Azizi Saad

b. 1992, Malaysia

Azizi Saad who was born in 1992 in Perak, received both his diploma and degree in Fine Art from UiTM Seri Iskandar, Perak. Azizi’s artworks are not from the usual paint-and-brush school. The impasto technique formed the buildings and roads in Azizi’s pieces. Traditionally, this method often sees thick, textured paint dollops, but the artist has flattened everything down so that the image resembles a grainy photograph. The images were captured on camera and transferred onto canvas through sketches. Layer upon layer of oil paint, buildings, and people take shape on the grainy tarmac, under the rain, dusky evenings and sunny skies. Discarded windscreen wipers, ink rollers of varying sizes and palette knives go into creating outlines to form shop, human form and landscape.

For an idea of the art-making, imagine steaming a traditional layer cake.“The base colours go on first. The paints have to dry before another layer comes on,” said Azizi. But among the hustle-bustle, the myriad colours in this piece makes it all very interesting to look at. And for a minute there, Azizi managed to create a sense of longing in his artworks.

The familiar street scenes of Kuala Lumpur become backdrops in artist Azizi Saad’s pieces, both of which deal with the challenges faced by urban dwellers. Whether it is being self-absorbed with daily concerns, or the stress of living in a fast-paced environment, the city becomes a metaphor for contemporary life in the modern world. A rising star in the art scene, Azizi has had exhibited in numerous exhibitions in Malaysia. In 2012, he won the 1st Prize in Art Competition Tengkujuh organised by Universiti Malaysia Kelantan (UMK) and 3rd Prize in 1MCAT Art Tourism from Ministry Of Tourism, Arts & Culture (MOTAC) Malaysia.