Exploring the artistry of batik

At a recent talk and exhibition, Sham Abu Bakar, a batik textile master, discussed the intricate process of creating batik and the difference between art and craft. His showcased designs, including hand-painted and Shibori pieces, highlight his expertise and innovative approach.

From Tradition to Trend

When Sham Abu Bakar sent me an invitation to his talk and exhibition, I was thrilled to attend. This textile master in batik has some remarkable achievements, including winning the ASEAN Selection Award in 2016. The award, from SACICT under the theme “Innovative Craft of Textiles in ASEAN”, was presented in Bangkok, Thailand.

As a Master of Arts graduate from Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM), he first ventured into batik art when he joined the Malaysian Institute of Art (MIA) as a full-time lecturer in textiles in 1996.

Founded in 1967, MIA is a higher art education provider accredited by the Malaysian Ministry of Higher Education. It preserves and revitalises Japanese shibori and other heritage textile techniques through education and community engagement.

Students from MIA.

Taking a closer look at their lecturer’s batik block prints.

Several Piala Seri Endon prize winners have emerged from MIA.

Today, as a part-time lecturer at MIA, Sham, who is also a visual artist, runs his own batik studio, which produces some of the finest contemporary batik textiles.

While not all textiles serve as both art and craft, batik is becoming increasingly popular and well-known among contemporary artists worldwide as a wonderfully creative medium.

The talk was held during the Literature and Arts Fair at GMBB, a popular art hub in Jalan Pudu, Kuala Lumpur. Together with some students from MIA, we listened intently to the definitions of art and craft. We learned that there is a difference between art and craft.

Firstly, craft cannot be easily quantified, which is not the case with art.

Art is known for serving an aesthetic purpose, whereas crafts serve practical human objectives.

“A piece of batik that is associated with sarongs can be produced by arts graduates from an art institution, but creating it is a painstaking process. It will never be recognised as a work of art,” said Sham, adding that for batik or textile work to be considered art, it must first undergo a process of transformation.

His hanging batik textiles in the installation space included hand-painted pieces, block prints, and tie-dyed Shibori, a manual resist dyeing technique that creates uneven patterns on textiles.

An MIA student pose next to the Shibori batik installation.

An MIA student pose next to the Shibori batik installation.

Posing as a model next to a hanging piece of tie-dye batik.

They are truly beautiful to look at, but have we ever wondered about the work behind them?

A traditional hand-painted piece of batik involves a laborious process: drawing the design on the fabric, tracing the designs with hot wax using a tjanting tool, painting the designs with dyes, and then painting the background after applying the layers of colour. After that, the dyes are fixed with sodium silicate, and finally, the fabric is boiled to remove the wax. For hand-block batik, the artisan must stamp every single motif.

Perhaps the next time we shop for hand-painted batik, we should reconsider asking for discounts.

A beautiful installation piece featuring line elements and made of cotton poplin was acquired by Dato Salmah Abu Mansor, a former lecturer and research fellow in textile design. She plans to turn the batik piece into wearable fashion. Style? She is going to surprise everyone!

A piece with line elements, made of cotton poplin, was acquired by Dato Salmah Abu Mansor.

Sham Abu Bakar, the batik textile designer, with a piece of his Arabesque design.

Hand-painted batik.

Sham’s batik was displayed at the KL Lit & Art Fair, which lasted until Sept 16 GMBB. The exhibition showcased the artist’s exploration of traditional and cultural elements through Shibori. The two-syllable word “Ambha” and “Tik” pays homage to batik, highlighting the importance of dots and lines in creating intricate designs. The incorporation of Jawi script and Arabesque patterns reflects a deep connection to Malaysia’s heritage, while the blue and white Shibori series draws inspiration from Japanese techniques, evoking serenity and refining interior spaces.

For more information, you can visit Sham Abu Bakar on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/sam.bakar.

Lecturers and students of MIA. The three artworks behind are examples of how dots and lines are interpreted.