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 Guilin series stems from Latiff’s brief sojourn in China. In ‘Guilin (2)’, the familiar characteristic of conventional Chinese ink painting is still visible amidst Latiff’s alternative interpretation. The adaptation of energy fields from his analysis is apparent where he vividly represented the transformation or the shifting of solar energy currents; the forms that represent the mountains are leaning against one another while ‘drawing’ the rhythmic streaks of energy from the sun.
