- Biography -
Zulkifli Lee (b. 1978, Malaysia) holds an MA in Fine Art and Technology and a BA in Art and Design from Universiti Teknologi MARA, Malaysia (2013, 2000). His artistic practice explores the dynamic interplay between personalised and depersonalised forms, expressed through the language of materials. By juxtaposing the beauty and paradoxes of the relationship between humans and nature, Lee bridges Islamic aesthetic philosophies with contemporary principles.
Drawing inspiration from traditional Islamic and Malay folk art, he creates minimal yet intricate compositions, often characterised by systematic and rhythmic geometric patterns. His work engages with the physical attributes and phenomenological aspects of nature and human intervention. He often utilises organic materials such as soil, limestone, sand, rocks, and wood, as well as incorporating natural forces like gravity, sound, and heat. These natural materials are presented independently or juxtaposed with man-made materials. Rather than striving for total control, he embraces the element of chance and submits to the materials’ naturally occurring properties, sharing the creation process with nature itself.
Since 1999, Lee has exhibited extensively in galleries and institutions across Malaysia and internationally. He has held four solo exhibitions: Material, Order & Chance (2017, Rimbun Dahan, Selangor), Trace (2020, SantySaptari Art Consulting, Jakarta, Indonesia), Interdependence (2021, TAKSU Galleries, Kuala Lumpur), and his latest solo exhibition, Consonance & Dissonance (2024), at Mizuma Gallery, Singapore.
Lee has also participated in artist residencies, including a year-long residency at Rimbun Dahan, Selangor, Malaysia, in 2017 and a three-month ACME Studio Associate Artist Residency in London, UK, in 2019. His works have been exhibited in Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, South Korea, Hong Kong, and the United Kingdom.