- 319
Ibrahim Hussein
Description
- Ibrahim Hussein
- Untitled - Kama Sutra Series
- signed and dated 1979
- oil on canvas
Provenance
Private Collection, Singapore
Condition
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.
Catalogue Note
Born in rural Malaysia, Hussein started life in dire circumstances and at a physical disadvantage from being blind in his right eye. In spite of this, he showed great talent and determination, finding a British colonial administration to sponsor his education in the arts. He studied at the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts in Singapore before moving to London in 1959 to join the Byam Shaw School of Art, where he received an Award of Merit Scholarship. Subsequently, he returned to Malaysia to become a resident artist at the University of Malaya. Known for his fine, sinuous line work, Hussein creates in a singular, atypical style of abstraction, reflecting the environment around him.
Untitled is a square composition hailing from his Kama Sutra series, featuring a bird’s eye view of a multitude of bodies entangles with one another. The use of only a few colors keeps the work visually simple and enhances its appearance as a print. Balanced and muted, Hussein cleverly hides the sexual nature of the work in plain sight; he encourages viewers to either appreciate the artwork from afar purely as a visual, or to observe it from closer up to fully grasp its content. Hussein also uses negative space effectively to define the human forms, adding differences in tonality to create dynamism and depth within the chaotic scene.
In the present lot, Hussein demonstrates his trademark stylization, where each point is a beginning with no ending, producing a regenerative effect. The bodies tessellate and overlap continuously across the canvas, making it difficult to distinguish one from the other. By portraying people in the midst of such an act of intimacy, Hussein reduces them to their most basic selves, stripped of wealth, status and pretenses. With these artistic choices, he makes a statement about notions of sex and sexuality; he depicts sexuality as a fluid, perhaps even unimportant construct as it is impossible to make out the acts between individuals, and sex as a universal necessity, indulgence and unifier across humanity.
Despite the fact that Hussein is a household name artist in Malaysia, his works are extremely rare and hard to find. In addition to its visual coherence and complexity of subject matter, Untitled strikes a delicate balance between superficial accessibility and intriguing depth. The composition as visual art is balanced, dynamic and rhythmic, while it further engages the viewer as a thought piece, provoking discourse on concepts of sex and sexuality in a tasteful way. Untitled is a fine example of Hussein’s sensitive approach to heavy matters and the artistic skill deserving of his recognition.