Sesi Seni is a monthly one-hour activity to meet an artist or explore an art space in Penang. Join us for a little get-together, discover stories from Penang’s arts community and build meaningful connections.
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Throughout history, we have witnessed the everlasting dance between Heritage and Culture. Heritage will die without Culture, and Culture will wither away without Heritage. This unbreakable bond through time was the inspirational theme for artist Mandy Maung’s latest creation, the “Orikata Tales”.
To further personify her art , Mandy uses Batik as her muse. Used here as the fabric of unity, as Batik is an art form that represents Malaysians as a whole, irregardless of economic status, social class, or ethnicity. It represents a sense of uniqueness that comes only from a melting pot of culture and heritage and a direct reflection of her mixed Burmese-Chinese parentage.
The Orikata Tales by Mandy Maung is comprised of impressive oil paintings of life-like Batik Origami animals (towel art). The word kata itself is universal as it is used in various languages, notably English, Japanese and Bahasa Malaysia. By marrying the word “ori” and “kata”, Mandy successfully emphasizes and encapsulates the timeless dance of Culture and Heritage.
The exhibition specially showcases 12 beautifully crafted pieces carving out a celebration filled with richness and pride. Alongside these explosion of colours are 13 of their muted colour palette counterparts framed with a touch of the past to breathe new life to these illustrations. Orikata Tales, a solo exhibition by Mandy Maung is supported by the Penang State EXCO for Tourism Development, and Creative Economy (PETACE)
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Text by Lily Aziz and Ivan Gabriel
Video production by Tidal61