‘Drops of Colour’ is an exhibition of two art techniques prominent in Malaysia: batik and watercolour. Bank Negara Malaysia’s longstanding support of these two types of painting dates back to the early 1960s and has been continued until the present day. Batik is recognised not only for its wearability but also as a medium of fine art. This exhibition explores an array of batik works which mostly depict family ties and kampong scenes. Among the most renowned exponents are Chuah Thean Teng, who was the pioneer in the field of Malaysian modern batik, Khalil Ibrahim, Ismail Mat Hussin, Tay Mo Leong, Yong Cheng Wah, Lim Khoon Hock (Toya) and their protégé, Lee Kian Seng.

With watercolour painting, the challenge has always been in learning how to anticipate and leverage the behaviour of water as it is absorbed into the paper. The masters of this genre in Malaysia include Abdullah Ariff, a pioneer among local watercolourists. Other prominent names in the Bank collection are artists such as Nik Zainal Abidin, who is normally associated with wayang kulit theme, and Tan Choon Ghee with his illustrations of local street scenes and buildings. Among the other artists are Tham Siew Inn, Wong Seng Tong, Rafie Abdul Rahman, Keng Seng Choo, Mansor Ghazalli, Sharifah Zuriah Aljeffri, Maamor Jantan and Aminah Abdul Rahman.

10am – 6pm
Art Gallery Level 3
Admission is free