Did you know there are 12 categories of Malay textiles? And that other Asian and European countries copied Malaysian-style textile to export globally?
You can learn this and other exciting trivia at John Ang’s latest exhibition – ‘Splendours of Malay World Textiles’ – that opened on Monday at Menara Ken, Taman Tun Dr Ismail, in Kuala Lumpur. The exhibition ends on Oct 30.
The three-month exhibition also has workshops and lectures. It will culminate in a catalogue in 2023.
There are also vendors selling products in the adjoining room.
Ang spent 28 years as the director of the Samyama gallery in Taiwan, where he established himself as an authority on Asian art, publishing a book on Chinese furniture, and books on yoga and Asian cuisine.
Explaining his decision to hold the exhibition, Ang, who has over 5,000 pieces in his private collection, said he wanted to educate youngsters about their history.
“Although I have over 5,000 pieces, only 700 of them are on display for this exhibition,” he said.
“I plan to have other exhibitions – one for songket, and another for batik,” added Ang, who has a B.A. and M.A. in Asian Art History from the University of Michigan.
“This is a significant exhibition for the younger generation as it explains the history of textiles. We hope to share the stories their parents and grandparents do not know.
“When you learn about your history, you get a sense of identity.”
One example is the 12 categories of Malay textile – Songket (brocade), Limar (weft ikat), Telepuk (gold leaf applique), Tekatan (embroidery), Pelangi (tie-dye), Ikat Loseng (warp ikat), Tenunan (plain weave of stripes and checks), Linangkit (tapestry), Cetakan (prints), Batik (wax resist), Renda (lace) and Anyaman (woven unspun plant fibre).
There is a description of each category on the hall of the room that leads to the exhibition.
Many who were privileged enough to have a sneak peek of Ang’s collection last Saturday said that they did not realise that there were 12 categories. Most only knew batik, songket, cetakan, and sulaman.
“This collection is my gift to Malaysians, whom I have learned to love since I moved here in 2018. I hope it brings you joy and empowers you to be confident in your culture, which has a beautifully rich and diverse history, something worth preserving and celebrating,” added Ang, who was born in Chicago, to Singaporean parents.
Association of Traditional Textile Lovers president, Nini Marini Ramlan, said she was excited about the exhibition, as Ang curated the 12 categories in individual rooms with stories on how he paired the costumes and textiles.
“You will learn about the origins of these textiles. I love learning about them, especially at my age,” said Nini Marini.
“We can educate ourselves, be proud of our textiles, and pass this information to future generations.
“From this exhibition, we can see that the Malay world spanned farther than we knew. We can marvel at how large our world used to be.
“When I started learning about the nature of traditional textiles, I was so proud that we were so open-minded back then.”
Ang said studying the history of the textiles led him to discover the power of unity and how this homogeneity brought all the Malays together and captured the world’s attention.
He learnt how the British, Dutch, Japanese, Swiss, and the Austrians were also producing Malaysian-style textiles and adapting them to their culture. He saw how some Austrian manufacturers copied Indian designs that the Malays loved.
Ang also learnt how the Malay world embraced these adaptations and adopted them into their designs.
That was how he discovered designs based on the 1956 movie ‘Around The World In 80 Days’, and the moon landing in 1969.
“As I dug deeper into the subject, I discovered Japanese textiles that had been copied from British textiles, which in turn, were inspired by the Malay world,” said Ang, who moved to Malaysia to further study, and build his collection.
“It is such an interesting storyline, and that is what I hope to showcase in this exhibition, too.”
He explained that it was not easy to mix and match some outfits, and that he and his team had to go through 50-60 sarongs and baju (shirts) to get a match.
Ang also said Malaysia will host the eighth Traditional Asean Textile symposium in Sept 25-30, with the Raja Permaisuri Agong, Tunku Azizah Aminah Maimunah Iskandariah, as the patron.
Tickets to the exhibition are available at www.johnang.com.my for RM35. You can also book tours on the website.
