From fashion to accessories to home decoration, theatre sets and events,the versatility of Syl’Batik allows a wide variety of patterns, colours, size and shapes to explorethe artist’s whims, client’s themesand current trends.
Whatever your needs and ideas, Syl’Batik will create unique pieces to enhance your event and lifestyle.
Let us colour your desires !
Creation of unique pieces:
Syl’batik has developped a unique technique of hand painted batik on silk and cotton. She uses tjanting, patterns, colours and transparencies to create large original artworks that participate every year to events and exhibitions as well as being in private collections, in France, Mexico and South Africa.
Inspiration : The formidable nature of Africa and France’s colourful landscapes combine in my work to provoke a sense of “colour-fullness” which I like to associate with transparencies. Process : I use tjanting (which is a spouting tool traditionally used in Java to design patterns using hot wax) layers, colours and transparencies to create large original hand painted artworks on silk and cotton. Batik is an ancient printing technique on fabric using WAX as a resist. Unlike traditional Batik I do not use dye baths but hand paint every inch which allows me a wide variety of colours and super-impositions.motifs.
The creative process is quite physical : the pieces are often 350+ x 220 meters which I “layer” with wax and paint. It is a long term process where patterns and colours are applied successively to create intricate motifs.
Chiapas, Mexico, 1997. Working on large satin pieces, using lights and transparencies my Batik participated to the Chamula Indigenous Festival and a few months later, I put up my first exhibition with Galeria Mas Medula in Mexico City : 8 large Batik were sold on the first night. So there was passion and incentive! I made Cape Town my home where I started creating under the name of Syl’Batik. I have, through all these years, developed a very unique technique of Batik almost obsessively detailed and hand painted. I work mostly on silk and cotton to create artworks for Events and on commission. I associate with tailor LC Collection to create my own range of home decoration and accessories and with Fashion Warior Masa Mara to create our range of men and women’s wear.
“Rues d’été 2018” - “25kgWhat” - “La Plaque Tournante” - “XXXL” - “Les Journées du patrimoine” with Artvistar and the city of Graulhet, Domaine de Cantalauze in France 2018 - the Baardskeerdersbos Art Route 2016 & 2017, "Les Escales de Saint-Nazaire 2016"- "Cape Town Carnival 2015"
Exhibitions with the Malpitte Artivists : “5 Elements", Oude Molen Village, "SoftServe" @ Iziko National Gallery & the Cape Town City Festival.
France : Galerie Catherine Clare, Christian Lacroix, Galerie Annie Stansal, Kursaal.
Arts & Community Projects :
Art therapy with Youth at Risk, Oude Molen Village- Art therapy sessions for youth at risk, offered since 1999 in our workshops at Oude Molen Village, Cape Town. We offer the participants various approaches : ceramics, sculpture, drawing, painting andbatik, as support for a personal reflection on a chosen theme.
"Teaching Batik to Art teachers" : Community project Crossroads, Cape Town, in partnership with the artist Jeannette Unite.
Art therapy with the patients of the Valkenberg Mental Hospital Cape Town : art therapy workshops offering the technique of batik on small works in silk or cotton.