작품 상세

The kukuran (coconut grater), a traditional kitchen instrument made of wood is placed prominently in the centre of the composition, among other still life objects. Uniquely shaped like an animal, the body of the kukuran has intricate carvings of vegetal motifs. Kukuran is a utensil used to scrape and grate the flesh of coconut. Here, intricate still life elements are unified through colour ranges of blue, orange, yellow, and brown shades, forming an intriguing composition. Engaging with the still life genre, Jai challenges traditional conventions, playfully weaving together motifs from everyday life and personal memories in bold hues with an interplay of shadows. Jai has a double Masters in Painting from the Slade School of Fine Art, London (1988) and the Pratt Institute, New York (1994) after his BFA at the Mara ITM in 1985. His first solos were abroad, Malaysia Hall in London (1987), and for drawing, New Gallery in New York (1994), before his home solo at ITM in 1996. Although it was his Lifeform solo at Taksu Kuala Lumpur in 1996 that saw a "repackaged" Jai, he was already making waves when he won the Major Award in the Young Contemporary Artist (BMS) competition in 1985 and followed this up with the Gold Award in the Hong Kong and Shanghai Bank art competition in 1991. His other accolades include the 1st Prize in the Murray Hill drawing competition in New York in 1994 and the Rado Switzerland commission in 2005. Jai was awarded the coveted Anugerah Akademik Negara (National Academic Award) for the visual arts category in 2019.