 |
| Zainal Abidin Hj Ibrahim, local Brunei batik artists and textile designer during an interview with The Brunei Times. Picture: BT/Quratul-Ain Bandial |
A pioneer in Brunei's batik scene, Zainal Abidin Hj Ibrahim , 62, has been very vocal about the dearth of talent to carry on the centuries-old tradition of batik painting, made famous by artists like Singaporean Sarkasi Said Tzee and Malaysian Ramsay Ong.
In an interview at his Beribi showroom, Zainal Abidin Hj Ibrahim spoke about the current batik art exhibition at the Waterfront Gallery, which he called "disappointing".
While the exhibition starts off with works from some of the genre's greats - like Sarkasi said Tzee and Ramsay Ong - and even some of Zainal Abidin Hj Ibrahim's own paintings, he said the amateur works produced from a series of batik workshops for young artists lacked depth.
"What I saw is very disappointing - not much improvement... I look at student's work and nothing. I don't see any talent or something to be proud of."
"I can't blame the students, it is those who teach it who don't have pure knowledge, or are knowledgeable about the process of batik."
Producing batik is an arduous process which can take weeks, by melting wax on to the canvas before hand-dyeing it a series of colours to create the desired image or effect.
"I think it is their approach whether they are ignorant about the process of batik or don't really care about what is art," said Zainal Abidin Hj Ibrahim.
"Batik is a process of art and here I see no direction at all."
With more than 40 years of experience including a brief stint as a fine arts instructor at local university Zainal Abidin Hj Ibrahim has vast experience in batik, from traditional methods to using digital tools to create motifs.
He said most art instructors in schools and workshops are not experienced enough to steer young talent.
"They just see, they just listen, take a one or two day workshop then start teaching people. This may be a good way to promote (batik artwork) but the proper way to do art is you must have a system and be disciplined."
"Of course art can be experimental you can be immersed in different elements. But you must be immersed in art, the proper technique of doing it. That is part of their failing that they cannot achieve quality."
The fact that the Waterfront Gallery exhibition does not display any recent batik paintings since 2004, speaks to the scarcity of quality local artwork, Zainal Abidin Hj Ibrahim lamented.
"I went the other day and thought this is ridiculous work. If I was a teacher I would fail them."
He said there a few local veteran artists who, although may not use batik as their main medium, are well-versed in the genre and could offer much-needed guidance to students.
"We need to involve veteran artists so they can guide the young ones. These people (students) are creative but they need proper technique. So at the end they produce something subpar or has no meaning and it's a pity."
However, batik painting is a dying art not only in Brunei, but in the region as well. In the past five eyars, Zainal Abidin Hj Ibrahim himself has largely moved away from batik painting and into commercial textile production as a batik apparel designer.
He has a traditional batik workshop in Solo, Indonesia where he produces his hand-made textiles, and send his digital motifs, created on Adobe Illustrator and other software, to be made in South Korea.
The veteran has participated in a number of international textile exhibitions, including the World Expos in China and South Korea, where he was able to attract the interest of international buyers.
"Most batik artists feel like there is no market for the paintings, so they move into textile batik design. It is a sad truth."
The Brunei Times.
http://www.bt.com.bn/2012/12/23/batik-art-decline-due-poor-guidelines
