Obama's Mum's Batik Collection to be Exhibited at Islamic Arts Museum Malaysia

KUALA LUMPUR, May 25 (Bernama) -- A collection of 20 Indonesian batik pieces that belonged to US President Barack Obama's late mother will go on display from June 8 to July 20 at the Islamic Arts Museum Malaysia (IAMM), here. The exhibition entitled, "Ann Dunham's Legacy: A Collection of Indonesian Batik", will give visitors a unique insight into the life of Obama's mother Ann Dunham and her work as an anthropologist, the United States embassy, here, said in a statement Friday. The batik pieces will be on display at the museum's Special Gallery 1 for the duration of the exhibition. Jointly organised by the embassy and IAMM, it will mark the first time the collection is exhibited outside the United States. It would be launched by Obama's sister, Maya Soetoro-Ng, the statement said. Most of the pieces were acquired by Dunham in Indonesia, where she lived and worked in the 1960s after marrying Soetoro-Ng's father, Lolo Soetoro. She was naturally drawn to the vibrant textile art of her new home, the statement said, adding that as a scholar and anthropologist there, she helped women in the local craft industry through micro credit and small enterprises. Rather than acquiring rare or expensive pieces, Dunham preferred contemporary designs, some mass-produced, others hand-crafted, the statement said. Dunham died of cancer in 1995 at the age of 52. The exhibition will also feature several mementos from Dunham's personal collection, as well as delve into the history of batik, making of batik and the array of patterns and motifs. For more information on the exhibition and contest organised in conjunction with it, log on to www.iamm.org.my / www.facebook.com/usembassykl. -- BERNAMA