Arts of Malaysia reflect the country’s diverse cultural heritage, which is influenced by its indigenous, Malay, Chinese, Indian, and European traditions. Malaysia’s art scene is a blend of traditional and contemporary styles, with a focus on themes such as religion, nature, and everyday life. Furthermore, this unique blend of styles is reflected in the diversity of the country’s art museums and galleries, which showcase a wide range of works from local and international artists alike.
Malaysia’s handicrafts and arts are as vibrant and diverse as their multicultural history. Malaysian craftsmen use various tools to express themselves from cloths to kites. Below are some of the traditional arts, and handicrafts that are well known in Malaysia. Infusing Malaysia’s heritage and cultural history into their artwork, these craftsmen and the craftwork are worth every praise they receive.
Traditional Malaysian art forms include batik, a wax-resistant dyeing technique used to create intricate designs on fabric, and wayang kulit, a shadow puppetry performance accompanied by traditional music and storytelling. Other traditional art forms include silversmithing, woodcarving, and weaving.
Handicrafts and Arts of Malaysia
1. Earthenware and Ceramics
Perak’s labu sayong, geluk, belanga, Chinese dragon kiln ceramics, and Sarawakian porcelain tribal theme are also popular traditional craft pieces. In addition, vases, flower pots, colorful pottery, sculptures, and kitchenware are examples of contemporary objects. Among the traditional pieces, Labu Sayong is a black-colored clay jar shaped like a gourd that is often used to store and cool water. Perak state is well-known for its pottery. Similarly, the belanga, which may be found in many rural Malaysian houses, has a round base and a broad rim. It is usually used for cooking curries because of its round base, which is claimed to allow for more even heat dispersion. Lastly, this angular-shaped jar is commonly used to store water in the states of Pahang and Terengganu.
2. Metal Handicrafts
Traditional brass casting and bronze works have been used to manufacture a variety of utensils since their inception. With the discovery of tin in Malaysia in the nineteenth century, pewter became more popular. Modern ornamental pieces, cooking utensils, and traditional objects such as tepak sireh sets, rose-water instruments, and keris blades are all examples of metalcraft goods.
3. Wood Handicrafts
Malaysia is known for its unusual woodwork, thanks to its abundance of wood in endless tropical forests. All of the houses have historically been built with considerable hand-carved wood. Malaysia’s exotic decorative pieces now include vintage Malay-styled etched frames, keris dagger handles, Chinese pots, special Orang Asli spirit sculptures, beautiful walking sticks, culinary utensils, and carved aromatic woods.
4. Earthenware
Famous traditional design elements like Perak’s labu sayong, geluk, belanga, Chinese dragon kiln ceramics, and Sarawakian pottery tribal motif. Modern pieces like vases, flower pots, stylish pottery, kitchenware, and sculpture.
5. Handwoven crafts
Marvel at the exquisite hand-woven handicrafts of Malaysia. Local plant fibers and pieces from bamboo, rattan, pandan, and mengkuang leaves are coiled, plaited, twined, and weaved to make things like as bags, baskets, mats, caps, tudung saji, and sepak raga balls.
6. Batik
Batik is a dying technique brought to Malaysia by Hindu merchants years ago. Afterward, the designs in this craft are first created on a fabric and then blocked off with a wax layout. Currently, Batik is a well-known art form that is often utilized on bags and pillowcases. Moreover, Batik artisans in Malaysia are well-renowned for their hand-drawn designs, a technique known as batik tulis. The craftsman sketches the pattern with a pencil before tracing it with a classic, exquisite instrument called canting. Additionally, many contemporary Malaysian fashion designers have made batik a mainstay of their collections, designing traditional tunics and headscarves for primarily Muslim women in Malaysia, as well as outfits for customers in Europe and the United States.
7. Kite Making
Kites are intricately designed and handcrafted in brilliant colors and styles. Floral motifs are occasionally utilized to decorate it, and paper tassels are put together to give it a full look. The established art had been popular since the imperial era of the Melakan palace.
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8. Weaving
Malaysia’s natural resources give an abundance of materials suitable for many forms of weaving. Thorny vines, like rattan tree thorns, are best used to produce eco-friendly furniture, and sago palm fronds are also good for manufacturing. In Borneo, sago is dyed in various colors and then woven into creative jewelry, baskets, hats, floor mats, and other items.
9. Songket
Using a complex extra weft technique in which gold threads are woven between the longitudinal silk threads of the background material. This rich and luxurious fabric has previously demonstrated the social status of the Malay elite. The special songket takes one to three months to complete, whereas the standard songket takes roughly three days.
10. Wau
Wau, or kite in Malaya, is a finely made Malaysian kite that has previously flown. Additionally, it is named ‘Wau’ because the pattern of its wing resembles an Arabic letter (pronounced “wow”). Moreover, this great custom is deeply ingrained in people’s cultures, notably in the Malayan Peninsula’s eastern states.
