Lot 53
FATIMAH CHIK
b. Johor, 1947
POHON BERiNGIN, 2002
Signed and dated 'fatimah chik 2002' lower right
Batik laid on canvas
122cm x 122cm
PROVENANCE
Private collection, Kuala Lumpur
PROVENANCE
Text and Textures, Galeri Petronas, Kuala Lumpur, 2002.
ESTIMATE RM 6,000 - 9,000
PRICE REALISED RM 9,900
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This work is a departure from Fatimah Chik’s usual Nusantara matrix, being one of four based on the Sejarah Melayu (The Malay Annals) and hinged on the rhythm of repetitions of the leaf motif of the Pohon Beringin (Tree of Life). The arcade-like layerings in different shades of colours offer a complex design of sophistication and beauty. On the top of the painting are eave-like overhangs reminiscent of Malay houses as a decorative element and to counter-flow the pucuk (bamboo shoot) thrusts upwards. Curiously and maybe inadvertently, a ring looking like a symbolic yoni, a source of life energy, is also clasped in the centre. According to Tok Dalang Hamzah Awang Amat, the Pohon Beringin is symbolic of the powerful cosmic power (Wayang Dalam Bayang, Kertas Kerja Festival Wayang Nusantara, Akademi Seni Kebangsaan).
Fatimah is one of the grandmasters of batik art, with her innovations in block printing with iconography appropriated from Nusantara motifs. She graduated with a Bachelor of Design in Textile at MARA Institute of Technology in 1971 and later taught there as well as at the Malaysian Institute of Art. Her move to fine art took place in the late 1970s when she discovered the rich textile traditions of the Southeast Asian region. In her works, she attempts to incorporate traditional block printing methods of batik with modified designs of regional motifs, making her one of the most experimental woman artists working in the contemporary Malaysian art scene. She won 2nd Prize (batik category) in the Permodalan Nasional Art Competition in 1985, the year she held her first solo at Saujana Fine Arts in Subang Jaya. She won the Juror’s Choice in the Malaysian component of the Philip Morris Asean Art Awards in 1996 and the 1st Prize in the Senireka Sejadah Kebangsaan in 2002. In 1999, she was one of the Malaysian artists selected to take part in the 3rd Asia-Pacific Triennial in Brisbane, Australia.
REFERENCE
The Batik Art of Fatimah Chik, Redspot Design Centre.
Simbolisme Pohon Beringin dalam Wayang Kulit Kelantan, Malaysia, article by Sugu Singham, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Penang.
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