Batik Painting Museum Penang — Attraction in George Town

Armenia Street in Penang piqued my curiosity the most as one wanders and wonders, how did Armenians end up here? This vibrant stretch has 13 wall arts (much like how Banksy would do it). I was not OC enough to check off all 13 on my list for FOMO but rather had a more laidback mindset. If I chance upon it, then that is the beauty of the discovery, like stumbling upon the Batik Painting Museum, which offers a cool respite on a hot humid day. A virtual shrine to the father of modern Batik Painting, Chuah Thean Teng, by an art patron who was an elementary student of his when he was teaching art then. The lady of the house kindly sat by and gave a first hand account of his works while I watched a short video that showed the painstaking process of creating a brilliant piece by layering wax and creating gradations of colours from light to dark. Going back to my curiosity of the Armenians, the curator then shared a story of how they were brought because they were skilled workers who worked on the grand Eastern & Oriental Hotel (a must see for architecture buffs along Jalan Farquhar). Alas, none remained but the street is named where they resided before. Walking further, drop by the Ming Xiang Tai pastry shop, its a must.. for the best flaky buttery mind-altering pastry of sweet and savoury - try the chicken floss with lotus paste. Hint: an artwork of a boy and girl reaching for a basket adorns it’s wall outside. End the day with curry mee and iced lemon tea at White Coffee Penang or peruse the night market at...

Really insightful experience, for art appreciators. It is a museum of exquisite art pieces by famous artists, meant for viewing purposes - the exhibited paintings are not for sale, though there are prints and other batik paintings for sale.

This isn't a batik museum about the history of batik patterns on clothing. As explained by the staff, there is a difference between the commercialised batik pattern printing on cloth, and batik painting as a wax-and-dye art technique.

The owner established the museum for the purpose of educating the public on the niche art form, and unique culture and history of Batik painting in Penang, Malaysia - which unknown to many, is apparently the first known origin of painting using the batik technique.There are no batik classes at the moment, though the owner is considering adding that in the future. Set on Armenian Street a few doors down from the famous bicycle mural, this museum is a gem...

Went on a weekday afternoon, the place was rather empty. Got the student price of RM5/student. The place is a private collection from Dr Tan Chong Guan, featuring batik pieces from Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, Japan, China (and Thailand if I'm not mistaken) in a 3-storey shophouse.

Was surprised that we were allowed to take photos.

Started off with a 20 minute video featuring artist Chuah Thean Teng and the process of making the batik. Following that, we were free to roam around the house by ourselves.

The descriptions are not always informative, but they are definitely funny at times. The batik were in an interesting...