Abdul Abdullah, Don't break my heart, 2018, oil on linen, 240 x 180 cm

Jagan Sakiti Hatiku – Don’t Break My Heart is the first solo exhibition of acclaimed Australian artist Abdul Abdullah with Yavuz Gallery. The exhibition debuts his new series of paintings developed over the past several months in Jogjakarta and Sydney. Showcasing his deft control of the brush, these large-scale works continue the artist’s examination of contemporary landscapes. Depicting ominous bulbous explosions overlaid with figures rendered in cartoon familiarity, they consider humanity’s complicity in our shared future.

As an ‘outsider amongst outsiders’, Abdul’s practice is motivated by a longstanding concern on the misconceptions and misunderstandings of minority groups in a multicultural society. Providing a voice to these rarely told topics, he creates carefully crafted political commentaries that speak of the ‘other’ and the experiences of marginalised communities. Rather than emphasising difference, Abdul creates works that highlight similarities, presenting images that intersect between popular culture, contemporary conflicts and personal experience. Themes of decolonialisation, political warfare, and media coverage of radicalisation are interwoven throughout, challenging his audiences about their own preconceptions of contemporary society to encourage open dialogue.

In his latest series of work, Abdul refers to a broader history of Cold War politics and culture with a distinct and incisive perspective. Flat, cartoon-like figures illustrating an ambiguity, irreverence and comedy react to painterly depictions of actual explosions located through the artist’s research on missile tests. The tragedy contrasted against the levity of the figures captures a nuanced and unsettling examination of a fraught and turbulent point in history. Embedded in the title of each work are references to 1960s love songs, adding yet another facet to the complexities surrounding the impact of that era as many remain popular today. Jagan Sakiti Hatiku – Don’t Break My Heart brings to the forefront the embodiment of complex political dynamics within contemporary collective memory, to consider the extensive legacies and trauma surrounding them.

Opening: 21 September, 7 – 9pm

Artist Talk: 22 September, 3pm
Abdul Abdullah in conversation with Kamiliah Bahdar and Zulfadhli Hilmi

Venue: Yavuz Gallery, 9 Lock Road, #02-23, Singapore 108937

Opening Hours: Tue – Sat: 11am – 7pm, Sun: 1pm – 5pm | Mon & public holidays: by appointment only

When: 21 Sep - 14 Oct 2018,

By: Ames Yavuz