Tyler Rollins Fine Art is pleased to present Bangsawan
Kebangsaan, a solo exhibition of new works by Jalaini Abu Hassan, taking
place from April 28 [UTF-8?]– June 11, 2011. Jai, as he is also known, is one
of [UTF-8?]Malaysia’s most highly respected contemporary artists. He returns
to New York this spring for his first US solo exhibition in over ten years,
comprising a new body of mixed media works on canvas and
paper.
Malaysia has a dynamic and diverse contemporary art scene, which is still
little known in the United States. [UTF-8?]Jai’s exhibition will give American
audiences a rare opportunity for an in-depth viewing of the work of one of
[UTF-8?]Malaysia’s leading contemporary artists. The exhibitions title
refers to a form of Malay popular opera (Bangsawan) and the notion of
the national (Kebangsaan) [UTF-8?]– something like a
[UTF-8?]“National [UTF-8?]Operetta.” During its heyday from the 1920s
through the [UTF-8?]‘60s, Bangsawan combined Malay and Western
styles, along with Indian and Chinese influences, and featured colorful, often
satiric stories and stock characters such as the prince, shaman, and beautiful
maiden. Jai remembers these performances as a main source of entertainment in
the Malay village where he grew up in the 1960s and [UTF-8?]‘70s. Like the
Bangsawan operas, [UTF-8?]Jai’s show puns on ideas of cultural
framing, political drama, and the artist on stage. In a sense, [UTF-8?]Jai’s
exhibition also constitutes a play about the [UTF-8?]artist’s own oeuvre, as
themes and characters from his earlier works reappear here, as if to be
introduced to New York audiences in a special
performance.
[UTF-8?]
Jai’s work is infused with references to traditional Malay life and
culture while being actively engaged in contemporary developments in
[UTF-8?]Malaysia’s rapidly changing society. His work is also informed by an
international perspective and cosmopolitan outlook, the product of extensive
graduate training abroad. Jai received an MA from the Slade School of Fine Art
in London and an MFA from the Pratt Institute in New
York. It was while living in New York City that he first began to paint with
bitumen, which has since become one of his principal media. Since his first solo
show in London in 1987, his work has appeared in almost sixty exhibitions in
Asia, Australia, Europe, and North America. He remains fascinated by the power
of iconic imagery, whether traditional or contemporary, and by the process of
making the art object [UTF-8?]– as he restlessly pushes the boundaries of
drawing and
painting.
The public is cordially invited to attend the opening reception
for the exhibition on Thursday, April 28, from 6 8:30 pm. The artist
will be in
attendance.
