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Emilia Tan

Enchanted Forest / 45cm x 30cm / batik on cotton / 2004

Emilia Tan, was born in 1981 in the state of Selangor. In vivid colors and organic abstraction of form, she brings together the traditional arts of Malaysia batik and Australia aboriginal design, as well as the contemporary arts of impressionism and abstract painting. Emilia was introduced to the art of batik while studying textile and fashion design at the Malaysia Institute of Art. She 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, Emilia’s layers colour upon colour, material upon material, using wax and dyes to create luminous images of great depth and mystery. The drips and pools of colour in Emilia’s dream- like imageries are the mark of an unpredictable medium; yet she maintains a superb balance of design, fluidity of movement and expressiveness of form. With spontaneity of emotion, the shapes in Emilia’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 Emilia, “and eventually you will make up your own rules.”