WHAT better way can we preserve one’s culture and heritage or even emotional memories other than through artistic expression.
This is true in the case of Penang’s very own artist, Mandy Maung, who has taken the extra mile to bring the best visual and artistic experience for art lovers.
Maung, 36, in her latest solo art exhibition called ‘Orikata Tales’, has brought alive the beauty of batik through her art pieces.
“I am very attached to my grandma, who loved wearing batik sarong. And when she passed away many years ago, I had with me her pieces of batik sarong.
“As I was reflecting on my fond memories of my grandma and the pieces of batik cloth that belonged to her, I came across a video on YouTube on towel art in early March 2020.
“So, I decided to use those pieces of batik cloth to try out the towel art (towel origami). It was something like an experimental project for me.
“From then on, it grew from folding one ‘animal (towel art) to another animal’,” said Maung during a recent interview with the Buletin Mutiara team.
‘Orikata Tales’ is a unique art exhibition involving many layers of artwork. It features the paintings of towel art done by Maung herself.
According to Maung, it is a meticulous process which could take up two to three weeks to complete one art piece. For bigger ones, it could even take more than a month.
“First, I will need to do research on my towel art. Then, I will try doing it with a normal towel before using the batik clothes.
“And for towel art, we need to start with pieces of cloth either in triangle or square shapes.
“Once I am confident and satisfied with my work using the normal towel, I will sew the pieces of batik clothes.
“I will use the normal towel as the internal structure for my towel art since the batik cloth is a little soft. Aside from that, I also use wires to get the shape of the animals.
“Then, I will take lots of pictures of the completed towel art and sort out the best pictures.
“After that, I will photoshop the pictures to adjust the lighting and contrast.
“Only then will I start painting the images of the towel art on the canvas. I am more of a figurative and portrait artist, so this was something new to explore,” Maung added.
When asked why animals were chosen for her art pieces, Maung said she wanted to exhibit a vibrant and cheerful work of art in light of the Covid-19 pandemic.
“I just wanted to keep it playful. Thus, I felt that animals would be apt in keeping up our spirit. We went through a lot during the pandemic as some even lost their lives.
“Personally, the project kept me going during the lockdown. It gave me the drive to keep painting every day.
“The curator of this exhibition, Ivan Gabriel also encouraged me to come up with more paintings of the animals and turn it into a series.
“The exhibition showcases a total of 12 paintings and 13 illustrations,” said Maung.
‘Orikata’, according to Maung, was derived from the first syllable of ‘origami’ and ‘kata’ which is a universal word used in English, Japanese and Malay.
“The title of this exhibition was named ‘Orikata Tales’ as a symbolic blending of culture and heritage,” she said.
The Orikata Tales will be held until April 4 at the Project26 located in No. 26 Lorong Carnarvon from 11am to 5pm.
Visitors will need to make an appointment for Monday to Thursday, whereas they can walk in from Friday to Sunday.
To make appointment, please contact Ivan Gabriel at 016-510 1575 or Mandy Maung at 012-482 0328.
Story by Tanushalini Moroter
Pix by Alissala Thian