Latiff Mohidin, born in Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia in 1941 completed his primary education in Singapore. While in Singapore, at an early age, Latiff’s precocity in understanding paintings earned him the nickname, ‘Wonder Boy’. From 1960-1964, Latiff studied art at Hochschule fur Bildende Kunste in Berlin, Germany and did brief residencies in Paris and New York. Inspired by his exploration of Southeast Asia in 1964, Latiff has since produced compelling series of artworks – the result of a synthesis between his European experience and the rediscovery of his homeland. He is also a poet who has published several volumes of poetry. The Gelombang series is deemed to represent the synthesis between the mystical dance of the Mindscape series and the phenomenal iconic growth of Pago-Pago. ‘Senja/Twilight (Gelombang Series)’ can be seen as Latiff’s reversal of a quintessential landscape view of the sunset: where representations of the sky, sea and horizon collide and scramble against one another; the broad brushstrokes of blue hues clash headlong against the white streaks, while fully supressing the earthy hues. This image of great textural depth is a recovery of Latiff’s expressive earlier works as well as, significantly, to break away from his carefully formulated Mindscape series.
