Where the Wild Things Grow

The history of South East Asia and the Peranakan people intrigues me and inspires my latest series. This painting, and the others in the series, draws from several inspirations: Malaysian batik, English design, and Peranakan beadwork.

The Peranakan, or Straits, Chinese of Malaysia and Singapore are descended from Chinese traders who took Malay wives. These people not only merged and retained their own cultures but adopted aspects of European culture during the colonization period. The result was a separate and unique way of life and decorative art. For example, the women wear jackets embroidered with Chinese and English motifs over Malaysian batik sarongs.

Malaysian batik is generally hand-drawn and colourful. The flower and leaf shapes often remind me of those found in Jacobean embroidery. So I have painted Jacobean flowers with bold Malaysian colours! Included birds or other creatures are often of English or Chinese design. The encrusted crystals on the work are reminiscent of Peranakan beadwork on slippers and purses.

My work is all about the merging of motifs from different cultures, portraying the spread of art, goods, and knowledge across time and geography.