Dato' Sharifah Fatimah Zubir, one of Malaysia's foremost female artist, presents her "Garden of the Heart" series . The new works move away from her bright, joyful and expressive series. In the "Garden of the Heart", Sharifah Fatimah concentrates more on geometrical images and colours which evoke feelings of calmness, enlightenment and spirituality.
Ten years since her last solo show with NN Gallery, Dato'Sharifah Fatimah Syed Zubir returns with a dynamic new body of work that is reflective of the artist’s recent experiences which marks an evident change in style and a significant development in her artistic expression.
Synonymous with a vibrant sense of colour, design and form alluding to geographical stratas and the land, Dato' Sharifah Fatimah is usually associated with a distinct abstract style which uses an expressive rendering of multi layering of colours depicting organic planes juxtaposed by fluid kaleidoscopic strokes. This style, however, has since evolved into works that gently ease into one’s spiritual consciousness.
During her many travels around the globe, she begins to retrace her ancestry and finds comfort and peace in her heritage. Her journey has led her to re-look and examine her roots in a personal and unique sensibility. Her art now mirrors her contemplative approach, taking shape in colourful rhombic patterns bathed in magnificent gold leaf.
Using a collage of materials she loves - such as tekat and telopok, exquisite Indian brocade and Malay songket - Dato' Sharifah Fatimah gently applies them in an intricate tapestry of the past, present and future. Shapes that are common in textile design reappear in her work to symbolise the connection as well as the separation between cultures and civilisation known to her. The use of these material are Dato' Sharifah Fatimah’s tribute to past artisans – including members of her own family - who were skilled and accomplished designer of ‘tekat’ and ‘telopok’ embroidery.
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These highly textural works are reminiscent of her past modeling paste work which allude to the formation of land through a deep dissemination of organic forms found in nature. This latest body of works possess a quiet and meditative quality that encompasses a profound look at her journey in life as well as the experiences and people who have directly or indirectly influenced her.
Dato' Sharifah Fatimah Zubir has long been a champion and ambassador of Malaysian Art, taking group shows of fellow Malaysian artists abroad, participating in International Biennales and Invitational Art Competitions. A recipient of the Major Award at the Salon Malaysia in 1979, she has since continued her success by winning the International Painting Prize at the Second Bienniale of Contemporary Painting of the Islamic World held at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Tehran in 2002.
With an impressive collection in museums around the world, Dato'Sharifah Fatimah Syed Zubir is well deserved of the Datuk Setia DiRaja Kedah (DSDK), which carries the title Datuk, which was awarded in conjunction with the 79th birthday celebration of the Sultan of Kedah in January 2007. She is the first Malaysian woman artist to receive this honour and as one of Malaysia’s exciting and relevant artist today, we are pleased to bringforth her latest offerings in Garden of the Hearts.
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