Ramlan Abdullah
Born in 1960, lives and works in Shah Alam, Malaysia

A graduate in Fine Arts at UiTM in 1982, Ramlan Abdullah pursued his studies in the USA, first at Wartburg College in Iowa, then at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, New York. A winner of numerous awards, exhibited in many countries, he is considered one of the greatest contemporary Malaysian sculptors.

Working with various materials such as wood, stone, and metal with a sense of monumentality, he enjoys projecting his vision of the line into form across different environments, whether public spaces or art galleries. His sensitive relationship with materials leads him to explore the different qualities of surfaces, the fragile balance between solid and void, heavy and fragile, and to incorporate the concept of movement through the articulation of various mechanisms. Between abstract synthesis and observation of nature, he summons the echoes of formal Malay tradition to better position our gaze.

A former professor at UiTM, he defended in 2025 a thesis interrogating his own work as both a statement and an announcement of upcoming projects. His current research examines color, transparency, and line.

Selected Awards

2023 Gold Award, Env. Art KL Festival 2023, Kuala Lumpur

2023 Gold Award, IIIBEX 2023 UiTM, Shah Alam, Malaysia

2021 First Prize, Kota Samarahan Pub. Sculp. Competition, Malaysia

2020 Art Creative Award, UiTM Shah Alam, Malaysia

2019 Acad. Leadership Award, Fac. of Art & Design, UiTM, Malaysia

2007 Mekar-Citra Art Award, Galeri Seni Shah Alam, Malaysia

2006 National Art Award: Sculp., Ministry Of Culture, Arts And Heritage, Malaysia

2004 Zambia Art Council Grant For Artist, Insaka Artist’s Workshop, Lusaka, Zambia

2002 Rockefeller Fdn. Grant S-E Asia Sculp., Hue, Vietnam

2002 Assoc. Professor Title, UiTM, Shah Alam, Malaysia

2001 Zain Azraai Art Award, First Recipient, Nat. Art Gallery, Kuala Lumpur

2000 Public Sculp. Award, Nat. Art Gallery, Kuala Lumpur

1996 Best Sculp., APEC International Sculp. Garden, Philippines Convention Center, Manila, Phillippines

1996 Major Award, Phillip Morris Malaysia Art Award, Nat. Art Gallery, Kuala Lumpur

1995 Grand Prize, Second Oita Asia Sculp. Comp., Japan

1993 Major Award, Kuching Waterfront Sculp. Comp., SEDC Sarawak, Malaysia

1987 Major Award, Second Annual Wartburg Library Art Comp., Waverly, USA

Selected Public Art Locations

Kuching Waterfront, Malaysia

Fumio Asakura Memorial Park, Japan

APEC Sculpture Garden, Philippines

ASEAN Sculpture Garden, Kuala Lumpur

Bukit Jalil National Stadium, Kuala Lumpur

KLCC Park, Kuala Lumpur

National Art Gallery, Kuala Lumpur

UiTM, Shah Alam, Malaysia

Hue, Vietnam

Bandar Johor Bahru, Malaysia

Axiata Arena, Bukit Jalil, Kuala Lumpur

Petronas Management Training Center, Bangi, Malaysia

Icheon City, South Korea

Tasik Darul Aman, Jitra, Kedah

Dataran Lang, Langkawi, Kedah

UiTM Solar Research Center, Gambang, Malaysia

Sculpture by The Sea, Cottesloe, Perth, Australia

PORT, Ipoh, Malaysia

INSTUN, Tanjung Malim, Malaysia

(UTeM), Melaka, Malaysia

Penang State Museum, Malaysia

Solo Exhibitions

2021 Connectivity, The Square MAP Publika, Kuala Lumpur ; Sculpture Garden UiTM Perak, Malaysia

2017 Sculptures & Drawings: Between Form & Object, PAM Centre, Bangsar, Malaysia

2005 So What?, Tj Fine Art, Kuala Lumpur

2002 Defining Divine Dimensions, Balai Berita NSTP, Kuala Lumpur

2001 Zain Azraai Art Award Exhibition, Nat. Art Gallery, Kuala Lumpur

1990 Master Of Fine Art, Pratt Institute, New York

Selected Group Exhibitions

Ramlan Abdullah has regularly participated to jury panel, international art fairs and many group exhibitions including with:

Penang State Museum, Malaysia

Galeri Puteh, Kuala Lumpur

Institut Seni Indonesia, Yogyakarta, Indonesia

Segaris Art Center, Kuala Lumpur

KL City Art Gallery, Kuala Lumpur

Ilham Gallery, Kuala Lumpur

UiTM, Shah Alam, Malaysia

Galerie Seni Shah Alam, Malaysia

CULT Gallery, Kuala Lumpur