Faizal Yunus
Winner of the 2019 Malaysian Emerging Artists Award
By Ho See Wah
Faizal Yunus, ‘Pristine’, 2018, oil enamel and lacquer on canvas, 152 x 137cm. Image courtesy of the artist.
Born in 1989 in Pahang and currently based in Kuala Lumpur, Faizal Yunus works in printmaking, painting and installation. The artist places a large emphasis on finding inspiration from his environs, and translates the perspectives and imageries gathered from his observations into vibrant and dynamic works. Yunus graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Mara University of Technology in 2012, with a major in printmaking, and has been exhibiting regularly since. He is also the 2019 winner of the Malaysian Emerging Artists Award.
Faizal Yunus, ‘Vortex’, 2018, exhibition installation view. Image courtesy of Richard Koh Fine Art.
In his latest solo exhibition, ‘Vortex’ at Richard Koh Fine Art in 2018, Yunus reflects upon his anxiety towards water pollution. The Pacific trash vortex, also known as the Great Pacific garbage patch, acts as the main protagonist in this exhibition. An evocative aspect of the presentation is the series of circular three-dimensional canvases laid flat at varying heights, mimicking the contours of the garbage patch from multiple vantage points. This is accentuated through the materiality of the works, where objects like construction nets and Polyurethane foam feature throughout. The precarity of the issue is further impressed upon the viewers through Yunus’ use of colours, where artificial neons and metallic rusts come together to conjure up notions of toxicity and deterioration. Bordering between the figurative and the abstract, the artist renders visible a haunting reality that is unravelling on a monumental scale.
Faizal Yunus, ‘Vortex’, 2018, exhibition installation view. Image courtesy of Richard Koh Fine Art.
Click here to read our conversation with Faizal Yunus, where he talks about getting a foothold in the art scene, how everyday lives are a source of inspiration, and how working at Richard Koh Fine Art broadened his perspective on his own practice.
