece represents the lotus with a thousand petals that lies above the head chakra, or energy centre. The longer piece that emerges from the center of the back piece is called the tahiya, and this represents the flute of Lord Krishna. The silver bangles (kankana and bahuchudi), waist belts, anklets (paunji) and flowers (khosa phula) are part of the ensemble of the Odissi dancer which adds to the grandeur of the painting.
Syed Thajudeen’s rendition of the Odissi is based on the Gita Govinda which is a work composed by the 12th-century poet, Jayadeva. The love of Radha-Krishna is the integral part of the poem. In this painting Sri Krishna is depicted in the hasta mudra position of playing a flute, and is in dalliance with the Gopis (female cow herds) of Vrindavana, which intensifies further Radha’s pain in separation from the pastoral god.