Syukur Rani

b. 1994, Malaysia

Syukur Rani’s artwork is celebrating childhood imagination in contemporary artwork. As a kid, he loves to draw cartoon characters on his house wall, such as batman, superman, etc. Today, he creates his own character with his own story. Basically, the idea sparks when he read kids storybooks that have visuals and stories. Syukur’s artwork, it talks about social commentary, and political issues in the art scene and globally. He visualizes characters based on human characteristics and behavior.

“The rider” is about his daily survival as an artist and also a reflection on political issues. The man in the artwork symbolizes the people that always take advantage of others. In Malay proverbs, it is referred to as “penunggang”.

“DREAMLAND…” is about promises and wishes. The man in the artwork reflects himself as an artist that always dreams and wishes for a stable, and good lifestyle. Other than that, the artwork also reflects a political issue that happens now where politicians always give manifestos and people keep waiting on their promises.