Vision 1/86

Jaafar Latiff’s Vision 1/86 doesn’t offer a clear subject, nor does it try to. Here, bands of maroon, blue, and yellow curve around one another, creating a sense of movement across the canvas. Jaafar painted this as part of a larger series. This work reflects his interest in experimenting with colour, brushwork and techniques inspired by batik. Jaafar began with batik during the 1960s, when it was still largely regarded as a craft rather than fine art. But he was among those who pushed the boundaries, transforming batik into a medium for contemporary artistic expression.

By the 1970s, he turned to acrylic. Where batik demanded patience and control, acrylic gave Jaafar speed and freedom, letting the brush follow his mood.

Jaafar rarely gave his works titles. Instead, he used numbers and dates. Naming a painting, he once said, could limit how people might experience it. So, take another look at the painting. Without a descriptive title, what does it say to you?