Cover Fern Chua
Fern Chua
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The Malaysian batik artist is part of The Balvenie's Makers Project
Batik artist Fern Chua is known for her wonderful illustrations, which can be seen on the items she designs for her label, Fern Batik Collective.
She started the business back in 2013, after delving into batik design as a form of physiotherapy, following a car accident. And what began as rehabilitation, eventually grew into a brand which champions our local traditional art.
By exploring unconventional tools to experimenting with different elements, Chua’s art comes to life via different inspirations and executions which boil down to her distinctive style and artistic interpretation at that particular moment.
Read more: Discovering Malay textiles with collector John Ang
Starting off with batik clothing collections, and then opening the brand’s first brick and mortar in 2019 at Bangsar, the label has come a long way since. Now it even produces bespoke lifestyle goods such as jewellery, accessories, and home decor items.
On top of that, Chua also runs workshops, and her skill has seen a number of other brands as well as organisations engage with her homegrown label.
Among them is the British Council, which featured the talented Chua as part of its Crafting Futures programme amid the pandemic in 2020. There, Chua shared her unique story and art which served as inspiration to other people, specifically artisans and other creators during those times of uncertainty.
Above Fern Chua poses with her finished 'Freedom and Fluidity' piece
Fern Chua poses with her finished 'Freedom and Fluidity' piece
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More recently, she worked with The Balvenie, as part of its Makers Project, which saw her and five other “makers”, or artists from Southeast Asia create art inspired by the spirit of craft that the whisky embodies.
Chua’s work of art, titled Freedom and Fluidity, features our national flower, the hibiscus, as one of its core elements. “My work often represents a blend of the past and present infused with my personal experiences,” she shares on her process. And for this specific piece, her vision was to blend the craftsmanship of The Balvenie with the heritage of Malaysia.
“For The Balvenie, I thought of the fluidity that captures its essence, and for Malaysia, it was the art form I focus on plus the best of nature that symbolised the country, which are the Rajah Brooke butterfly and hibiscus to represent ‘freedom’,” she explains about her masterpiece.
“The hibiscus captures the Heart of Malaysia, then the infusion of traditional batik motifs and fluid patterns connect the past and the present. Meanwhile, the distinct gold wax element represents the richness and elegance of the craft,” Chua adds.
Above The art piece features the hibiscus, Malaysia's national flower
The art piece features the hibiscus, Malaysia's national flower
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The partnership between the whisky maker and artist also saw the birth of The Balvenie gift set, a limited edition which features either a bottle of the 12 or 14 Year Old expression, together with a beautifully designed cup and coaster.
Viewing batik art as both exclusive and inclusive, “because each batik piece showcases unique creativity, yet is simultaneously inclusive because it retains the roots of our ancestors and heritage,” the recently wedded Chua is steadfast on carrying on the preservation and promotion of the intricate local art form.
In fact, she is in the midst of expanding Fern Batik Collective to provide special experiences for its clients, on top of plans to showcase the brand outside of Malaysia to represent and highlight our local art and heritage. We, for one, will definitely be keeping an eye out for more exciting news from her.
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If tall, dark and handsome is what you're looking for, Aaron Pereira ticks two out of three. This fine chocolate man (that is, a connoisseur of fine chocolate), enjoys the theatre, futsal, real-life conversations and of course, the English language. He believes that language should first be used to express, but the business of a sub-editor is to impress.
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