We were looking for an arts project for the Merdeka month celebrations, themed along the lines of culture and heritage, when we were granted an audience by Tunku Azizah Aminah Maimunah Iskandariah binti Al-Marhum Al-Mutawakkil Alallah Sultan Iskandar Al-Haj at the Institut Kraf Negara (IKN) in Rawang to see first-hand Her Majesty’s batik works. IKN had been the Raja Permaisuri Agong’s playground before the COVID-19 lockdown where she had single-handedly painted some 30 pieces of batik fabric. While Tunku Azizah was finishing the exclusive collection for the National Kraf Week, we broached the idea of displaying the batik pieces alongside batik themed paintings by established and emerging artists. Her Majesty later consented to another meeting at Istana Negara where the plan for the exhibition was further expanded and discussed.

And as such, SYNTHESIS is born out of our LOVE, our DREAM and our HOPE that the country’s time-honoured arts, culture and heritage are kept alive. Galeri Prima is proud that it is the first private gallery that the Raja Permaisuri Agong has granted permission to showcase her works. Her Majesty’s works are block-printed batik, which is one of the oldest traditional batik-making techniques in Malaysia. Wooden blocks are carved with patterns to become moulds.

Batik, which is deeply embedded in Malaysia’s rich heritage, is not only a piece of art on fabric but it can also be reproduced on canvas. And as batik has become a very central means of artistic expression for many, we decided to pair Tuanku Raja Permaisuri’s beautiful pieces, with brighter hues and more versatile patterns, with the art pieces by our established and emerging artists.

Learn more about the exhibition: E-Catalogue