Zulfirman Syah

From a dream to become an artist since childhood, Syah has worked towards this for as long as he can remember. Elementary school art, experimenting at home... a bachelor’s degree in fine art. Syah has shown his work in a multitude of exhibitions around the world including New York, Beijing and Siena. Informed by dried pigments left behind on the palette from previous activity. Guided with faith and spirituality. Syah gives an abstract experience with application of realist technique. He explains “For every great painting that is produced, the artist typically uses some kind of palette to produce that paint, and while the painting is the focus of attention, the palette is quickly forgotten. I find joy in creating something useful out of that which is otherwise forgotten.” With origins from West Sumatra, Syah had only recently relocated to New Zealand before finding himself in the midst of the horrific Christchurch terrorist shootings. Along with his wife and young son, enduring the recovery physically and mentally from this monumental impact Syah produced only one work in the year following the attack. The bullet gunshot wounds have made the stretching of his canvases challenging. He mention’s “...there comes a lot of emotion... I don’t know exactly how this experience might influence or affect my own practice over time, but I’m certain that it will.”

b 1978

(Work above)

Title: Restoration $NZD POA Size: 100 x 100cm

Medium: Acrylic on Canvas