The Splendour of Batik Colours Shell’s Corporate Calendar 2009

Kuala Lumpur, 10 December 2008

Shell Malaysia’s 2009 corporate calendar features the works of Chang Fee Ming, an award-winning, self-taught painter, who is today one of Asia’s more accomplished artists working in watercolour.

Traditional batik designs based on flora and fauna have evolved, often taking on a modern flavour with colours that are vibrant and varied, appealing to the diverse and mixed community that is distinctive to Malaysia.

“Batik has been an art, a craft and a symbol of our culture for centuries.  It does not discriminate. It can be worn on all occasions, by men and women, young and old, regardless of race, religion or social stature.  It is constantly evolving.  Today, we have a multitude of batik designs, traditional and modern, hand-drawn, or digitised,” said Dato’ Saw Choo Boon, Chairman, Shell Malaysia at the calendar launch.

For more than 30 years, Shell Malaysia has used its corporate calendar as a medium to promote greater awareness of Malaysia’s heritage, such as rare flora and endangered fauna, traditional arts and craft, local architecture, and ethnic folklore.

“Having grown with the nation for over 100 years, Shell Malaysia takes pride in involving in efforts that help promote and preserve Malaysia’s rich cultural traditions and diverse natural resources. This has to do with being and feeling very much a part of Malaysia, and having a social responsibility to contribute to more than just the nation’s economic well-being, but to its national identity, social development and environmental sustainability,” said Dato’ Saw.

Acknowledging that this is a mammoth task, he added: “We hope, nevertheless, that these calendars will help promote the environmental make-up of this land that makes it unmistakably Malaysia, and remind us of our rich cultural heritage that makes us uniquely Malaysian.”

Born in Dungun, Terengganu in 1959, Chang’s works have been exhibited and collected widely in Asia, Europe and the United States. His bold dramatic compositions and his passion for traditional culture, coupled with a particular love for fabric and textile design, has resulted in remarkable works of art that Shell Malaysia proudly presents for its 2009 corporate calendar.

Note to the Editor:
The Shell calendar has long been a highly regarded corporate contribution to the development of arts and culture in Malaysia. Since Shell started producing its calendars in the early 1970s, the company has attempted to communicate specific messages to the Malaysian community through its calendars.

Considerable research precedes the selection of themes, which have ranged from the preservation of Malaysia’s multi-cultural heritage, the conservation of the country’s equatorial bio-diversity and natural environment, the preservation of its architectural legacy, and the promotion of local and budding artists and art forms.

Over the years, artists working on a variety of mediums from woodcut to silkscreen, from oils to etchings, and photography, have worked on a range of subjects including rare flora and endangered fauna, natural landscapes to traditional crafts, heritage buildings, traditional wedding costumers and ethnic folklore.

Among some of Malaysia’s well-known artists, whose works have been featured in the Shell calendar to-date include the celebrated Datuk Hoessein Enas (portraits), Khalid Ibrahim (traditional crafts), Syed Thajudeen (ethnic folklore), Long Thien Shih (endangered flora/fauna), Ilse Noor (built heritage), Yusuf Gajah (environment), Ajis Mohamed (coral reefs), 13-year-old autistic savant, Yeak Ping Lian (free style) and Lam Le Siang (kampung life). Today, self-taught Malaysian painter, Chang Fee Ming, joins this list of talented Malaysian artists featured by Shell.

ENQUIRIES:
For further editorial information, please contact Shell Malaysia Media Relations: Cindy Lopez at tel: 603 – 2091 3719, email: cindy.lopez@shell.com