In vivid colors and organic abstractions of form, Malaysian artist Emilia Mei Shia Tan brings together the
traditional arts of Malaysian batik and Australian aboriginal design, as well as the contemporary arts of
impressionism and abstract painting. Tan was introduced to the art of batik while studying textile and fashion
design at the Malaysia Institute of Art, and developed a strong interest in this art of rich, multi-layered surfaces
and "lost and found edges." In a complex process of trial and error, Tan layers color upon color, material upon
material, using wax and dyes to create luminous images of great depth and mystery. The drips and pools of color in Tan's dream-like imagery are the mark of an unpredictable medium; yet she maintains a superb balance of design, fluidity of movement and expressiveness of form. With a spontaneity of emotion, the shapes in Tan's
works are in continual motion, sweeping upward in vigorous ascent, or falling brightly in delicate descent. "Art is
an expression of your own vision," says Tan, "and eventually you will make up your own rules."
by Agora Gallery