Poor Ahmad, a name much maligned in Zulkifli Yusoff’s Brave New Art in the 1990s, notorious for jealousy, ignorance, lust and treachery. Here, his sins are not specified but you know from Zulkifli’s expose that he’s one scoundrel without scruples, without moral. In academia, he becomes Professor Kangkong and in politics, Professor Katak. With the figures in ugly caricatures and monochrome, from his Power Series to his Reformasi Series, the scene looks like a Tom Sharp novel with all the absurdities. This work is illustrated on Page 29 in the book, Zulkifli Yusoff: Powerful Dialogue (The Art Gallery, 2000). At times, Zulkifli uses such slippery characters to comment on his own people and society. And the bad Javanese bring with them their mysticism or black arts… Artist-academician Zulkifli Yusoff has taken part in two editions of the Venice Biennale, more recently in 2019 under the Malaysia Pavilion, and in 1997 under the banner, Modernities and Memories: Recent Works from the Islamic World. His stature is greatly boosted, too, by selections to exhibitions such as the Asia-Pacific Triennial of Art in Brisbane, Australia, in 1993; the 3rd Asian Art Show in Fukuoka in 1989; the New Art From Southeast Asia in Fukuoka in 1991; the Asian Art Today in Hiroshima in 1994; the Singapore Biennale 2013; the Art Stage Singapore 2013; and the Seychelles Biennale 1992. His laurels include the Grand Minister’s Prize in the 1992 Salon Malaysia III, apart from the 1st and 3rd Prizes in Sculpture; Major Award in the Young Contemporary Artists (BMS) competition in 1988 and 1989. He was in the Malaysian team that won 2nd Prize in the Sand Sculpture competition in Hong Kong in 1998. He taught at the Mara Institute of Technology (ITM) and Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris in Tanjung Malim, and was honoured with the National Academy Award (Visual Art) in 2007. He obtained his Masters at the Manchester Polytechnic in England (1991).