Artist shares his childhood memories through quirky, surreal images

Soccer time: Yusof with his painting titled ‘Malaysia vs Singapore’.

With gigantic, whimsical objects painted alongside Lilliputian figures, artist Yusof Majid’s artworks will take the audience on a trip back to their childhood dreams.

Themed the Peninsular Series, his artworks were inspired by specific places in peninsular Malaysia that had left him with fond memories. These beautiful landscapes were later transformed into a fantastical tale, to which he added a dose of youthful and naive elements.

“Some of the landscapes are locations I have shared and experienced with my loved ones. “But I wanted to add a little innocence and happiness in the art, so I painted some objects relatively large compared to the landscapes to portray a surreal setting, one that can only be seen in a dream.

“Hopefully it will make the audience reminisce about their childhood memories, where certain characters are larger than life,” he said.

Yusof recently launched his ninth solo exhibition at Pace Gallery, Petaling Jaya. Former Malaysian High Commissioner to Singapore and art collector Datuk N. Parameswaran was also present at the event.

Nocturnal scene: ‘Raub Honey Tree’ depicts a breathtaking scene that Yusof experienced in Raub.

In one depiction of Fraser’s Hill, Yusof painted a giant jackfruit sticking out like a sore thumb. Another piece of artwork shows a chilli ferrying a group of holiday makers in Terengganu. These quirky elements injected in the art have created magical and playful images from Yusof’s imagination.

Yusof also shared that one of the paintings was painted based on his childhood memories in Penang

“In ‘Penang Food For Thought’, I transformed the state’s ferries into floating saucepans, wok and pots to highlight the food culture of the island. “The Penang bridge is vaguely painted at the top right corner of the piece as I wanted to emphasise the unique food culture that Penang is famous for,” he said.

As for “Raub Honey Tree”, he said it was inspired by an amazing sight he witnessed during a vacation in Raub with his wife. “The tree is one of the largest trees that I have seen in South-East Asia. “I was taken aback by the glorious sight that night and decided to document it,” he said.

While most of his 17 paintings featured landscapes, Yusof said that his paintings were open to interpretation.

“I have painted the opening of a new chapter and it is up to the viewers to finish the story however their imagination allow. “I hope that my paintings will remind viewers of their innocent childhood and cherish their memories,” he said.

Located at 64, Jalan Kemajuan, Pace Gallery is open daily from 11am to 7pm except on Sundays, which is by appointment only. The show ends on April 20. For details, call 03-7954 6069.

-thestar online.