A part of a country’s culture is immortalised in their art – be it in painting, music, films, literature. Often, it anchors us to our roots and acts as a connection to “home”. After all, as Edgar Degas has said:
“Art is not what you see, but what you make others see,”
Art as a representation of culture is almost always vibrant, emotional and enthralling. With that being said, the combination of two different ‘cultures’ through art allows for some of the most stunning results. Case in point: anime + batik. Farah Mohan, a local artist, who decided to take her love for the Japanese Film company – Studio Ghibli – to a whole new level by combining her art form with theirs.
Mohan is a batik artist that specializes in modern contemporary batik. When speaking to The Rakyat Post, Mohan explained that the idea came from two Filipino artists on Twitter, who had started the #ghiblitober trend on the platform. Being a fan of their work, she decided to hop on the bandwagon.
Recognised by its giant cat-like spirit (‘Totoro’) logo, Studio Ghibli Inc. is a Japanese animation film studio headquartered in Koganei, Tokyo. Founded in 1985, it has since churned out some of the best-loved animated feature films, shorts and television commercials. It is also the proud title holder of six of the 10 highest-grossing anime films made in Japan. Fan favourites include:
• ‘Castle in the Sky’ (1986)
• ‘Grave of the Fireflies’ (1988)
• ‘My Neighbor Totoro’ (1988)
• ‘Spirited Away’ (2001)
• ‘Howl’s Moving Castle’ (2004)
• ‘Ponyo’ (2008)
Mohan explained her process when speaking to TRP, explaining that she can take anywhere from a day to up to a month on her art, depending on size and if the piece is a commissioned one. The sketching, drafting, canting and painting for an A4-sized piece is estimated to take her a full day to complete.
Kudos to Mohan for the breathtaking combination of cultures and art forms!
*Cover image credits: Studio Ghilbi / @novakbatik