Chef de Mulu

In The Birds, Chef de Mulu unfolds a vision from a bird’s-eye view: a traditional village rendered in abstract, flattened outlines, over which the movements of the sea surge. Sweeping blue strokes appear as waves crashing with full force onto the houses. Ink splashes and vigorous lines capture the overwhelming force of nature – the looming disappearance of home in the face of rising sea levels.

The composition oscillates between structure and dissolution: houses and waves seem to merge, as if the sea were already engulfing the village. The title refers not only to the elevated perspective, but also to the Symbolist dimension: like in a nightmare, the scene is seen from above – distant, yet filled with existential threat. The work speaks of fear, transience and loss – blue dominates, as the colour of water, drowning and decline.

Stylistically, The Birds combines the gestural power of Neo-Expressionism with the spontaneity of Tachisme. At the same time, the sweeping, rhythmic brushstrokes reveal a clear reference to Japanese traditions: recalling the expressive freedom of Sumi-e ink painting and the disciplined elegance of Shodō calligraphy. This interplay of eruptive energy and meditative control gives the work its double tension.

Thus, The Birds becomes an image between reality and symbol: it reflects both the tangible threat of the sea and the inner nightmare of loss and destruction. A work of high intensity, in which Chef de Mulu unites his Malaysian heritage with the experience of natural forces and cultural resonance in an expressive pictorial language.