Yusof Gajah
yusof gajah
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the artist who love to paint elephant
Male
56 years old
greenwood, asia
Malaysia
Last Login: 12/10/2009
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Yusof Gajah's Details
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| Status: | Married | | Here for: | Networking | | Ethnicity: | Asian | | Religion: | Muslim | | Zodiac Sign: | Sagittarius | | Children: | Proud parent | | Education: | Grad / professional school | | Occupation: | Painter , illustrator , teacher , gallery owner |
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YUSOF ‘GAJAH’ @ ALIYAA
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A long-drawn jumbo affair ...
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Wherefore Art Thou
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About me:
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Naive art fits nicely with Malaysia's grace by Lucien de Guise
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For the next 10 days, there will be a more playful ambience, as "naive art" is in residence.
This is not a genre that has taken Malaysia by storm so far. The local art market wants to look grown-up, and naive doesn't seem to fit that bill. Some of naive art's siblings do, however. These include "marginal art", "outsider art" and "art brut".
The last can be the coolest thing on the Manhattan auctioneer's block when it was created by a dead ex-graffiti artist like Jean-Michel Basquiat. Madonna's ex-boyfriend may have wandered the streets of New York in bare feet before he died at 27, but his paintings fetch tens of millions of ringgit.
"Naive" artists tend to have decent shoes but less street credibility. The kampung is their home. When they are accepted by the public, the art community usually dismisses them as kitsch. It's a good thing they have their freshness and goodwill to fall back on. They can expect fair treatment in some countries more than others.
In France, there are many museums dedicated to their work. In most parts of Asia, their time has yet to come.
China is one of the exceptions. Not only is naive art a widely admired medium in itself, it also extends into the mainstream. This isn't just tourists returning with armfuls of Jinshan folk art. Many of China's greatest 20th century artists could be slipped straight into the "naive" pigeonhole. Pioneers like Ding Yangyong and Cui Zifan revel in the childlike, producing works of charm and occasional profundity.
Naive art does well in places where collectors have confidence in their own taste. That means France, Japan, traditional China and, to some extent, the United States. Elsewhere, there is usually anxiety.
Which brings us to Malaysia. There is art aplenty, but is there confidence? Is it uncool to be naive when the good fight is being waged for sophistication? Wawasan 2020 never mentioned seeing the world through the forgiving eyes of innocence. The vision was meant to turn Malaysians into street fighters in the global hood. I don't think art was mentioned, and naive art would surely be for softies.
It's a shame naive art doesn't receive more admiration in Malaysia. This is in many ways its natural habitat. It is colourful and gentle and non-confrontational. Malaysia is not about angst, and why should it be? This is a country blessed by God. It's not Aceh, Myanmar or Sichuan. Malaysian communities may bicker over dividing the economic and political cake, but at least there is a cake to be divided.
No matter how hard local artists try to get some righteous anger in their hearts, they could still be depended on to do the respectful hand-kissing routine for a Hari Raya muhibah advertisement. Politics in Malaysia is also surprisingly gentlemanly. When one party dislikes another, it hurls nothing more incendiary than an insult. Even the parliamentary insults are harmless; nothing about mothers or sisters.
If France had been playing Malaysia instead of Italy in the World Cup final, Zinedine Zidane would have played the full game. And France would have won.
"Malaysian Naive Art Showcase 08" shows just how appropriate the genre is to here. Malaysia may not be ready for it yet, but those naive painters keep painting away. The prime mover is the man who acquired a name to match his large but friendly works.
Yusof "Gajah" is not alone in his herd. In addition to more like-minded artists than most collectors would imagine, there are two young gajah involved. Yusof's son and daughter are keeping up the tradition although they have diversified from elephants into cats and dinosaurs.
Yusof Gajah is keen to get a museum going. "If there is no museum, then there is nowhere to see the works," he says in distress.
He would probably like people to buy the works as well, but the first priority is visitors. He ought to have a head start with naive art. It's a genre that can cut across all boundaries. It's not just for the 30- to 50-year-old professionals who are propping up the rest of the art scene.
I spotted some old folk at the show, and my comparatively young children put in a full uncomplaining 30 minutes. This is a personal best for them.
The time for naive art should be arriving soon, now that conceptual has reached the limits of desperate inventiveness. If art has to have a message (and Samuel Goldwyn of MGM believed "messages should only be sent by Western Union"), then it doesn't have to be a big angry message in the bad-boy tradition.
Yusof Gajah and his circle make oblique references to mankind's place in the natural world, for example. Like so much naive art, it is handled with charm and humour - that rarest of all intrusions in art.
Good-natured attitude does not always come cheap, though. Few of the paintings at this exhibition are below RM1,000 and some are very much higher.
This is not unreasonable for works with a certain professionalism and a lot of imagination. Despite appearances, they are not easy to paint. Like Malaysian politics, there is a fragile balance to be maintained.
Younger readers who want to give it a try should join Yusof Gajah at a workshop he is holding on Saturday at the Islamic Arts Museum Malaysia.
The writer is curator of the Islamic Arts Museum in Kuala Lumpur.
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| Born |
10 feburary 1954 - Johol , Negeri Sembilan , Malaysia |
| Education |
| 1972 - 1974 |
Sekolah Seni Rupa Indonesia , Jogjakarta , Indonesia |
| 1975 |
Akademi Seni Rupa Indonesia , Jogjakarta , Indonesia . |
| Address |
24 Jalan Berjaya 5 , Taman berjaya , batu caves 68100
Selangor , Malaysia |
| Contact |
013 3310954 , 03 21642100 Tel & Fax )
E mail : yusofgaja@yahoo.com , yusofgajah@hotmail.com
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| GALLERY |
GAJAH GAJAH GALLERY
Letter box No 135 Lot S163A
City Square Centre , Jalan Tun Razak 50400
KUALA LUMPUR MALAYSIA
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| GALLERY |
GAJAH GAJAH GALLERY
Lot 1.07 Ground floor
CENTRAL MARKET ANNEXE
JALAN HANG KASTURI
50050 KUALA LUMPUR MALAYSIA
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SelectedArt Exhibition
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| 1972 – 1975 |
Group exhibition in Jakarta , Kediri , Jogjakarta , Madura , Surabaya , Bandung Krawang ( INDONESIA ) |
| 1980 |
Anak Alam Art Gallery , Kuala Lumpur
- Anak Alam Group Exhibition , Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka , Kuala Lumpur
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Contemporary Asian Art Show , Fukuoka Art Museum , Fukuoka , Japan |
| 1981 |
Young Contemporaries , National Art Gallery , Kuala Lumpur , Malaysia |
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Solo Exhibition GAJA GAJA , Gallery Six , Kuala Lumpur , Malaysia |
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International Art Exhibition , The Press, information and cultural Crop of Australia (PICCA) and Arts council of Australia . |
| 1982 |
Group exhibition , Yayasan Sabah , Kota Kinabalu , Sabah |
| 1983 |
First Okhstok International Children’s Picture Book festival , Japan
- 4th exhibition of world picture book , Yokohama and Fujinomiya , Japan
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| 1983 -1989 |
Pameran Terbuka , National Art Gallery , Kuala Lumpur , Malaysia |
| 1984 |
Sabah Art Gallery , Kota Kinabalu , Sabah |
| 1985 |
Two man show , Sabah Art Gallery , Kota Kinabalu , Sabah |
| 1986 |
NOMA concours for children picture’s book illustration , Tokyo , Japan |
| 1987 |
Biennale of illustration , Bratislava , Czechoslovakia |
| 1989 |
Joint exhibition of Biennale of illustration , Tokyo , Japan
- BIB 89 , Bratislava , Czechoslovakia
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| 1993 |
BIB 93 award winning works , NOMA concour , Tokyo , Japan |
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Solo Exhibition “ Naive Painting “ Art Case galleries , Kuala Lumpur |
| 1994 |
First Contemporary Malaysian watercolourist Association Exhibition , Balai Seni Maybank Kuala Lumpur |
| 1995 |
Pameran Karya Cat Air Terbuka , Sabah , Kota Kinabalu , Sabah |
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Contemporary Malaysian Watercolour Association Exhibition , Nanyang Art Gallery , Kuala Lumpur |
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Jawi Stroke , Bukit Jawi Golf Resort , Penang , Malaysia |
| 1996 |
Pursuing a dream – from the collection of Rahimie Harun ,
Galeri PETRONAS Kuala Lumpur
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Art from Sabah , Galeri PETRONAS , Kuala Lumpur |
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11th International Watercolour Exhibition of Asia , Galeri PETRONAS ,
Kuala Lumpur
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| 1997 |
Solo Exhibition “the gajah series “ Kai Boon Art Gallery , Kuala Lumpur
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APS art exhibition , Galeri Petronas , Kuala Lumpur
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BIB 97 ( Biennale of illustration) Bratislava , Slovak
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Solo Exhibition ‘ Decorative Naive ‘ Mon Decor Galeri , Jakarta , Indonesia
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Malaysian Drawings , National Art Gallery , Kuala Lumpur , Malaysia
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Decorative Naive , one man show , Gallery Space Pause , Ichigaya ,
Shinjuku – ku , Tokyo , Japan
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| 1998 |
Solo Exhibition “ Decorative Naive “ Aiseyman Cafe , Kuala Lumpur |
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Menemui modeniti , 40 tahun Angkatan Pelukis seMalaysia ,
Balai Seni Lukis Negara , kuala Lumpur
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Childlike dream , SOGO Department store , Kuala Lumpur
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Nature and daily life in Asia , Africa , and Latin America
from picture book illustration exhibition ,Tokyo , Japan
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| 1999 |
RASA 99 , Bank Negara Malaysia , Kuala Lumpur
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AKU 99( self – potrait ) Galeri PETRONAS , Kuala Lumpur
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Two - Man Show Galeri Mas , Johore Bahru
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Solo Exhibition , Novotel Resort and Hotel , Phuket . Thailand
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Solo Exhibition , Gallery Space Pause , Tokyo , Japan
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The Philip Morris Group of Companies Art Awards Show , National Art Gallery , Kuala Lumpur
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TERRA Art Festival , Gisborne , New Zealand
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| 2000 |
Appear Innocent , The Gallery , ISETAN KLCC , Kuala Lumpur
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Landskap ke landskap , Galeri PETRONAS , Kuala Lumpur
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Solo exhibition ELEPHANTOIDEA , Tinta Galllery , Kuala Lumpur
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| 2001 |
L’ ANIMALE IN ARTE , Tinta Gallery , Kuala Lumpur
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L’ANIMALE IN ARTE , Purna Budaya , Jogjakarta , Indonesia
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| 2002 |
Solo Exhibition ELEFANTASTISK ARTIG . Krane Gallery , Tromso , Norway
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| 2003 |
IMAJAN KEMERDEKAAN , Balai Seni MAYBANK , Kuala Lumpur
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| 2005 |
Elephantoidea and The fat ladies Herman gallery , Stockholm Sweden
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| 2007 |
TIGA ALAM , Central Market Annex Kuala Lumpur .
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| 2007 |
50 MERDEKA – A celebration of Malaysian Art , Yayasan kepimpinan PerdanaIslamic Arts Museum Malaysia .
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..
| 1981 |
GAJA GAJA , Gallery Six , Kuala Lumpur
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| 1993 |
Naive Painting , Art Case Galleries , Kuala Lumpur |
| 1997 |
The Gajah Series , Kai Boon Art Gallery , Kuala Lumpur |
| 1997 |
Decorative Naive , Mon Decor Gallery , Jakarta , Indonesia |
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5th Solo Exhibition , Gallery Space Pause , Tokyo , Japan |
| 1998 |
Decorative Naive , Aiseyman Cafe and Bistro , Kuala Lumpur |
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7th Solo Exhibition , Novotel Hotel , Phuket , Thailand |
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8th Solo Exhibition , Gallery Space Pause , Tokyo , Japan |
| 2000 |
Elephantoidea , Tinta Gallery , Kuala Lumpur |
| 2002 |
Elefantastisk artis , Krane Galleri , Tromso , Norway |
| 2004 |
ELEPHANTOIDEA SERIES . Hyatt Regency Jogjakarta Indonesia |
| 2005 |
Solo exhibition Bankers Club Kuala Lumpur |
..
| 1974 |
Pratita Adi Karya ( Sekolah seni rupa Indonesia , Jogjakarta , Indonesia ) |
| 1985 |
2nd Prize , Annual Painting Competition , Sabah Art Gallery , Kota Kinabalu |
| 1986 |
Encouragement Awards ( SIMEOT ) , noma Concour for Children’s Picture |
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Book Illustration (ACCU) Tokyo , Japan |
| 1988 |
Encouragement Awards ( TIDAK LAMA DAHULU ) NOMA Concours For |
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Children’s Picture Book Illustration , ACCU , Tokyo , Japan |
| 1990 |
Hadiah karya Terbaik , Peraduaan Penyediaan Illustrasi Buku Bergambar ,
DEWAN BAHASA DAN PUSTAKA , KUALA LUMPUR
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| 1992 |
Runner-up ( THE LAST TREE ) NOMA Concoure for Children’s picture
Book Illustration ( Asian culture for UNESCO ) Tokyo , Japan
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| 1992 |
Best Children’s Picture Book National Book Council . Kuala Lumpur
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| 1992 |
Best Children’s Picture Book illustrator National Book Council , KL |
| 1997 |
GRAND PRIX (THE REAL ELEPHANT) NOMA Concour For Children’s
Picture Book Illustration (ACCU 0 Tokyo , Japan
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The Hornbill Magazine, November 2002.

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Drawings of elephants filled the walls of Melawati School to welcome Yusof Gajah. All classes cleared their schedule on Tuesday, August 29th, to make time for the students to visit the Malaysian artist-in residence, Yusof Gajah. The students went to the art room to watch Yusof Gajah in action and find out more about him and his artwork.
The art room resounded with giggles as Yusof Gajah deftly sketched his trademark elephants and turned them into teapots. Smile of recognition spread across their faces as a familiar letter of the alphabet took on the shape of the elephant. Even his Twin Towers and other buildings had elephants tucked away.
"When did you start drawing elephants?" an eager 4th grade asked. Yusof Gajah explained about visiting the zoo in Melawati and seeing an elephant and becoming fascinated. The students were amazed to discover that his name was given to him by a friend. Gajah means elephant in Bahasa Melayu. Because of his passion for elephants, his friend suggested he take that as his name. So now he is known in Malaysia and around the world as Yusof Gajah. He was born in 1954 in Negeri Sembilan as Mohd Yusof Bin Ismail. He was educated in Singapore, and received his art training at the Sekolah Seni Rupa Indonesia and the Akademi Seni Rupa Indonesia in Yogjakarta.
Yusof has won several awards for his work, both nationally and internationally, some of his most recent ones for his illustrations of children’s books. He was awarded the Grand Prix ( The Real Elephant) Noma Concours for Children’s picture Book Illustration by ACCU in Tokyo, Japan in 1997. He has held a number of solo exhibitions in Malaysia, Indonesia and Japan. After visiting the opening of his most recent solo exhibition titled Elephantoidea on September 14 in Bangsar, KL, Hilde Winmai, a fourth grade teacher, exclaimed, "It was a most uplifting experience where Yusof’s paintings of elephants were combined with beautiful live music performed by two Hungarian musicians."
Yusof Gajah has a studio at Budaya Kraf on Jalan Conlay. Some of our students visited his studio after meeting him at ISKL. At his studio they painted canvasses to be entered in the international children’s exhibition of paintings, organised by Yusof, and held on September 24, 2000. Many of our ISKL students are featured in the catalogue from that exhibition.
The 4th grade team along with the art teachers provided the impetus for bringing Yusof Gajah to the elementary campus. Throughout 4th grade the students focus on South East Asia. Art and culture are integrated into the study of geography and economics. Ms. Winmai explained, "We loved the concept of incorporating the work of a Malaysian artist with our focus on Tools, Tourism and Transportation. We grade 4 teachers with invited the art teachers at Melawati to combine our ideas with theirs to come up with a way of introducing this artist to our school and our students."
Mr. Gajah visited ISKL a second time on October 17th. This time he worked with the three grade 4 classes to make a collage of a Malaysia landscape. Each 4th grader had to decide what they were going to paint on scraps of canvas they were given. For many of the students this was their first opportunity to paint on canvas. Some students painted kampong houses, some buses and other form of transportation, and some busily created tress to form the jungle. In the weeks to come, the students will put the final touches on this large painting- a collaborative effort between a Malaysian artist and the 4th grade students of ISKL.
"Art is a Visual Language. While some people claim that naïve movements evolved from American folk art traditions, that is too limiting. Asian Art is rife with depiction ; Indonesian paintings boast this tradition, regional weaving possesses elements of it. Who is to say it is not relevant?"- Yusof Gajah
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The elephant, my friend
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Artist Yusof Gajah finds the giant animal a constant source of inspiration and theme for his art
by Sharifah Hamzah,
The Sun,Lifestyle October 7, 2000

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Yusof Gajah is knomn in the art circle and to friends as "Yusof Gajah" and for a good reason, too. The elephant is a constant inspiration in his artistic career. "After 20 years of painting elephants, I have not run out of ideas on how to depict this wonderful creature. In our sober consumer society, this amiable animal lends its appealing image for me to explore my aesthetic expression," he says.
Yusof is also Malaysian’s foremost naïve artist. Naïve art refers to a style of artistic expression which often sees the world with simplified or idiosyncratic manner, not taking into serious account the "rules" of proportion and perspective. Growing up in Johol, a village in Negeri Sembilan, Yusof was surrounded by nature which continues to be a major influences in his work. He studied art at Sekolah Seni Rupa in Yogjakarta. When he returned in 1975, he started his career as a fulltime artist. He also join Anak Alam artist colony which became known for their bold commitment to artistic and intellectual development.
Yusof also forged a reputation as an illustrator of children’s books, and won the Grand Prix Award for Children’s book illustration at an international competition in Japan. In his current solo exhibition Elephantoidea, Yusof displays elephant- themed paintings in different mediums such watercolour, gouache, acrylic and mix media. He also displays his abstract rendition of the animal with semi-abstract "portraits" that are vibrant and eye-cacthing. In some, he has added glass beads to the canvas to add texture to the animal’s body. It seems that the abstract mode has, in fact, "humanized" the elephants, giving each of them a distinct personality. Yusof says studies have shown that elephants are known to share many emotion traits as humans such as joy, grief, jealousy and anger.
They have been known to grieve over the loss of another elephant or show a smiling expression when in a playful mood Yusof has also experimented with minimalistic style with his "white on white" abstract paintings of the elephant. But Yusof is concerned over the elephant’s dwindling population. " In the past, there were 350 species of elephants. Today, there only two, the Asian and the African elephant, and the animal is already an endangered species. "Man greedy for ivory and encroachment of their habitat poses a precarious future for the animal, and I feel that it is our duty to preserve before they follow the same fate as the other members of the elephant family."
Yusof leads a busy schedule as an artist. He is in process of opening an art gallery and activity centre for children. He also wants to help and motivated more naïve artist in Malaysia, and see the growth of this genre of art here. In the last few years, Yusof has been active in children’s art. At his Galeri Tanjung, he has been organizing children’s art classes every Sunday for the last year. He was the coordinator for recent international children’s painting exhibition and currently involved in several art projects involving young people at the National Art Gallery.
"It’s really a two-way process. One can learn so much from children art," he says. One result if this influence is the ’Mother and Child’ watercolour painting shown at this exhibition. "Elephantoidea", a word which refers to the family tree of the elephants, can be viewed at Tinta Gallery till October 16
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Yusof ‘gajah’ – PELUKIS NAIF UNGGUL MALAYSIA
Oleh Prof . Madya MAHZAN MUSA,
The Sun,Lifestyle October 7, 2000

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Yusof Gajah adalah antara segelintir pelukis tanah air yang mengenengahkan citra seni catan gaya naïf. Citra naif menjadi peribadi seni Yusof Gajah sebagai salah satu tokoh pelukis penting tanah air. Sebelum Yusof Gajah, pelukis Zulkifli Dahalan adalah pelukis yang terlebih dahulu memperkenalkan seni catan gaya naif di Malaysia. Tapi apabila Zulkifli Dahalan meninggal dunia pada tahun 1977, Yusof Gajah meneruskan seni catan naif.
Menurut Yusof Gajah beliau akui terpengaruh dengan gaya naif Zulkifli Dahala
sewaktu kedua-duanya giat berkarya bersama dalam pertubuhan Anak Alam di Kuala Lumpur pada 1970an. Formula Cinta Kotemporari (1976) adalah karya naif pertama beliau. Waktu itu Yusof Gajah baru pulang ke tanah air selepas tamat pengajian seni halus di Akademik Seni Rupa Indonesia di Jogjakarta pada tahun 1975.
Mohd Yusof Bin Ismail adalah nama sebenar Yusof Gajah. Menurut beliau ‘nama Yusof Gajah lahir secara tidak sengaja. Malah saya sendiri tidak pernah terfikir gelaran yang diberikan oleh teman-teman di Anak Alam pada tahun 70an boleh lekat sampai sekarang’. Keadaan ini berlaku kata beliau sewaktu pameran lukisan di rumah Anak Alam dekat padang Merbok, Kuala Lumpur. ‘Di situ ada dua pelukis bernama Yusof. Satu Yusof Osman dan saya Yusof Ismail. Masa itu pelukis senior Mustafa Ibrahim gelar saya Yusof Gajah kerana saya melukis gajah. Tujuannya untuk mudah bezakan antara dua Yusof. Teman mulai panggil Yusof Gajah. Mula-mula tak rasa apa-apa. Tapi apabila nama Yusof Gajah macam parallel dengan imej teras dalam lukisan ialah gajah, saya terfikir kenapa tidak dikekalkan saja Yusof Gajah’.
Berdasarkan Siri Gajah yang dihasilkan dalam jangkamasa lebih daripada 30 tahun, citra gajah Yusof Gajah telah mengalami tranformasi dalam aneka ragam dan gaya seni dengan ketara sekali. Transformasi berwarna citra gajah beliau adalah penyataan kreatif kesan penerokaan psikologikal yang mana ruang minda di buka seluas mungkin, getaran rasa diselami dalam pencarian kelainan dimensi daya cipta. Hasil gerak kerja seni catannya, Yusof Gajah mengatakan ‘saya melukis apa yang saya rasa dan rasa itu hadir dalam igauan saya. Naif art saya tentang alam dan kehidupan saya. Ia adalah kerja seni yang serius’.
Yusof Gajah dilahirkan pada 10 Februari 1954 di Johol, Negeri Sembilan. Minat beliau terhadap seni lukis mula bercambah pada usia enam tahun. Pendedahan awal dalam seni lukis berlaku di Singapura dari tahun 1965 – 1969. Pada tahun 1972 beliau mendaftarkan diri dan menjadi pelajar di Sekolah Seni Rupa Indonesia di Jogjakarta, Indonesia sehingga tahun 1974. Dan menyambung pengajian di Akademi Seni Rupa Indonesia atau ASRI yang terkenal di Indonesia pada tahun 1975 sehingga lulus pengajian seni halus.
Sebagai pelukis professional sepenuh masa Yusof Gajah telah berjaya mengadakan dua belas pameran solo di dalam dan luar negeri. Dua pameran solo berjaya dilaksanakan di Tokyo. Pameran solo di luar negeri yang lain telah diadakan di Jakarta, Phuket, Sweden, dan Jogjakarta, Indonesia. Enam pameran solo beliau yang lain telah diadakan di Kuala Lumpur. Dari masa ke semasa beliau turut serta dalam pameran berkumpulan dengan pelukis-pelukis Malaysia dan di peringkat antarabangsa.
Sewaktu pengajian di Jogjakarta Yusof Gajah pernah meraih hadiah Pratika Adi Karya pada tahun 1974. Pada tahun 1985 beliau mendapat tempat kedua dalam Pertandingan Seni Lukis Tahunan anjuran Balai Seni Lukis Sabah. Beliau turut menerima hadiah kemenangan dari Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka apabila karya beliau dijadikan ilustrasi buku kanak-kanak. Diikuti sebagai pemenang dalam pertandingan NOMA Concours for Children’s Picture Book Illustration (ACCU) di Tokyo, Jepun sebanyak empat kali. Beliau menang dua kali dalam Pertandingan Buku Bergambar Kanak-Kanak dan Pertandingan Ilustrasi Buku Kanak-Kanak yang dianjurkan oleh Majlis Buku Malaysia pada tahun 1992. Suatu pencapaian yang mengkagumkan.
Buku-buku cerita kanak-kanak dengan judul Gajah Sejati dan Chemophant yang dihiasi dengan lukisan-lukisan dari Siri Gajah dan Siri Pemandangan beliau yang telah diterjemah ke bahasa Inggeris, Jepun dan Mandrin. Kemenangan-kemenangan ini membuktikan betapa karya-karya seni catan Yusof Gajah diterima, dihargai di peringkat nasional dan antarabangsa.
Menerusi Siri Gajah yang telah mengalami transformasi seni sejak tiga dekad lalu muncul tiga siri gajah lain iaitu Elephantoides Fun Series, Elephantoidea Models Series dan Mother & Child Series. Ketiga-tiga Siri Gajah ini adalah siri yang paling ketara sekali membentuk psyche, karektor, personaliti Yusof Gajah sebagai pelukis naif unggul di Malaysia.
Kemunculan karya-karya dari siri ini bertolak dari usaha beliau yang melakukan penyelidikan ilmiah tentang perkembangan evolusi spesis gajah yang wujud di serata dunia di enam benua sejak 16 juta tahun yang lalu. Dari gajah purba yang telah pupus hingga gajah yang masih wujud pada masa kini Yusof Gajah paparkan. Dengan gaya naïf.
Citra gajah ada yang ditampilkan secara sendirian, berpasangan, berkelompok dalam pelbagai skala. Melalui kesemua Siri Gajah beliau, struktur fizikal citra gajah diolah menampakan karektor gajah. Kepelbagaian karektor gajah ditampilkan dalam aksi, gerak geri dan menerusi ekspresi wajah gajah.
Ada telinga gajah mengembang dan mengipas. Struktur hujung kaki gajah ada yang runcing kelihatan seolah jalan meniti. Belali gajah dicorakkan secara berbelang-belang, berpetak dan berkotak. Badan gajah berjalurkan warna tropika nampak ceria. Tidak kurang menarik juga ada belalai gajah kelihatan seperti hidung panjang tenuk menghidu makanan. Belalai menjadi pili malah ada belali kelihatan tidak ubah seperti penyedut hampa gas.
Karektor gajah dalam Elephantoidea Series ada yang kelihatan seperti fosil gajah yang kelihatan hampir luluh dengan sisa-sisa tubuh gajah dalam bentuk hablur dan butiran pasir. Calitan warna tebal lagi kasar menjelmakan citra gajah yang hodoh dan menakutkan.. Tompokan dua warna gelap dengan palitan warna memanjang membentuk mata dan belali gajah. Dalam keadaan yang paling simple citra gajah nampak comot, selekeh, tidak terurus bersih bagai kerja seni yang tidak selesai dan kelihatan terbiar.
Dari Mother & Child Series dipaparkan jalinan perhubungan interpersonal antara ibu dan anak gajah. Ibu gajah dipaparkan dalam skala yang besar berbeza dengan saiz anak gajah yang jauh lebih kecil seperti saiz tikus. Melalui fungsi belalai ibu gajah melakukan pelbagai tingkah laku mendidik seperti membaca, menulis, melukis dan bermain kepada anak gajah yang bakal menghadapi dunia realiti.
Karektor gajah melalui siri ini adalah metafora kepada manusia betapa haiwan juga tahu menjaga anak dengan memberikan perhatian, memenuhi keperluan anak yang semua ini merangkumi kepada aspek kasih sayang ibu dalam hubungan kekeluargaan dan bukannya melakukan tindakan-tindakan yang tidak wajar pada anak sendiri.
Wood Elephant Series menampilkan karektor gajah secara tiga dimensi. Citra gajah naif yang lazim dilukis di atas lembaran kertas dan kanvas dua dimensi diarcakan menjadi tiga dimensi dengan menggunakan bahan kayu. Transformasi dari kertas ke kayu memperlihatkan ketulenan daya cipta, kepintaran kreatif cemerlang Yusof Gajah. Gajah dari siri ini dipaparkan sekumpulan anak-anak gajah yang begitu manis, comel dan manja berdiri sendirian lengkap memakai kanta mata warna emas, biru, kuning, unggu, merah dengan mata terbeliak tanda terkejut, kehairanan, bingung, nampak keliru kesan dari riak emosi yang muncul mendadak. Riak emosi ini disusuli dengan gerakan telinga gajah mengembang, mengipas sebagai tanda saran dari bahasa badan yang menyerlah karektor anak-anak gajah unik ini.
Badan anak gajah dilumur dengan warna kuning kunyit, merah darah, hijau pandan, biru nila, unggu biji rembia dan kelabu abu yang secara logiknya tidak dilakukan oleh gajah sama ada di hutan belantara atau di zoo. Dalam spektrum warna-warna segar pelbagai seri gajah-gajah disarung dengan pakaian aneka ragam lengkap berstokin dan dihiasi dengan solekan cantik seolah telah bersedia untuk beraksi di pentas lakonan.
Memang lucu. Memang menawan. Menatap citra gajah berwarna Yusof Gajah bagaikan menonton filem animasi terbitan studio Walt Disney. Malah ada ketikanya seperti menyaksikan aksi jinak sekumpulan gajah di pesta Royal London Circus yang penuh kemeriahan!
Kesemua citra gajah beliau adalah paparan pasca-modernism yang meninggalkan gaya konvensional. Kelainan dimensi daya cipta citra gajah beliau segar dalam keseronokan riang ria. Dengan hanya mengolah citra gajah sebagai subjek seni Yusof Gajah telah meletakan dirinya pada suatu kedudukan unik, istimewa, tersendiri dalam arena seni catan tanah air.
Sebagai pelukis naïf Yusof Gajah secara tidak langsung telah dan sedang mendekatkan haiwan istimewa ini dengan khalayak menerusi pendekatan seni catan dan arca. Yusof Gajah juga berusaha mengubah persepsi khalayak terhadap gajah yang lazimnya hidup liar, terpinggir di belantara, safari dan dalam kurungan dengan menukar dan memindahkan citra gajah ke medan seni catan warna warni.
Di samping Siri Gajah, penerokaan seni catan naif Yusof Gajah turut berlegar kepada citra seni yang tidak berkaitan dengan gajah. Siri Pemandangan gaya naif memaparkan perhubungan manusia dengan alam maya. Keindahan hutan hujan tropika dengan segala unggas, margastua aneh tampil dalam seri warna-warna ceria. Suasana seni Siri Pemandangan nampak separa abstrak dan sedikit sureal.
Perincian palitan-palitan kecil yang bertompok diserata ruang karyanya memperlihatkan Yusof Gajah hati-hati menitik warna. Pertemuan langit dan laut membentuk horizon dengan bulan dan matahari terapung megah dalam keluasan alam maya adalah citra konvensional Siri Pemandangan Yusof Gajah. Karya-karya dari Siri Pemandangan ini mudah difahami kesan kejelasan pengolahan subject matter. Tapi karya-karya dari siri ini kurang mencabar minda dan rasa. Ia sekadar paparan mendatar, biasa tanpa kelainan yang menyegarkan.
Siri KLCC sebagaimana tajuknya mengenengahkan citra menara berkembar yang tertinggi di Malaysia. Bezanya citra menara KLCC sengaja dicondongkan oleh pelukisnya. Dalam skema warna-warna terang dari palitan tebal, Siri KLCC dalam sekali pandang seolah dilukis oleh kanak-kanak di peringkat tadika atau diawal persekolahan. Ketrampilan Yusof Gajah regressed atau berpatah balik melukis seperti gaya kanak-kanak pada usia enam atau tujuh tahun kurang menyakinkan. Citra Siri KLCC hanya paparan biasa dalam kepudaran warna. Terasa semacam ada sesuatu yang kekurangan dan hambar. Yusof gajah perlu terus meneroka Siri KLCC ini dengan mendalam bagi memantapkan citra naïve siri ini.
Siri Pemandangan dan Siri KLCC tenggelam dibayangi kehebatan citra gajah yang mendominasi keseluruhan pesona seni Yusof Gajah. Karya-karya dari kedua-dua siri ini
memperlihatkan Yusof Gajah seperti kalah di medan seni sendiri.
Sebagai pelukis mapan tanah air Yusof Gajah juga turut berusaha mendidik sambil memupuk bakat pelukis-pelukis muda yang cenderung kepada gaya seni catan naïf. Pelajarnya ramai diantaranya ialah Azmi, S.H, Sham Ahmad, Asmandi , Ali Akhbar , Rosli M Don , Ismail Baba , Waja . Ini merupakan langkah bistari beliau yang cuba menyemarakan lagi suasana seni catan naif tanah air.
Di samping itu Yusof Gajah turut terlibat dalam kerja-kerja amal bagi tujuan mengumpul dana dengan mengenengahkan konsep terapi seni (art therapy) bersama beberapa agensi kesihatan kerajaan mahupun swasta. Terapi seni dilakukan dengan kanak-kanak, remaja, individu dewasa malang yang bertarung dengan penyakit melarat adalah usaha murni Yusof Gajah bersama pengurusnya yang juga isterinya Zakiah Mohd Isa.
Bermula dengan melukis di rumah, Yusof Gajah kemudian berpindah ke Wakaf Yusof Gajah di perkampungan pelukis di Pusat Kraftangan, Jalan Conlay, Kuala Lumpur selama lima tahun. Kemajuan yang memberangsangkan dari hasil jualan seni catannya, Sanggar Yusof Gajah di bina di Gombak yang turut menjadi studio tempat beliau berkarya dan melatih bakat-bakat muda.
Pada tahun 2003, Yusof Gajah berjaya mengusahakan galeri peribadi miliknya dengan menggunakan nama Gajah-Gajah Gallery di sebuah pusat membeli belah eksklusif di kawasan segi tiga emas di Kuala Lumpur , lima tahun kemudian di Central Market Annex. Disamping itu beliau mempunyai agen di Krane gallery , Tromso Norway dan juga di Sheraton Beach Resort Langkawi .
Penubuhan Gajah-Gajah Gallery setakat ini merupakan kemuncakan pencapaian Yusof Gajah sebagai tokoh pelukis naif Malaysia yang unggul. Gajah-Gajah Gallery beliau juga adalah satu-satunya galeri seni naif dan galeri naïf pertama di Malaysia hasil dari kerja keras beliau sejak tiga dekad yang lalu.
Prof. Madya Mahzan Musa
Jabatan Psikologi & Kaunseling
Fakulti Pembangunan Sosial & Manusia
Universiti Utara Malaysia
Sintok, 06010
Kedah Darul Aman

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