{"id":24237,"date":"2025-12-30T05:49:39","date_gmt":"2025-12-29T21:49:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/?p=24237"},"modified":"2025-12-30T05:49:39","modified_gmt":"2025-12-29T21:49:39","slug":"forum-orchid-motif-makes-singapore-batik-stand-out","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/?p=24237","title":{"rendered":"Forum: Orchid motif makes Singapore batik stand out"},"content":{"rendered":"


\n<\/p>\n

\n

I refer to the article \u201c<\/p>\n

\u2018Like a common language\u2019: Batik\u2019s role in Singapore\u2019s diplomacy\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/a> (Dec 25) which highlighted that batik served as a \u201ccommon language\u201d in regional diplomacy at a recent Singapore-Malaysia high-level meeting.<\/p>\n

While batik is famous in Indonesia and Malaysia, Singaporean batik has evolved with its own motifs, distinct in its use of orchids (such as the Vanda Miss Joaquim, Singapore\u2019s national flower) and a fusion of Peranakan, Chinese and Malay influences that differentiate it from the traditional regional styles.<\/p>\n

Our\u00a0distinctive batik tradition is also largely influenced by the work of the late artist Sarkasi Said, who played an instrumental role in establishing a visual style of batik which is uniquely Singaporean.<\/p>\n

Mr Sarkasi designed the iconic Singapore Dress in the 1970s for the National Trades Union Congress featuring his signature orchid motif, which established him as the \u201cBaron of Batik\u201d and brought wearable batik to prominence, elevating it from craft to art and making him a household name in Singapore.<\/p>\n

The orchid motif batik serves both as a nod to Singapore being a Garden City and an acknowledgement of the nation\u2019s rich South-east Asian ancestry and shared regional heritage. <\/p>\n

Osman V.P. Mohamed<\/b><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n