Singapore arts guide (Sept 2 to 9): Malaysian Modernist Latiff Mohidin ventures into bronze
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Malaysian artist Latiff Mohidin's first cast-bronze sculpture Burung 1 (Bird 1) (2026). PHOTO: GAJAH GALLERY | Latiff Mohidin: Lines To FormAt 85, Malaysian Modernist artist Latiff Mohidin is forging ahead into a new medium and unveiling his first cast-bronze sculpture. Burung 1 (Bird 1) was first made in 1967 at a smaller scale in ciment fondu and has been reborn as a 1.8m-tall bronze sculpture. The 2026 work, which bears the same name, is scaled from the original ciment fondu sculpture and therefore visibly bears the intimate fingerprints of the artist. Latiff’s abstraction of the bird here is almost childlike, resembling two cocked fingers and an open palm. The bronze work belongs to Latiff’s iconic Pago Pago series, a term he coined in the 1950s that blends the words “pagoda” and “pagar pagar”, which refers to the distinctive architectural feature of Minangkabau houses. It is realised in collaboration with Yogya Art Lab, Gajah Gallery’s foundry arm based in Yogyakarta, which has pushed artists like Suzann Victor, Jane Lee and Han Sai Por to work in new materials or at larger scale. Curated by Syed Muhammad Hafiz of Kuala Lumpur-based LM Studio, which is devoted to promoting Latiff’s legacy, the bronze work is presented alongside paper works. There are wetlands, forests, peat swamps and mangroves. Seen together, they evoke the stunning breadth of tropical forms. Where: Gajah Gallery Singapore, 03-04 Tanjong Pagar Distripark, 39 Keppel Road |
