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Meor Saifullah graduated from UiTM Shah Alam with a Bachelor of Fine Art in Printmaking. He is known for his surreal figurative works which combine animal creatures with human elements. From the artist’s point of view, his work is about tensions and diversity between social groups and they are inspired by culture, proverbs and Malay paradigms. Employing cynicism in his works, Meor seeks engagement with human nature and attitudes.

Meor has been exhibiting since 2008 in various galleries in Malaysia while showing his artistic offerings in UN-CUT, a Malaysian Arts Festival held at Gallery Shambala in Copenhagen in 2009. He also participated at several highly regarded exhibitions and galleries including ‘Young and New Part 3’ at House of Matahati and ‘Overlook’ at Taksu Kuala Lumpur, both in 2009. This year, Meor took part in the Malaysian Emerging Artist Award of which he was a finalist. In 2010, he had a total of 5 exhibitions in Kuala Lumpur, ‘Locals Only’ at Taksu, ‘Contemporary Rhetoric’ at Valentine Willie Fine Art, ‘General Hanging’ at House of Matahati, ‘Earth Hour Exhibition’ at Zinc Art Space as well as ‘The Tale of Two Cities’, a two man show at Threesixty Art Development Studio.

In this piece by Meor, a pit bull and a monkey are illustrated in costumes that bring to mind circus settings. The expressions on their faces are blank and uncaring, without sympathy or concern for the events occurring around them - symbolic imagery that refers to humans as animals that are unfeeling and without regard for others. Bombs dropping, planes, missiles being launched and barbed wire all point to events of war. There are paper boats attached to sticks as if they were toys and in one hand a paper boat is being crushed, adding to the feeling that these animals could not care less about the destruction that is being perpetrated. That these characters are in costumes illustrates the idea that regimes or peoples have made war like a circus and have no moral restrictions or principles.