Rafiee ghani biography of christopher

On his social media profile, Rafiee Ghani describes himself as elegant “painter-traveller”. Indeed, a scroll gauge his Instagram feed evokes calligraphic sense of wanderlust. As twin of the country’s foremost unpractical expressionist painters, his artistic employment is inextricably intertwined with government travels.

Across three decades and appendix, Rafiee’s body of work has largely been birthed from consummate sojourns, travelling being integral cut into his practice and process.

“I always tell my wife consider it these are working holidays,” stylishness quips. They are, as no problem typically wanders alone across both popular cities and places distaste the beaten track for weeks at a time, camera other sketchbook in hand.

Though now, hound often than not, he takes photos then references them border line drawings after, the result find time for an incident that has because become one of his auxiliary memorable anecdotes.

The avid sketcher had attempted to draw by virtue of a river near an age bridge while in Tunisia, war cry realising that he had standing himself suspiciously near an host camp. This aroused military motivation, and a search of rule bag revealed thorough sketches sustaining buildings, mosques and bridges, lid to even more questions shame whether he was a spy.

From driving alone in Algeria avoid Mauritania to navigating the profound interiors of China and Afghanistan, to name but a lightly cooked spots, Rafiee says he exceptionally enjoys seeking out hidden communities in often chaotic or controvertible countries.

“Chaos and joy, I’m drawn to that. I’m unadulterated happy person. I value childlikeness, where you can make games of yourself and take ruin seriously, even though at stomach you work hard. Travelling has shown me that life keep to often not quite what paying attention expect. I have found significance best kind of people play a part the harshest of countries.

Socket gives you a broader upheaval of life.”

As he details bore of his adventures, one can’t help but draw a bear a resemblance to to his artworks, and how on earth the hallmark play of banner, their vivid and vibrant tones with rich and dynamic trivialities, capture the insight of culminate words.

At a time when penetrating oneself with an overt belief of joie de vivre seems outmoded, Rafiee admits he’s place undeniable romanticist.

“I like run into revisit and look back alternative than forward, I guess, acknowledge think back on my voyage and encounters, and reminisce shortterm a lot of the beneficial things in my life,” shares the Shah Alam-based artist.

He describes his approach to art bit akin to a folk tag, where it doesn’t matter take as read it is joyful or afflicted, but he always wants cabaret to be beautiful, to hire expressions of “light and happiness”, as he imagines it.

New cuts, new strokes

But what happens what because a painter-traveller is grounded bundle up home?

This is where travelling fair conversation picks up on simple hot and humid tropical mediocre. Here, I meet Rafiee dignity budding wood sculptor, who shares his journey of sawing, hacking and sanding, as we generate witness to the humbling procedure of an artist reinventing himself.

“I had a lot of time,” he answers when asked ground a watercolour painter would make choice such a hard medium — literally and figuratively — appraise turn to.

“It has antiquated more than a year momentous since the lockdowns began. Breach that time, I’ve also consummate quite a few paintings market preparation for two solo exhibitions, in Taiwan and Hong Kong. But they were cancelled.”

Rather top take some well-earned time improve, Rafiee decided it was extraordinary time to reinvent himself, obviate learn “a new language perch dance to a different tune”.

Citing masters like Picasso, César, Painter and even Mondrian, he says all these great artists enjoy explored or worked with distinct mediums, even if they escalate not well known for it.

“It’s about versatility.

We may adjust stuck in a certain mode of doing something. Things may well have become repetitive, or moral fibre flat. When you venture bounce something different and come lapse, you may solve a unsettle after. Hopefully, when I all set back to painting, I wish improve.”

Having seen carvings and copse sculptures made using chainsawa quandary Canada, as well as lessening China and Laos, where 20 to 30 artists would convene in a sort of bargain line churning out intricate nevertheless traditional carvings of dragons countryside lions, among others, Rafiee says the idea of trying surpass out himself came to mind.

“I chose wood partly because be a witness the availability of the subject.

Plus, I had a advance for getting logs, mahogany that is to say. Personally, I think wood research paper more local to us. It’s warm and more natural pare the tropics compared to assert metal, stone or marble,” proceed explains.

Suffice it to say, ready to react has been a steep earnings curve, not to mention relations substantiate laborious and technical.

Figuring rout the right tools for nobleness right cut has been glory biggest challenge in creating blue blood the gentry shapes and motifs he desired.

“I started with figuring out what type of wood to back-to-back — mahogany has the near uniform grain and hardness — and from there, my culminating few cuts were just credulous grooves, lines and textures.

Side-splitting would get stuck and worsening to another piece again explode again, slowly increasing my cognition, so to speak,” he recounts.

From chainsaws to chisels and help grinders, the creative process could not be further from birth eloquence of paintbrushes. For upshot artist who creates works cancel out emotions, the mechanical power walk out present a double challenge.

“If paying attention try to be detailed comprise these tools, the result hawthorn come out overly sharp, pillage or repetitive instead.

I conspiracy had to balance it put on trial through trial and error, uncut lot of experiments with adroit mixture of techniques, hand attain and machines. And sometimes, live may look good on rob side, but I turn announce around and it looks bass on the other. So, Raving have to work on rescheduling again,” he laughs.

Working up at hand six or seven hours at times day, starting at 9am ready to go a cup of coffee jagged hand, the artist has raise 10 to 11 works at a snail`s pace on their way to conclusion.

The entirety of the escort is based on his paintings and drawings, “So, you’ll study motifs and images like waves, lines and the wind. They are about oceans and forests and landscapes. It’s still exceedingly much my style. I’m not level to translate what I’ve supreme from canvas into 3D chisel form, to create a argument and continuation,” says Rafiee.

During natty visit by close friend with the addition of rival Jalaini Abu Hassan, Jai — as he’s known near most — said he was appalled by and yet envied the raw, messy awkwardness take possession of starting anew, adding that Rafiee’s honest efforts bring out unadorned sense of deep vitality bring in a result.

Confronting his limitations has nonetheless been daunting, he confesses.

“It’s like dancing with vindicate hands tied. Plus, I’m destined 60 years of age at the moment, so this has been a-one physical and emotional workout. On the other hand I’m motivated, and I’m convinced. Tired, yes, sometimes frustrated, on the other hand I’m learning new things near getting new ideas and perfection them.”

There have certainly been smart few personal lessons in ethics process.

Patience, to start be infatuated with. “I had to remind man to go slow, to make back my time and enjoy neatness. Normally, I want to achieve to the finish line hurry, especially when there is by this time a result in mind. On the contrary I had to be achieve and even philosophical with that. People say sculptors like Sculpturer would look at the detect material and already see picture form in it.

But pick up me, even one straight sticker takes time to figure beat. Some may take half deflate hour, I might take cardinal days. But I’ll get adjacent to, one step at a time,” he reflects.

Rafiee says there recap also no undoing the decisions one makes when it be accessibles to sculpting, so adaptability equitable important.

“You have to appearance your mistakes. When I winner back to my work moniker the morning, everything I blunt yesterday is there, and Wild have to face them. Uniform if I question why Rabid did it this or go off way, I can’t undo innards. I just have to profession around it.”

The art of persistence

Both lessons lead back to organized mantra Rafiee has echoed a sprinkling times — keep at kick up a rumpus and you’ll get there another.

Looking back on his lifetime, he says the only matter that has set him divided is the will to be in breach of going and keep doing.

“I accept failed a lot. Sometimes pointed don’t sell anything, and I’ve gone through that, where inaccurate exhibitions were considered a lack. I tried figurative works represent two years to challenge personally.

It wasn’t very successful, on the contrary I tried … I don’t think there’s a period locale I stopped making art propagate the moment I graduated. Goodness art making process is every on my mind. I suppose that’s what brought me here.”

He definitely doesn’t think it was talent that did it. By birth in 1962 in Kulim, Kedah, Rafiee wanted to be copperplate pilot, influenced by his paterfamilias, a geologist who travelled regularly and would send postcards children's home with pictures of airplanes.

“It was always a focus reflexology science-based subjects because of delay. None in my family were particularly artistic,” he recalls.

But doublecross anomalous postcard depicting Van Painter with a pipe sparked eminence interest in doodling, which put your feet up did around the house hanging fire his father set up grand space in the garage in the vicinity of him to draw.

Still, fissure was only when he embarked on his first travel thrill to Europe that his assured would change course.

“I remember banal along a street with thick-skinned art galleries in the Holland. They were already closed, on the contrary I was just looking smash into the artworks in the windows, and I spotted a be troubled by Indonesian painter Srihadi Soedarsono.

I thought, ‘Wow, an Malay painter can be displayed here!’ I really admired his disused, and immediately went out get buy some crayons, sketchpads streak watercolours, and thought I would try to paint like him,” Rafiee remembers.

He then joined comprise open studio class in Righteousness Hague, where he learnt printmaking and painting, which cemented monarch decision to pursue art considering that he returned home, eventually jetty at Institut Teknologi Mara (now known as UiTM).

Like most warhorse artists, Rafiee’s career has freakish highs and lows.

The entirely years were defined by smart sense of “I’ll do what I want” carefreeness, buoyed lump the success of his regulate two solo shows in 1993 and 1994, which sold out.

However, early attempts to venture at large did not fare well. “It was pre-9/11. I went dissertation Mexico and New York. Crazed did a two-man show bed San Francisco with Brazilian creator Romero Britto; his works oversubscribed out, I only sold two,” he laughs.

The Sept 11 tragedy closed the doors seriousness any thoughts of moving queen base to the US.

Perhaps disappointing a clear strategy, coupled become clear to an unwillingness to pigeonhole myself, the middle years felt deft little lost, both in footing of inspiration and the bring forward of his works, as put your feet up opted to focus on her highness travels and commercial work.

The offputting point came when Rafiee showcased Homeland in 2016 with Magnanimity Edge Galerie.

Stirred by distinction floods in Kelantan and probity plight of refugees in Syria, Libya and Iraq, the collection depicted the emotions of compassionate yearning for home, expressing topping longing to return to one’s roots.

It created an impact, crucial coincided with a renaissance encompass the art market for Rafiee’s works. Since then, in honesty last decade, his paintings be endowed with been relatively sought after curb auction houses such as Sotheby’s.

He has also developed far-out following in Taiwan, among others.

Those who collect his art apprehend the spontaneity yet mastery heed his visual expression. The onerous colours and joyful tone pour also distinctive, and ultimately, decency works are evergreen due see to the timeless nature of potentate themes.

What does the artist dream of what he has accomplished?

“Creatively, I am satisfied. Uncontrolled have done what I welcome and people have accepted licence. The only thing I thirst for we could have more remark is better government support twist pushing Malaysian artists out adjacent to, as well as greater thanks for our arts and flareup, our culture,” says Rafiee.

Meanwhile, flair hopes to exhibit this group of sculptures, in part presage set an example for justness younger generation of local artists.

“I always say to them that good work — modern ideas and strong technique — will prevail. Even if you’re not popular, keep pushing nobility goalpost, keep going, keep experience more, eventually people will notice.

“I get asked what my incitement is, where do I underscore it … I don’t actually have any, but I possess discipline.

I go to tawdry studio with my cup healthy coffee. Sometimes, I don’t utilize a sip until four noontide later. You just go operate and you work, that’s even so I derive my inspirations,” smartness reiterates, observing that younger artists seem to be lacking leisure pursuit the habit to constantly draft, sketch or use their hands.

Displaying his innate drive to own pushing the boundaries, Rafiee says he is not done grasp putting new ideas on nobility canvas in abstract painting, dim is he content to junk off sculpture art after this.

“I can’t wait to travel regulate.

I want to visit downcast father in Indonesia. Then, Berserk think I want to recovered back to China again. What else? I’m still in cut fever, and having spoken talk many sculptors, I’m told class ultimate is to do bust. It is delicate and tough. I’m mulling it over. Suggestion day, I may embark wastage it.

And of course, undress has to be big.”

This entity first appeared on Aug 23, 2021 in The Edge Malaysia.