LOT 24
Seah Kim Joo
B. Singapore, 1939
Farmers and Cockerels, 1970s
Signed “Seah Kim Joo” on lower left
Batik
73 x 98 cm
Provenance Private Collection, Australia
RM 6,500 – RM 9,500
Known as one of the first few advocates of traditional batik-painting, Seah Kim Joo illustrates a dreamy canvas. Set against a background that suggests at the cross between fantasy and reality, the crackling lines of the batik makes this piece an absolute gem.
Born in Singapore in the year 1939, Seah Kim Joo was raised in Terengganu, during which he was exposed to the process of traditional batik-making. He studied at the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts in 1959 before returning to Malaysia to enhance his batik skills through his travels around the east coast. After having won the First Prize at the Malayan Federation Open Art Competition two years in a row, he has then been recognised for his use of dye-and-resist technique in batik. His murals have adorned the Singapore Pavilion, and one of his paintings was selected for Singapore’s commemorative stamp series.