Singapore - Heritage Malta is offering the possibility to artists and all those interested in art to participate in a batik workshop with batik artist Sarkasi Said. The workshop will complement an exhibition of works by Said which will be mounted at the National Museum of Fine Arts between mid-June and the end of July.
Batik is an art form and craft that is hardly known in Malta. It is a wax-resist dyeing technique, which has been applied to textiles for nearly 1,000 years.
Sarkasi Said has exhibited, lectured and held workshops worldwide. Examples of his art are found in countless museums, banks, airports and other public spaces, as well as in private collections.
In his birth-city of Singapore, Sarkasi`s Taman Gallery is a focal point of the Malay Heritage Centre and community.
The Batik artists work by applying malam to a cloth. Malam usually consists of bees` wax and paraffin wax. The bees` wax holds to the fabric while the paraffin wax allows cracking. Wherever the wax seeps through the fabric the dye does not penetrate. Sometimes several colours are used, with a series of dyeing, drying and waxing steps.
The exhibition will be open to the public from 14 June to 27 July.
The workshop will be held on Wednesday, 18 June between 9am and noon at the National Museum of Fine Arts in South Street, Valletta.
The price, which includes the material to be used and a coffee break, is e45. Limited places are available and booking is strictly on a first come first served basis from the Heritage Malta head office in Merchants Street, Valletta.
Source: www.independent.com (June 09, 2008)
