features
Tracing roots of batik as modern art
Chuah Thean Teng’s Satay Seller is one of his pioneering works and completed in 1970. – ILHAM Gallery pic, February 22, 2016.If you think that batik is contained in the realm of traditional textile art, think again.
The medium has been used by contemporary Malaysian artists to create paintings that reflect our search for a national and cultural identity set against a constantly changing and increasingly modernised world.
“Love Me in My Batik: Modern Batik Art from Malaysia & Beyond” is an exhibition organised by ILHAM Gallery that explores batik painting as a modern art form in Malaysia from its emergence in the 1950s until now.
Curated by gallery director, Rahel Joseph, and Simon Soon, the exhibition features 39 artists from the pioneering works of Chuah Thean Teng, Tay Mo-Leong and Khalil Ibrahim to the contemporary styles of Liew Kung Yu and Yee I-Lann, all telling a uniquely Malaysian story.
The batik paintings serve as an artistic record for the search for a localised artistic vision, a struggle for a Malaysian nationhood and the bringing of traditional art forms into the modern world.
It also examines the cultural and historical context of batik painting from first being supported by a system of colonial patronage that recognised it as a fine art to its development into a popular cultural phenomenon which includes the development of a batik craft industry.
Visitors to “Love Me in My Batik” will also be able to view a special showcase of modern batik designs from the 1960s to 1980s donated by Raja Fuziah to the Department of Museums.
Guests can also compare Malaysian batik paintings to a small selection of batik artworks by contemporary Indonesian artists Eko Nugroho, Bambang “Toko” Witjaksono, Samuel Indratma and Samantha Tio (Mintion) and Agung Budi Kuswara (Kabul).
“Love Me in My Batik” will be held February 28 to June 15, 2016. The gallery opens from 11am to 7pm from Tuesday to Saturday and 11am to 5pm on Sunday. It is closed on Monday and public holidays.
For information, log on to www.ilhamgallery.com. – February 22, 2016.
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