Syed Thajudeen Shaik Abu Talib (born 23 August 1943) is a Malaysian painter. He is known for his large scale mural paintings of epic proportions set in period landscapes. A distinctive stylisation, romantic treatment of subject matter and the rich colours as in the Ajanta cave paintings of Maharashtra and of the Mughal (enriched from the wealth of Indian mythology) are apparent in his works. This, together with the traditional visual arts' integral connection with literature, music, dance, sculpture and philosophy, helped shape Syed's early works. His works, as individualistic as they are, attempt to evoke a state of rasa, or heightened mood that belongs to a larger tapestry and sensibility of Asian artistic traditions. In many instances where his favourite subject matters deal with women and love, they share the same archetypal symbols and metaphors.
He was born in 1943 in the village of Alagankulam in southern India. He spent his formative years as a student in Penang, Malaysia. He pursued his art education at the Government College of Arts and Crafts, Madras, India, graduating with a post diploma in Fine Arts in 1974.
Returning to Malaysia, he joined Institut Teknologi MARA as a lecturer in Fine Arts from 1974 to 1976. In 1977, Syed Thajudeen joined the United Asian Bank as a resident artist. His mastery in the figurative art is clearly manifested in his miniature artworks to his mural sized masterpieces. Although Syed ThajudeenâÂÂs stylization are influenced by the Bauhaus art of Paul Klee and his Indian education background, themes of his work are mostly based on the Malay culture and literature which can be seen in his Kebaya series and epic Malacca Sultanate series.
Syed Thajudeen has exhibited extensively around the world, including the USA, Belgium, UK, and China with 10 solo exhibitions under his belt to date. His works decorate the walls of the National Art Gallery of Malaysia, Singapore Art Museum, Beijing Olympic Museum, Galeri PETRONAS, corporate buildings and many private homes in Malaysia and abroad. In 2015, he was honoured by the Penang State Government by being invited to hold his Retrospective at the Penang State Art Gallery & Museum. He has also served as a member of the Malaysian National Visual Arts Development Board.
1975 â 1st Solo Exhibition, Penang State Museum and Art Gallery, Penang<br /> 1975 â 2nd Solo Exhibition, Samat Art Gallery, Kuala Lumpur<br /> 1997 â 3rd Solo Exhibition, Pelita Hati Art Gallery, Kuala Lumpur<br /> 2002 â Seroja, Sutra Gallery, Kuala Lumpur<br /> 2004 â Love and its Many Splendoured Images, Sutra Gallery, Kuala Lumpur<br /> 2006 â Cinta Tercipta⦠And there is Loveâ¦, National Art Gallery, Kuala Lumpur<br /> 2007 â Cinta Tercipta⦠and There is Love, Pelita Hati, Kuala Lumpur<br /> 2007 â Women in Kebaya : A Tribute to Datin Paduka Seri Endon Mahmood, Tanjung Art Gallery, Penang<br /> 2010 â Paintings on Love, KL Lifestyle Art Space @ Jalan Maarof, Kuala Lumpur<br /> 2015 â Retrospective, Penang State Museum & Art Gallery, Malaysia<br /> 2018 â Splendours of Love: The Art of Syed Thajudeen, Soka Gakkai Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur <br /> 2024 â Weaving Love & Faith, MOCA Muzium Pahang, Kuantan<br />
2020 â In between the Lines, The Bauhaus Gallery <br /> 2021 â Introspection, The Bauhaus Gallery <br /> 2021 â Roses of Malaysia: The expanded universe of the Kebaya series, The Bauhaus Gallery <br />
1965 â Group Show for the Opening of Penang State Museum by Tun Sir Raja Uda, Malaysia<br /> 1970âÂÂ74 â Annual Shows, Government College of Arts and Crafts, Madras, India<br /> 1978 â Malaysian Art 1965âÂÂ78, Commonwealth Institute, London, UK<br /> 1979 â Salon Malaysia, National Art Gallery, Kuala Lumpur<br /> 1982 â ASEAN Mobile Exhibition, Kuala Lumpur/ Singapore/ Jakarta/ Manila/Bangkok<br /> 1983 â 2nd Art Biennale, Bangladesh<br /> 1985 â 12 Malaysian Artist Exhibition, Taiwan<br /> 1988 â Contemporary painting of Malaysia, Pacific Asia Museum, Pasadena, California, USA<br /> 1989 â 1st ASEAN travelling exhibition of painting, Photography and Children Art<br /> 1990 â National Open Show, National Art Gallery, Kuala Lumpur<br /> 1990 â Malaysian painting in Cologne, Germany<br /> 1990 â First Asian Symposium on Aesthetics Workshop and Exhibition<br /> 1991 â Asian International Exhibition, National Art Gallery, Kuala Lumpur<br /> 1991 â Annual Open Show, National Art Gallery, Kuala Lumpur<br /> 1992 â Malaysian paintings in Brussels, Belgium<br /> 1993 â Malaysian Art 1993, Petronas Art Gallery, Kuala Lumpur<br /> 1994 â Islamic Art, Petronas Art Gallery, Kuala Lumpur<br /> 1994 â Time and Space -with Indian artists, Menara Maybank<br /> 1995 â Man and spirituality, National Art Gallery, Kuala Lumpur<br /> 1995 â International Islamic Exhibition, Jakarta, Indonesia<br /> 1998 â Malaysia Artist Group Show 1998, Cultural Foundation, Abu Dhabi, UAE<br /> 1998 â Rupa Malaysia, Brunei Gallery, University of London, England<br /> 1999 â Malaysian Contemporary Art Exhibition, National Museum of Art, Beijing, China<br /> 2001 â Open show, National Art Gallery, Kuala Lumpur<br /> 2003 â 45 @45, National Art Gallery, Kuala Lumpur<br /> 2004 â Contemporary Art of Malaysia at the turn of the 21st Century, Guangdong Museum of Art, China<br /> 2007 â Merdeka 50: A Celebration of Malaysian Art, Islamic Art Museum, Kuala Lumpur<br /> 2007 â Between Generations: 50 Years Across Modern Art in Malaysia, UM, Kuala Lumpur and USM, Penang<br /> 2010 â World Expo Shanghai, China<br /> 2012 â Olympic Games Art Exhibition, London<br /> 2013 â China Malaysia Friendship Exhibition, China<br /> 2013 â M50, MAP, Kuala Lumpur<br /> 2013 â Wajah M50, Morne Gallery, Kuala Lumpur<br /> 2014 â ReImagiNation, Galeri Chandan, Kuala Lumpur<br /> 2015 â The Origin of Beauty, Busan Art Museum, Korea<br /> 2016 â Shah Alam Biennale, Malaysia<br /> 2016 â International Arts Invitational Exhibition, Taiwan<br /> 2016 â 8th Asian Art, Malaysia<br /> 2017 â Malaysia â China Cultural Art Exhibition, Malaysia