Tajalli Abdullah @ DiKaki Gunung Raya, Langkawi Island, Malaysia
"Painting from nature is not copying the object; it is realizing one’s sensations. Treat nature in terms of the cylinder, the sphere, the cone, everything in a proper perspective."
Nature has always been a great source of inspiration to Tajalli Abdullah with the fascination of rhythms created by a variety of natural forms.
To emphasize all these rhythms, he usually place all his motifs into carefully defined cut – out compositions in which they vary from image to pattern or offer close look to inner spaces. He is very much interested in ornament as a way to visualize and expressing his ideas which he explore the further relationship between realistic and abstract concepts and between image and pattern.
40 years on since the days of Dungun, Carara Italy, Illinois and Shah Alam to the present Langkawi, we bear witness to the humbling process of an artist reinventing himself. In 2011 he started working on his studio ‘DiKaki’ Gunung Raya in the island of Langkawi, Malaysia and decided to turn into a new medium of expression.
Piles of logs bear witness to his ambition and waiting to be explored in the name of artistic versatility.
It won’t be an easy learning process, that’s for sure! It’s physically demanding and to figure out the right tool for the right cut is another challenge.
Surrounded by nature and forest, it was through his contact with the locals that trees were to play a key role in the latest work of Tajalli Abdullah. Visible bark and smell of sap: he transforms humble trees into art works that awaken the senses. Simplification and purity are at the heart of his work, whilst also presenting an intersection between human and nature.
He preferred to carve directly in order to have a true connection with his work. The nourishing environment has no doubt inspired his sculptural work. It all started with an idea, and then comes the log, chainsaws and chisels.
