Yusof Ghani

Yusof Ghani was born in 1950 in Johor, Malaysia is a prolific and innovative Malaysian painter, sculptor, writer and curator. His career spans over three decades which resulted into many visually satisfying series that deals with Southeast Asian motifs with an Abstract Expressionist approach.

As a young boy, he enjoyed watching movies in a movie theater close to his house that was run by a family member. Watching Western movies developed his visual interest in painting, depicting movement and a sense of time in his pictures early on. Originally a graphic artist in Malaysia between 1969 to 1979, Yusof Ghani’s transition to fine arts started when he received a government grant to study graphic arts at George Mason University, Virginia, in 1979. It was there that he met Walter Kravitz, a professor in painting, who introduced him to fine arts.

He soon became interested in the works of the American Abstract Expressionist painters such as Jackson Pollock and William de Kooning. After receiving the Dr. Burt Amanda Scholarship for the most outstanding student of art, Yusof took classes in fine arts and eventually graduated with a Bachelor’s degree. He then continued to work for a Master’s Degree at the Catholic University in Washington D.C., and met Professor Tom Nakashima who taught him the finer points in painting. While studying at the Chatholic University, he be-friended the Malaysian artist Awang Damit whose style is influenced by Abstract Expressionism.

After he completed his Master’s degree, he had his first solo exhibition at the prestigious Anton Gallery in Washington D.C. His Protest series, which protested the U.S. intervention in Nicaragua and El Salvador at that time, was well received and even drew rave reviews from Washington Post’s art critic – Jo Ann Lewis.

Upon returning to Malaysia, Yusof continued to work with a series of collection called Tari (Dance), Topeng (Mask), Wayang (Theater), Hijau (Green), Segerak (A Movement), Biring (Fighting Cockerals), Wajah (Faces), and currently working on Ombak (Waves).

Ghani was an Associate Professor at the Faculty of Art and Design, UiTM, Selangor Malaysia. While at UiTM, He taught many young artists that became popular contemporary artists in Malaysia such as Yusri Sulaiman and Raduan Man. He is currently represented by ESPI Fine Arts.