Zulkifli Dahlan died young but he left behind an immense legacy in art

Zulkifli’s Burung Merpalang sculpture, which was reconstructed for the Bumi Larangan exhibition, at the National Visual Arts Gallery in KL. Photos: The Star/Azman Ghani

The late Zulkifli Dahlan (1952-1977) was a trailblazing visual artist that tragically had his life cut short.

KL-born Zulkifli, or better known as Jo to his fellow artist friends, died aged 25 of lymphoma cancer in August 1977, and left behind an artistic legacy – over 1,000 pieces of works – that has yet to be truly appreciated and reappraised until now.