Kulu Kilir by Kide Baharudin

From the 19th of August through the 10th of September, Galeri Puteh in KL Eco City is presenting one of the most anticipated events of the 2023 art calendar, KULU KILIR, the second solo exhibition by Malaysian artist Kide Baharudin.

After several years building a local reputation largely through participation in group art exhibitions and VANS marketing campaigns where his award-winning graphics caught the attention of the broader creative world, Kide's career as a visual artist appears ready to jettison to new heights. With a sell-through rate approaching 70% for the major paintings after barely two-thirds of the opening reception, it's impossible to conclude otherwise.

"Cari Makan" (Find Food) Acrylic/Canvas 208x214cm 2023

When viewing exhibitions featuring artists with whom I've never spoken nor previously viewed their work in person, I initially try to operate in stealth mode. I'd rather not know the artists' back stories, nor am I interested in what they believe they are attempting to accomplish before I view the works. Instead, I prefer to experience them purely on a visual and visceral level. I then put that information and initial assessment in my back pocket and record the reactions of other viewers before talking to representatives or gallerists. Only then do I feel comfortable discussing the work with the artists themselves. Had I simply asked first, what could I possibly see other than the artists' interpretations that they want me to see?

Fortunately, the works of Kide Baharudin are not opaque. Fifty-page manifestos are not required to explain in words the impact that is meant to be experienced visually. That's not to say the works are simplistic or shallow. Quite the opposite, and the artist is clearly not trying to game viewers. The paintings are direct and sincere, audaciously colourful, and proudly bared. After my initial exposure to Kide's work, it can best be described as an amalgamation of street art, graphic story-telling similar to what one might find in comic zines, with hints of purposeful graffiti coupled with an urban street artist's keen eye for detecting the nuanced details of a colloquial Malaysian day. His maximalist all-over compositions are innately dynamic and serve healthy doses of vernacular semiotics that are instantly relatable, thereby granting local viewers agency to further explore similar plot lines in their own lives as they fully engage with the works.

"Selam" Acrylic/Canvas 152x122cm 2023

While loose references can sometimes be drawn with early New York street artists, including Keith Haring, Kenny Sharf, Donald Baechler, and early Basquiat (SAMO), Kide has developed very personal motifs and a visual language largely based on Malaysian lifestyle. To that is added a tender touch that is not often encountered in the routinely brash, attention-seeking street-art style.

Localized cultural narratives and voices are widespread within mainstream artistic discourse, but Kide adds a depiction overflowing with sensitivity, wit, and charm. A humble approach is further coupled with polemics that are charged with enough voltage to capture the attention of even the most hardened cynics and provocateurs.

Admittedly, opening nights are often a whirlwind of emotions and excitement. KULU KILIR was no different. It's difficult to concentrate on any particular work in this show, especially with so many heads bobbing to and fro and at least 5,000 square feet of high quality works to peruse. Nevertheless, I experienced a flashback like I felt during a collective show in the mid-80s featuring Basquiat, Warhol and several others at Tony Shafrazi's former gallery in lower Manhattan, NYC. It dawned on me in similar fashion that Kide's works must also be read and studied, not simply viewed. Of course we must not jump to conclusions to insinuate any form of comparison between some of the finest contemporary artists of all time with a young man who is still feeling out his processes and solidifying his own voice. Nobody needs that pressure, but Kide has the chops. 

"Jalan Pasar Karat" Acrylic/Canvas 152x122cm 2023

While fullly earning the accolades, Kide Baharudin is also an enigma. What makes his work particularly appealing is the broad scope of reference material fused into his stories. Indeed, it's difficult to determine precisely how old the artist really is since the stories seem to be both timeless and ageless. The mere fact that I had to ask is testament to the artist's ability to create proper tales even when venturing outside of his generation and comfort zone.

And then there's the compositional trickery. Slices of life abound through every passing inch and pour into each other to further embellish already complex narratives. From up close, each canvas presents a plethora of Kodak moments painstakingly positioned on flattened planes, be they social gatherings, snippets of time captured on any regular day, protests and marches, trips to the fair, street food hawkers, painful visits to government offices, social undesirables, raucous parties, or seas of bodies seemingly in various stages of desperation sometimes anxious and others joyful. There are also the nostalgic lazy days, the quieter and simpler pace that elders continue to rave about even if it sometimes leads to melancholy.

"Suap" Acrylic/Canvas 206x304cm 2023

Conversely, from a distance, Kide's human forms resemble animals or mannequins writhing and contorting. Some appear frozen into position. Their swirling elongated limbs, protruding necks, or jaws full of teeth dutifully serve as compositional bonds, transitions, and connections. Kide's stylized figures are used simultaneously to not only tell stories but also create tightly woven tapestries of animated painted objects. These elements serve dual functions in a way similar to a skilled architect who designs exteriors of a building to blend harmoniously with its surroundings while designing interiors to maximize livability for inhabitants, all the while avoiding any signs of friction or incompatibility between the two. In Kide's work, this is the exact nexus where you will find his most important feature and the factor that best differentiates it from the artwork of many others.

"Pencurik Antik" (Antique Thief) Acrylic/Wood 96x116cm 2023

Quibbles? None, although I wish I could speak Malay in order to understand more of the written references found throughout many of the works. The paintings and drawings are aesthetically significant while exuding sociocultural, psychological, and historical rigor. There are pieces of various sizes and media to suit most budgets, this in itself a nod to solid marketing experience for an artist whose work touches people and appears to be readily welcomed to be part of collectors' lives forever.

Despite the free-flow element of Kide's style, the works are still very neat, tight, and refined. In time, I supect he might loosen up, torque up the grit and give intuitive expression an equal playing field during the elaboration process along with his engrained precision. He's already proven he can depict exactly what he wants to say and convey these messsages crisply. The next test may be to trust his emotions by letting his inner child run wild again to see how this might enhance his meticulous compositions either by giving viewers alternative interpretations to ponder or challenging them to finish certain plots themselves.

This is the luxury that artists earn for themselves after being firmly placed in the conversation as "one to watch" in the regional art world and beyond.

"Datam Pejabat Tanah" (Land Registry Office) 208x214cm 2023

"Orang" (People) Acrylic & Ink/Paper 84x60cm 2023

Kide Baharudin not only preserves and celebrates the unique cultural identities of the communities he inhabits but also creates a platform for engagement, conversation, and recognition. His style appeals to all age groups, and his employment of symbology that resonates locally facilitates a deeper roots-level connection between the artwork and viewers, thereby fostering a sense of belonging and shared experience. As viewers, what more could we possibly ask?

For more information about the artist, the exhibition, or the gallery, please direct inquiries to Galeri Puteh.