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TrioSs Exhibition: Rosli Zakaria

 

Image courtesy of Yayasan Warisan Johor (YWJ)

The current TrioSs Exhibition has gotten the best out of Rosli Zakaria as an artist and art educator profoundly recognized around the context of Malaysian visual art scene.

TrioSs is an interesting visual art exhibition organized primarily by the Johor Heritage Foundation (Yayasan Warisan Johor) in 8th April 2021, taking part at the Johor Art Gallery (JAG), Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia. Enlighten by the theme 'Berpesan-pesan' (advices), the exhibition highlighted celebrated Johorean visual artist coming from three (3) generations such as Sanip Lasman, Rosli Zakaria, and Fakhrul Zaman.

Born in Kluang, Johor, Rosli Zakaria has been embarking his professional art journey since the late 80's, more than 30 years since, dwelling between the will-to-form art and the significant shifts taking part in the Malaysian art scene climate, especially one we confront now, such as covid19. Apparently, Rosli Zakaria's curious ideas and thoughts upon how he confronts his reality as an artist and academician, are uniquely impressed on the compositions of his artworks executed by such passion and perseverance, served to be experience by the public within this interesting TrioSs exhibition.

'Coronavirus Series (2020)' - Rosli Zakaria (Image courtesy of MStar: https://www.mstar.com.my/xpose/i-suke/2020/06/15/cabaran-mampu-cetuskan-kreativiti-pensyarah-uitm-hasilkan-koleksi-ukiran-tema-covid-19-niat-nak-bantu-pelajar-terjejas)

Rosli Zakaria's unique legacy as a professional Malaysian sculptor has reserved himself as an inspirational figure towards young art generations, specifically sculptors who seek his interesting distinctive art style. He explores with his subject and content, where it would be fair to say most of his artworks appear as representational as well as semi-abstracted, as if they were dancing out of the canvas establishing connection with their respective 3 Dimensional nature, framed by time and space. The artworks Rosli Zakaria serves us, is reasonably consumed as a sense of response and reaction from the artist towards a situation in a specific time and space, as for example the 'Coronavirus (2020)' series, with its representational form as well as semi-abstracted dislocated parts juggling between conscience and common sense of the viewers reality. 

The art Rosli Zakaria produces speaks to its viewers within the loud voices of its material, where most of the materials are mundane objects which were framed, and addressed by the artist as a reality of itself presented towards viewers. Such technique is identical towards the analytic and synthetic cubism gesture upon how Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque confront their reality, within their respective Avant-Garde heydays of fairly between 1908-1914. Thus, Rosli Zakaria is seen as not only communicating his ideas, thoughts, and feelings through the distinctive forms of his artworks, however propagating as well as spearheading a path of his unique artistic style to be studied and explored by his contemporaries and young art generations. 

The compass of Rosli Zakaria's artistic journey is directed towards the community. It would be reasonable to justify according to his presented artworks, which he is a man who beliefs by giving back towards the community, the gap between art and local communities could be filled up upon such vibrant as well as inclusive creative experience, shared together as a whole process, regardless of art exclusivity. This is apparently pictured within his artwork projects of 'Lendu International Art Camp (LIAC2014)' - Kenduri Seni Kampung, where such art project positions the local community as the stakeholder upon creating a better creative community through inclusive artistic camps of sharing and practice at real scene-locations. 

Rosli Zakaria's name is famously keen towards 'BORAK ARCA', a Malaysian sculptor channel inspired and championed by himself, through collaboration with the Malaysian National Visual Art Gallery (NVAG) and other foundations as well as local art communities. Addressing himself as the the man of the show interrogating celebrated local sculptors, whereby at the same time functioning as a platform which bounds the Malaysian Sculptor community from every age and background together under one compelling art project as 'BORAK ARCA' (Sculptor Talk). Hence, Rosli Zakaria's art direction within producing such significant art projects is viewed as a local movement which gathers momentum, and spark initiatives from the art community upon channeling their creativity, by giving back towards respective local communities, embracing a positive reciprocal spirit within our abundant Malaysian art scene.

The value Rosli Zakaria brings towards the Malaysian local art and academic scene, is seen as a benevolent gesture not only for the state of Johor, but altogether towards the nation. Positioned as one of the Malaysian Sculptors acknowledged with a doctoral philosophy (PhD) in 'Art and Event Management; Public Sculpture', Rosli Zakaria engages himself occasionally towards writing and producing significant articles and journals towards the sustenance of Malaysian public art scene, as well as collaborating locally and internationally as representative panels in giving art talks and sharing experiences as a professional artist and academician. 

Despite Rosli Zakaria's artworks being listed as permanent art collections of the National Visual Art Gallery (NVAG) and other private collectors, this passionate sculptor continues to represent Malaysia on several significant sculpture symposium internationally, in Southeast Asia, such as the 3rd International Sculpture Symposium (Vietnam, 2004), 8th Changgung International Sculpture Symposium (China, 2006), 1st International Public Art Symposium, Bhubansewar Odisa (India, 2018), and many more. In consequences, Rosli Zakaria has been a successful gemstone carved and valued through his passionate efforts and perseverance towards establishing his sculptural talent making Johoreans as well as Malaysians art enthusiast proud.

In a nutshell, Rosli Zakaria's contributions in both local and international art scene has brought himself as a Malaysian sculptural figure who inspires through his unique distinctive styles in producing artworks, his art directions upon engaging local art project with communities through public art, as well as his established legacy as an artist and academician through demonstrating a 30 years of truthful gesture towards one's belief and practice, significantly as represented upon his sculptural artworks. This TrioSs exhibition defines the multifaceted version of Rosli Zakaria, as a representational gemstone sculptured by our Malaysian art scene, upon its unique vibrant culture, to be experienced by everyone.


'Keep on Charging!'

MUSADDIQ MOHAMAD KHALIL
Department  of Liberal Studies
UiTM Alor Gajah
PACAQ- UITM RIG 2021



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