Ahmed Zakii Anwar

Born 1955 in Malaysia, Ahmed Zakil Anwar’s proficient rendition in photo-realistic works is prominently intriguing and develops expansive denotations. He has trained from the School of Art and Design, MARA Institute of Technology, Malaysia. One of the well known Malaysian artists in the Southeast Asian art scene, Zakil has exhibited at international and national venues like Singapore, Jakarta, Bangkok, Manila, Kuala Lumpur, New York, London, Paris, Los Angeles, Seoul, Shanghai, and Hong Kong, and more.

Zakil's paintings have been recognised for their charcoal male nudes and photorealistic fruit compositions. A sheer silence reverberates his works, which apparently appears to be derived from his study of Sufi Mysticism and Platonic simulacrums. A peeled banana topped with another, a romantic depiction of an apple and banana, okra, carrots, among other fruits in similar analogical renderings highlight erotic sentiments and an implicit representation of movements within the psyche. The persistent style of Zakil's works is seminal in grasping his metaphorical language in multifarious pictorial allegories.

More importantly, such a photo-realism approach traces his preoccupation with graphic design during the onset of his art career. Holding a beautiful cinematic quality, the charcoal portraits of animals are precisely detailed and display an eerie static demeanour. Projecting his interest in finesse and pragmatism, the portraits create a dramatic aura as if the canvas will suddenly regrow to embody the full figures.

Reputed and well-known among the art community, his artworks have been acquired by many institutional collections, which include the National Art Gallery Kuala Lumpur, Bank Negara Malaysia, Khazanah Nasional Berhad, Singapore Art Museum, National University of Singapore Museum and Long Museum Shanghai, among others. At the same time, Zakil has been regularly involved in socio-cultural activist programs.

Ahmad Zakii Anwar lives and works in Johor Bahru, Malaysia.