Whether the images represent ancient monoliths of clusters or some wild plant life entwined in history and geography, Latiff Mohidin has developed a synthesis from some regional ethos. In the New Straits Times (Feb 6, 1983), the thespian and political-writer Kee Thuan Chye wrote, of Latiff Mohidin’s Pago-Pago: “In the stupas of Thailand, Laos and Cambodia, he recognised the shape that had always fascinated him, the shape that is manifested in leaves, rocks, clouds and countless other forms of nature. In his art, he sought to transpose this shape to a new reality. It was as if, by so doing, he could touch a mysterious chord of existence or revel in the energy of the cosmos.” It is an energy best described by the poet-essayist Salleh Ben Joned: “The drops and lines of light on the glass that shields him from the noise and dirt of Kuala Lumpur reflect in their eternal recurrence the secret energy of his solitude.” Latiff learnt lithography in Europe after studying etching at the Atelier Lacouriere in Paris.