Fuad Arif

b. 1976, Malaysia

Hailing from Keningau, Sabah, Fuad Arif gravitates to the use of graphite as a medium. With a master’s in Art and Design from UiTM Malaysia, Fuad is interested in using his work to spark dialogue.

Considering his art a tribute to the nature of reality, Fuad’s work is embedded with mysteries and contradictions. When viewers first look at the graphite sketches, they might just see random doodlings of a messy mind scattered all over a canvas, however, a closer look reveals a distinct rhythm and intention. The artists’ scrawls fit themselves into irregular columns, grids, and patterns of their own design. This is very much reflective of Fuad’s perspective on life, demonstrating the balance of chaos and order, free will and destiny. He states, “We have ideas of freedom, and predestination as well. We say things are controlled by God, but at the same time, I can make choices. My understanding of reality is not black and white, it’s very abstract.”

Fuad has won several art prizes, including The Young Contemporary (Bakat Muda Sezaman) Award in 2013 from the National Art Gallery (KL). Exhibiting his works across Malaysia in group and solo exhibitions, his recent shows include his solo exhibitions, ‘PUNK’ (KL), and ‘TORN BETWEEN’ (KL) in 2022 and 2024 respectively.