About the Artist
Zul Albani, born in Selangor, Malaysia (1965). Is a self-taught artist. He is a member of the APS - Angkatan Pelukis SeMalaysia. He currently lives and work in the Kajang, Selangor, Malaysia.
Contact me at: hp: 012-9183 345
email: [email protected]
Art Statement:
SANDIWARA (CIRCUS)
Zul Albani is a self-taught artist who focuses on social-political and cultural issues.
After graduating from high school, he moved to Kuala Lumpur and worked as a graphic designer while studying art on weekends. Art became a tool for him to express his personal feelings and opinions.
Zul’s paintings are a very literal reflection of life, whether good or bad. He regards his works as expressions of the transposition of cultural values. He feels that our core values are being overpowered by greed and desires that can only be satisfied with monetary wealth so that now life looks like it has become a circus.
The reason he has placed his subjects in a circus setting is because culturally we rarely portray our opinions openly, but rather behind a facade. Consumerism has become such an empowering force in our everyday lives. Additionally “Branding” has become an integral part of our world.
In Zul’s painting, text takes on a contextual meaning as it is meant to interact with the images. While it could be said that such expressionism may not be totally new, in today’s world there is no copyright and with such regard, he adds text into his art to reach broader audiences. He shows and at the same time hides things in the text, in the shadows and especially in the meanings behind his works.
Zul Albani's series of paintings addresses the social-economic dilemmas that ordinary Malaysians are encountering in the name of Nation Building.
