From a successful architect who traversed Southeast Asia to a flourishing artist championing batik in UK, Shirlyn Low’s creative spark has taken her on many adventures.
Her first foray to the UK started when she pursued her master’s degree in architecture there in the early 2000s. Subsequently, she stayed on to work there for another 3 years before moving back to Malaysia in 2008.
After building up her portfolio with various hotels and luxury residences across Malaysia, Singapore, and Indonesia for over a decade, she returned to the UK during the Covid-19 pandemic.
It was there that her spark for batik was ignited. As interest in her art grew, she decided to forgo her comfort zone of architecture and dive headfirst into batik painting full-time.
With that, Batik Ying was born.
Finding passion and balance in batik
The first seed for Shirlyn’s passion was planted quite some time ago when she worked as an architect in Southeast Asia, having worked closely with batik artisans to develop artwork for the hotels she designed.
Fast forward to 2023, she realised that her enthusiasm for architecture had dimmed. At the same time, the mother of two sought an alternate career path that would allow her more flexibility and time to spend with her children.
With that, she took baby steps into batik by sharing her artwork at community events in the West Midlands region.
She was then invited by a local dumpling shop to organise her first ever batik workshop. To her surprise, the event sold out in two weeks, signalling considerable interest in her art and the art form itself.
From then on, Batik Ying also known as batikying on Instagram has gone from strength to strength, having been selected to participate in numerous group exhibitions in Birmingham and Manchester, as well as collaborate with brands such as the John Lewis department store, World of Women Foundation and Birmingham Design Festival and work on commissions by the Great Western Arcade and other private clients.
Changing the perspective of batik with a contemporary approach
Collaborations and exhibitions aside, Shirlyn has also shared the heritage of batik by delivering workshops to over 200 people combined.
Unlike most artists in the same vein, Shirlyn had not received any formal training prior to embarking on Batik Ying, having come from a background in architecture.
However, she was able to pick up the skill through her work with traditional batik artisans and self-learning.
Her informal education has clearly worked in her favour, as she is now known for her singular batik art style that weaves in modern influences for a fresh, contemporary twist.
“I think if we can continue modernising batik and change the Malaysian perspective of it as just a traditional kraftangan to an art medium filled with rich history and heritage, batik will grow and continue to thrive,” said Shirlyn of the motivation behind her art style.
Connecting Malaysians abroad through batik
While Shirlyn already has many workshops and galleries under her belt, she has plenty more to look forward to, such as her upcoming exhibition at the prestigious Royal Birmingham Society of Artists Gallery.
Recently, Batik Ying had one of its most memorable collaborations yet —an art exhibition and group batik painting workshop held jointly with MyHeart as part of TalentCorp’s Salam Dari Malaysia UK Outreach Programme.
Together, Shirlyn and the participants completed a piece of art that is as vibrant in colour as it is in Malaysian symbolism. The masterpiece featured flowers decorated with dots, a motif that is often featured in the traditional Malaysian batik sarong.
Through the design and the activity of batik painting, Shirlyn wanted to transport her fellow UK-based Malaysians back home and evoke the spirit of unity.
At the same time, the batik artist was able to showcase her work to the Malaysian Minister of Human Resources and Chairman of TalentCorp, thus elevating Batik Ying’s profile.
Growing Batik Ying & new connections with MyHeart
On the subject of MyHeart, Shirlyn expressed that she is looking forward to using the platform to search for networking events with entrepreneurs like her and small business owners, whether for personal development or collaboration opportunities.
She also hopes the portal will connect her to other Malaysians based abroad who wish to make batik art a part of their events.
“I think what MyHeart does in reaching out to Malaysians abroad and closing the gap between us is meaningful,” she said in regards to her experience with the platform.
Are you a Malaysian abroad looking to organise an event in your area? Sign up on MyHeart to feature your event on the portal and invite Malaysians near you.
