CORE contemporary art

Background
In the recent years, there has been a growing concern within the art ecosystem regarding the lack of appreciation and understanding on the value of art history. The discipline of art history is crucial because it promotes critical thinking within visual art makers in drawing conclusions, interpreting and evaluating different artworks that may beneficial in the career development of an artist. However in this era of internet age; a world filled with millions of visuals that allows almost immediate access for contemporary visual makers to copy or even regurgitate fashionable imageries, resulting in the lack of critical thinking process which is crucial in the search of a self- identity.

Neo Baroque- A Malaysian Reinterpretation is premised on the anecdotal evidence that there is an intimate relationship in understanding art history, interpreting it and making art. Artists who are in formative stages of their identity should also be able to study the content, narrative as well as the formalistic approaches during Baroque era yet using the form of contemporary visual art to enrich their own works.

Why Baroque?
Baroque was chosen because of its grandeur, sensuous richness, drama, vitality, movement, tension, emotional exuberance, and a tendency to blur distinctions between the various arts. The term Baroque is believed by many scholars to come from the Portuguese word barocco also known as an imperfect pearl. One of the most significant artist that probably known to have influenced subsequent Baroque artists such as Peter Paul Rubens, Gian Lorenzo Bernini and etc is none other than Michealangelo Merisi Caravaggio. Caravaggio was commissioned by the Council of Trent to create simple visual representations but dramatic, realistic and clear in narrative, as a reaction against the intricate and formulaic Mannerist style which dominated the Late Renaissance. Caravaggio evolved quickly from his dominant Mannerist trained background and came to create his very own signature style that incorporates chiaroscuro, dramatic contrast between light and dark, and tenebrism, intensifying the contrast into dark ambience scenes with some spot highly lit as if by a spotlight. His theatrical drama like paintings along with his radical realism and macabre subjects became an influence to many subsequent Baroque artists and also the many generations of artists to come.

As we time travel to the twenty-first century year 2009, Ali Nurazmal Yusoff started imitating and created a parody of Caravaggio’s The Cardsharps by extending the work to place himself as part of the composition. It was an interesting event that prompted him to imitate Caravaggio, the artist was told by a collector that he can only paint naive or comic-like paintings, unlike his peers who are considered true figurative artists in the eyes of this collector. In retaliation to this unfounded statement, Ali Nurazmal Yusoff decided to hone his skills by creating a painting that can symbolically represent itself as masterpiece to the eyes of the audience. Subsequently after researching, he felt that Caravaggio’s figurative realism seems to be the closest approach to his formalistically trained background. Thus, came the birth of Ali Nurazmal’s first Imitation Master After Caravaggio.

Curatorial Objective and Process
At the start of the development process, the artists selected to participate in this exhibition are based on their medium, stroke and signature style. The idea is to provide a different visual excitement as contrast to the traditional forms of oil paintings and sculptures of the Baroque period. During the concept and progress stage, the artists themselves selects the relevant Baroque artists and artworks which they wanted to study especially the aspect of formalistic approaches and content then to reinterpret it into their own visual context.