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Spiky thickets of flaming red lines thrust upwards from the bottom right with a trajectory up centre. The red wave becomes more mellow on the whole of the left side with its more flowing strokes and diluted mix. The strong garish colours force themselves into the front seat, setting a tempest of temperament of liveliness and aggression. An oasis of serenity of well defined greenish hues fight for space in the top right square. As in other work from Yusof Ghani’s highly sought after Tari series, the embedded figures are discernible from the blobs of head-like objects to trace the form of action.

Yusof had the distinction of skipping the MARA Institute of Technology rites of passage and headed straight to George Mason University in the USA on a government scholarship with which he graduated with a BFA in Graphic Art in 1981. He pursued his MFA at Catholic University in Washington in 1983. Before his American studies, he had been an artist-illustrator (Agriculture Ministry, 1967), an instructor (Fisheries Institute, Penang, 1971) and a graphic artist (RTM, 1977). On his return, he lectured at the Universiti Mara Institute of Technology. An abstract expressionist painter, his works are considered to be some of the best in Malaysia. His most sought after series namely Tari has been collected by museums, institutions and respected private collectors. Other well known series include Topeng, Wayang, Hijau, Segerak and Biring.