‘Recollectus’ encompasses 10 paintings and is the result of Dhavinder’s exploration of space, memory and loss during his time at the Razak Mansion. Although the space itself may no longer exist, demolished by the necessities of modernity, the essence of it is collected here for the audience. ‘Recollectus’ is also a tribute to Dhavinder’s family, specifically his grandmother from whom he inherited the property.

Dhavinder describes his work as being “isolated“ and “abandoned”. “It is clinical yet sombre”. His fascination with the old industrial parts of the city and new developments in Kuala Lumpur as well as childhood memories are expressed in almost all the pieces. His observations of the space (Razak Mansion) – the hollow bricks, the weathered walls, and the state of decline – throughout the nine mixed medium paintings capture the qualities of a decaying structure. While his earlier work had a lot of human depictions, this collection has none at all. ‘Recollectus’ brings together not only the essentiality of these spaces, and how they take up place in our memories, but also the physicality of the lost settings through the usage of carefully curated materials to represent desolation. (The Razak Mansion housed 658 people, all of whom were displaced from their home once the order of demolishing came through).

Dhavinder is best known for his series of installations that combine geometry and colour to
probing effect. In ‘Recollectus’, he continues to utilise clean geometric forms on canvas, drawing a subtle but definite connection throughout his works in its various mediums.