Synopsis:

Hari Raya Aidilfitri or Hari Raya Puasa marks the end of Ramadan, where Muslims fast and engage in acts of penance for about 30 days. Celebrations revolve around spending time with loves ones and feasting on delicious sweet and savoury dishes. Many families will also wear new clothes in the same hue when they visit their family and friends, sometimes with vibrant batik patterns.

In this special programme that is presented as part of the museum's Ethnic Festival Celebrations for Hari Raya, hear from batik artist Kamal Dollah, and Desleen Yeo, the founder of Singapore brand YeoMama Batik, as they share what batik means to them.

Complementing the talk is a hands-on batik painting workshop conducted by Kamal. Participants can create their own batik painting and even experience using the canting, a pen-like instrument that is used in batik making.

Price for on-site audience includes a presentation and a batik painting set for hands-on session by Kamal Dollah and an exclusive batik mask by YeoMama Batik. Limited spaces available with safe management measures in place.

Enjoy a special discount if you come with your friend/family member. This programme is suitable for all participants from ages 13 and above.

A small segment of the programme will be livestreamed concurrently on NMS FB.

Biography of Speakers

Kamal Dollah is a Singaporean artist who specialises in batik painting and caricature drawings. Kamal completed his diploma at the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts (NAFA) in 1993. He also has a Master of Arts degree in Contemporary Practice from the University of Huddersfield (United Kingdom), with a thesis centred on batik painting in contemporary art. In 2019, he was awarded the Artisan of the Year Award by the Rotary Club of Singapore and in 2020, he entered the Singapore Book of Records by creating the longest community batik as part of Singapore Art Week.

YeoMama Batik is a Singapore brand that uses authentic handmade batik to create clothing for the modern lifestyle. Each piece is handmade from start to finish, empowering the batik craft and community in Indonesia. Founded by Desleen Yeo and her mother (lovingly known as YeoMama) in 2018, the brand believes that everyone deserves to look good and feel good regardless of your age and body shape. It is all about being bold, being batikful, being yeoself!