A view of Ilham Fadhli's work titled 'Hotel Fugitif (Ritual Harian)' at his solo exhibition 'Hotel Fugitif' at Galeri Puteh in KL. Photo: The Star/Azlina Abdullah
Contemporary artist Ilham Fadhli took the uncommon step of waiting more than 12 years to return to the art gallery scene with a new solo exhibition.
In the next few days, he will be overseeing the dismantling of his Hotel Fugitif exhibition, which has been showing at the Galeri Puteh art space in Kuala Lumpur in the last few weeks.
“It has been amazing to see people visiting this show, there has been a lot of reconnecting for me, and also the chance to introduce my art to a new audience,” says Ilham, 43, who was a welcoming host as he discussed the new works at this exhibition.
He graduated from UiTM Shah Alam with a degree in Fine Arts in 2003, where he majored in sculpture-making. Most of his previous works deal with contemporary issues in an absurd/surrealistic setting with collages of delicate figures.
A diptych piece from Ilham titled 'Hotel Fugitif (Kelab Layar Fatal)' is one of the central works at the 'Hotel Fugitif' show at Galeri Puteh in Kuala Lumpur. Photo: Galeri Puteh
For Ilham, getting the Hotel Fugitif exhibition realised is his most ambitious achievement. The self-funded series also highlights his painterly skills, with well-crafted and emotive brushwork.
While strolling through this white box gallery recently, the artist amusingly stopped, smiled and scoffed at the notion that (solo) exhibitions are seen as the only way of measuring success in the Malaysian art scene.
“People have been calling this my ‘comeback’ show, but I don’t agree with that. I have always been around, contributing to group shows and art fairs. There is a certain expectation tied to artists in Malaysia, it’s like you have to keep to a production schedule ... if you go off the grid, you get forgotten. But as an artist, I have never stopped,” says Ilham, who is also an independent musician, with heavy metal band Rukun Serigala and other projects, to keep him occupied outside art-making.
A place of welcome
Hotel Fugitif is no ordinary exhibition, given that there are nearly 70 works spanning huge paintings and a series of collages.
A work titled 'Hotel Fugitif (Bas Terakhir)' on display at Ilham's solo exhibition 'Hotel Fugitif' at Galeri Puteh in KL. Photo: Galeri Puteh
In today’s terms, it is a sizeable solo show, with some of the early paintings going back to 2018.
Ilham, who is in the most prolific form of his 20-year career, has practically managed to fill up nearly every corner of Galeri Puteh.
“I just kept working and painting ... Hotel Fugitif gave me a creative outlet during the long pandemic months. For me, it was a quiet, productive and reflective period in the studio. I took it slow, but the works just kept coming. As far as my planning went, I had to finish everything when the time came to exhibit,” he says.
However, not everything was as straightforward. It took more than three years to put together this entire Hotel Fugitif series, and Ilham had to wait patiently for the right time to get these works into a gallery setting.
“Most of these works were birthed during the pandemic years, they were tied to very heavy and difficult times, and I felt that I needed that extra distance, or space, to introduce them to the public here. I also had to be ready myself to share these works,” says Ilham, who is known as Kojek in the local art community," he says.
A collage work - acrylic and paper - titled 'Hotel Fugitif (Lorong Tikus 18)' seen at the exhibition. Photo: Galeri Puteh
“It has been a big release for me to get back to exhibiting art, especially with such a large body of work ... paintings and collages. I'm glad Galeri Puteh took a chance on me, and understood the direction of this show. To be honest, I wasn’t rushing myself to finish the works (for an exhibition) back when I started on this series (in 2018). When the lockdowns were introduced in early 2020, I didn’t anticipate such an intense and uncertain period of restrictions.
“I was lucky enough to have purchased enough art supplies and canvases just a month before the pandemic broke out in Malaysia. I stayed in the studio concentrating on art, I didn't socialise much,” he adds.
Ilham currently resides in Kuang, Selangor, with his artist wife and creative partner Azliza Ayob, and their four children. The artist couple, who enjoy the idyllic kampung life, built a cosy art studio in their home.
An oil on jute piece from Ilham titled 'Hotel Fugitif (Dalaman)'. Photo: The Star/Azlina Abdullah
In his studio and work room, Ilham found himself occupied for weeks and months during the pandemic years, figuring out how he could translate such a narrative-driven series into a cohesive exhibition.
"I wanted to throw a light on the struggles and hardships faced by refugees and migrants, to look into the psychological issues ... and the complex circumstances arising from social and political turmoil."
Stormy weather and hope
The mood and tone of this Hotel Fugitif exhibition deals with subjects addressing today’s global conflicts, recurrent violence and instability. Refugees, asylum-seekers and migrants populate Ilham's canvases.
A work titled 'Hotel Fugitif (Kandas)' seen the exhibition 'Hotel Fugitif' at Galeri Puteh in KL. Photo: The Star/Azlina Abdullah
His large paintings also feature ominous, densely layered backgrounds and heavy traces of solid black that capture a larger aesthetic, perhaps referencing European expression.
Through a landscape of barbed wire, burning buildings, sinking boats and tent cities, Ilham digs deep to paint haunting images and poignant journeys of hope, survival and escape.
There is no Insta-stroll through the park. Instead, Ilham’s new works invite reflection and welcome dialogue.
In 2019, he produced a work titled Fugitive Hotel (Scenery) for an art fair exhibit in Kuala Lumpur, and this painting inspired him to take the Hotel Fugitif series further.
“The concept of Fugitive Hotel is based on an establishment that does not discriminate and welcomes all people and their differences,” read the art fair exhibition notes.
A visitor takes a closer look at the smaller artworks at the 'Hotel Fugitif' exhibition at Galeri Puteh in KL. Photo: The Star/Azlina Abdullah
At Galeri Puteh, Ilham has put forward an exhibition to deliver on the promise of that artistic statement.
"There is no geographical lines, no country borders in these works. I'm focusing on a more universal journey, a quest if you like, of how we are all searching for a better life," he says.
In the West, artists such as Banksy and Ai Weiwei have also tackled the refugee crisis through their art.
Can local artists achieve a similar result when addressing such issues?
"I can only speak for myself. I still keep getting lost – and found – when grappling with these themes. However, I want to show how art can evoke empathy and how it can be used as a tool for broader conversations about these topics," he concludes.
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