Yusof Ghani’s Tari series is the most sought-after of his works. Of the all-time top 100 lots sourced from Malaysian art auction houses since 2010, the Tari series snagged a total of 12 positions. The series, spanning 1987 until 1993, was unveiled at a solo exhibition at Galeri Citra, Kuala Lumpur, in 1989. Tari, or dance, is a misnomer, as it is often deemed celebratory, but Yusof Ghani’s Tari is often about human strife and struggle, protests and agitation, with nebulous figures in faint outlines and sometimes looking like bandaged, locked in physical contact. A sense of enhanced tension is latent from the play of rhythm and movement, couple with his orchestration of colours, sometimes in just monochrome. The figures usually restricted to fewer than a half-dozen are a dramatization of some nebulous conflict. Yusof Ghani is a late-starter in art, getting formal education first at the George Mason University in Virginia (BFA, 1981) and then the Catholic University in Washington DC (MFA, 1983) without having to go through the usual ITM (Mara Institute of Technology), although he later taught there. Despite having work in art-related jobs for 10 years previously, he did not have formal art education. He has made a huge impact from the various series of his paintings: Tari, Topeng, Wayang, Hijau, Segerak, Biring, Wajah and Ombak. Yusof also organised the Shah Alam Biennale.