Young Malaysian artist Najib Bamadhaj is unveiling his first solo exhibition, “Great Migration,” on Oct 4 at TAKSU Kuala Lumpur.
The artist returns to a theme and style previously worked on in his Endangered series, but his focus has shifted from static depictions of mother and child to paintings of larger groups in movement.
His previously muted palette has also been enlivened with more vivid blocks of color: a red zebra leaps from splashes of blue water; a purple elephant calf huddles by its mother’s side.
While in his Endangered series, text was often overlaid on the paintings to emphasize the vulnerability of his subject, here the artist lets the paintings speak for themselves.
“Normally a ‘great migration’ means moving to a new place to find water. But in my case, these animals are moving from jungle to town because mankind is cutting all the trees, demolishing their habitats,” explains the 25-year-old artist in a press statement.
“Great Migration” runs until Oct 20 at TAKSU Kuala Lumpur.