Ibrahim Hussein: Self and Identity

Ibrahim Hussein, My Father and the Astronaut, 1970, acrylic.

Ibrahim Hussein was born to a poor family in Malaysia, and always had a knack for art. He studied at Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts in Singapore, and considered his medium to be "Printage", a combination of printing and collage.

What you need to know about this artwork in relation to world history:

THE SPACE RACE: a competition between Russia and the USA to land a man on the moon first. Landing first meant that the winning Superpower would show that they were technologically more advanced, and would be seen as more advanced in a military sense as well.

The Russians landed a craft on the moon in 1959.

The Americans landed a manned spacecraft, Apollo 11, on the moon on 20th July 1969. The world stood watching as Niel Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin set foot on the moon.

Please make sure to zoom in and see the writing that is present in the artwork. They are important.

"Place sungai limau dalam, yen" is the place where Ibrahim Hussein was born.
"13 March 1936" is the artist's birthday.

Also: Asian Cultural History:

Sometimes, children would refer to their father as "My Father the Astronaut". This was because some fathers would always be traveling for business, and only home for brief periods of time. However, based on the image of how his father is portrayed, we can infer that this was probably not the case in Ibrahim Hussein's household. Also, the title of the painting is "My Father AND the Astronaut". It is still worth noting however.

Question 1a: Using what you know, why do YOU think that Ibrahim Hussein has juxtaposed the image of his father with an astronaut? What is the relationship between the two (also think about the title)?

Question 1b: Why do you think that the text that is placed between the figures relates to the artist's birth? Where does the relation lie between this and the rest of the work?

Question 2: DESCRIBE the mixed-media artwork:

Answer these questions as a guide for ALL 2-D mixed media works (some questions do not apply to every painting):

• What is the artwork an image OF? (What are the identifiable things IN the artwork?)
• Where are these things located IN the artwork?
• Where does the subject of the artwork take place? (in a room, at a festival, etc)
  
• What COLORS are used & what do they look like? (bright, dull, earth tones, etc)
• What type of PERSPECTIVE is used in the artwork?
• What materials are used? Is there a unique effect that these materials create?
  
• What texture (if any) does the artwork have?