Gajah Gallery presents Power – Now and There, a solo exhibition by renowned Malaysian artist, Sabri Idrus. Based in Selangor, Malaysia; the artist’s work has become a key feature in the contemporary art scene at home and abroad, being collected and exhibited across Asia, Europe and the United States.
Known for his experimental approach in combining painting, graphic design and industrial materials, Sabri’s practice places a strong focus on the artistic process. His works are known to revolve around working with surface and the spatial stacking of various patterns, materials and forms, creating sensual textures through a meticulous process of layering.
Sabri returns to Gajah with a new series focusing on the concept of ‘power’. Twelve new works (the largest spanning four metres in length) engage with the theme of freedom and the power of choice. Sabri explores the strength and limits of the artist, drawing attention to the decision-making process – when does one decide that a painting is complete? In this fashion, these works are left as is: unsmoothed, raw, textured.
Here, the power of choice not only sits with the artist, but also the audience – Sabri hands the viewer the ability to give the works meaning. The spectator is a part of the creative process, instantly conjuring up their own personal interpretations given broad-reaching titles such as ‘Dawn’ and ‘Birth’. Sabri’s abstract representations stand out as a striking difference to what we commonly associate with such scenes, building upon images upon images of natural phenomena – a picture mapped out layer by layer.
This series marks Sabri’s latest step in his journey of self-improvement. With these works, he looks at humanity’s place in the present (‘now) and the future (‘there’): one of constant evolution and limitless possibilities.
With a portfolio encompassing painting, installation, sculpture, publication, multimedia and video production, Sabri has been featured in numerous solo and group exhibitions across Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Poland, Germany, the United Kingdom and the United States.
