Artist Ibrahim Hussein dies

KUALA LUMPUR: Artist Datuk Ibrahim Hussein, affectionately known as Ib,?died of streamyx registration heart attack at the Pantai Medical Centre here at 4am Thursday. He was 72-years-old.

He leaves behind wife Sim Hussein and daughter Alia. His funeral is expected to be held this afternoon.

The widely-recognised artist is perhaps better known outside Malaysia, with one international critic describing abstract work as futuristic and it is through a distinctive ordering of lines that he expresses differing complexities of form and dimensions.?lt;/p>

Ib used a medium he called printage - a mixture of printing and collage.

He was also founder of the Ibrahim Hussein Museum and Cultural Foundation in Langkawi.

A LOOK BEHIND THE MAN

Life according to Ib
By JOHNNI WONG (originally published April 30, 2005)

FOR someone who prides himself with intuitive powers and the ability to suss out a confidence trickster, Datuk Ibrahim Hussein can at times, be quite gullible.

When this idea was posed to the reknowned artist and his wife Sim Hussein, both of them broke into peals of laughter, with Ib - as he is popularly known - nodding in total agreement.

Widely collected by the whos who in Malaysia and abroad, works of the artist range from about RM100,000 to easily over a million ringgit. But Ib and Sim streamyx malaysia not divulging any figures.

The artist turned 69 recently. To celebrate that, he hosted a bash at his four-storey Bukit Pantai house in Kuala Lumpur, attended by some 80 guests. It was actually a joint party with his daughter Alia ?a headstrong Aries ?whose 27th birthday follows two weeks after Ibs.

Even a temporary power failure didnt dampen the happy mood. Ib and Sim were also celebrating the fact that their only child was to be conferred a Masters degree by Cambridge University. Described as a daredevil who loves extreme sports, Alia studied natural science and majored in genetics ?as the proud parents duly informed some friends whom they havent seen for a while.

I feel YOUNG!?exclaimed Ib, after he cut the chocolate cake and had time for a breather. Sitting at the next table, was the Sultan of Selangor whom Ib met when he was 25 and Tuanku was only 15?

Such is the scene of an Ibrahim Hussein party where ordinary folks are given no less attention than royalty. And when asked for the reason for his visible fatigue, he explained that he had just finished painting his latest work till the wee hours.

The painting of a smiling Malay boy, which Sim half-jokingly announced, was a self-portrait of the artist because dont you recognise Ibs crooked teeth??lt;/p>

Some weeks before this interview and the birthday bash, we had met up at the couples home together with a group of art enthusiasts. The group was regaled with numerous tales of Ibs escapades and misadventures, which revealed a streamyx setting about his personality, more than any journalist could hope to elicit.

At one point, Ib recounted the story of being invited to the Middle East for an international art exhibition in conjunction with the launch of a financial institution. However, in the events leading up to the exhibition-cum-sale of national treasures? Ib sensed that something was amiss.

My intuition told me that something was not right and I lost interest in the proceedings. Since I was there, I made the best use of my time to get to know the Emir,?recalled Ib. Sometime after that event, I read in the newspapers that the organiser had gotten into trouble with the law.?lt;/p>

However, despite his intuition, Ib confessed that he has sometimes been made use of. It is really sad that at my age I have to find out the hard way,?said Ib. No matter how old you are or at what age you are, the main thing at birthday get-togethers - is to be with friends.

At my age now, I just like to be with people whom I dont need to make any effort to be nice to on a superficial level,?says Ib. I paint not to please anybody but to fulfil my own inner restlessness. So, when you dont expect anything out of your life, you wont feel disappointed. But if you are performing for others, then you might get this feeling of being misunderstood.?lt;/p>

The artist ?who incidentally disliked being described as foremost?or most famous??thinks that the reason why some people may be afraid of doing a service?or being involved is that people think we are after something?

At 69, said Ib, most people would have retired ?even at 55.

As you grow older, you worry about how much time is left ... you get more excited about life, you gain a deeper insight.

To be regarded as famous ?all that is not important, as we grow older. Now that Im 69 and going to be 70, my god, I think 100 is still very young. As an artist, you find ways to record things around you. Not that you have a message but as a reference point for the younger generation to begin your own story,?said Ib.

The artist recently embarked on a series of paintings, which he entitled Emotions? These works capture the very essence of life such as a portrait of the late Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah in a mirthful mood and a painting based on a heart-rending photograph of a saree-clad Tsunami victim bent over in anguish with her head to the ground and palms beseeching heavens.

The artist explains that sometimes his works reflect dark forces, which is not a pretty picture, you would want to hang on your wall? Despite that, he has no lack of admirers, probably because his works reflect painful but universal truths like the Palestinian issue, the folly of the May 13, 1969 racial riots or the subjugation of women and the downtrodden as represented by Indias Bandit Queen?Phoolan Devi (1968-2001).

While other artists of his generation were starting out painting idyllic kampung scenes, Ib was already exhibiting works that question the hypocrisy of religious leaders and exposing the face of corruption by painting the image of an errant politician tried by the courts.

At one point of the interview, Sim interjected: Most people dont know about Ibrahim Hussein. All they know is that he is expensive. They dont know the man. In Malaysia, they only look at how much an artist is selling his works.?lt;/p>

Said Ib: When I decided to be an artist I had no expectations other than to express myself. In the process of doing what you like, life is meaningful. You dont know when you are going to collapse. Life is just a journey, there is no destination.?lt;/p>

Ibs fondest memory is of time spent at the World Economic Forum (Jan 26 - Feb 1) in Davos, Switzerland. This year, the Crystal Award at the forum for cultural contribution was given to American actor Richard Gere and singer-composer Lionel Richie.

Ib was conferred the same award in 1997. Early recipients of the award - which started in 1995 - included director Chen Kaige soprano Babara Hendricks, architect Richard Meier, violinist and conductor Lord Menuhin, author and poet Ben Okri, sitarist and composer Ravi Shankar as well as screen writer & director Oliver Stone.

This year is the 10th anniversary of the Crystal Award. It was a reunion for most of us. And the cultural leaders?dinner was very popular. Each cultural leader had to lead a table. There were Richard Gere, Sharon Stone, Chris Tucker and Lionel Richie ...?he reminisces.

Meanwhile, Ibs dinner party stretched till the wee hours of the morning. As we were about to leave, I was asked by a small group to tell my story. They huddled on the floor, listening to my story.