18-07-2025
Malaysian multi-disciplinary artist on why keeping the arts alive matters
Mention heritage textiles, and one might wonder, 'What can I actually do with them?' It's a question that could reflect curiosity and a desire to understand and appreciate its place or purpose in today's world.
For Nini Marini Ramlan, who has spent years immersed in the textile world, it all starts with the stories behind the materials.
'They're just so amazing,' says the multi-disciplinary artist, whose journey began with painting and later expanded to textile crafts, print and pattern design, and new technologies like artificial intelligence.
It's the rich history, long-standing traditions, and expert craftsmanship, all coming together, that make these age-old textiles special and valuable.
There are so many stories woven into our heritage, she says. Take the batik sarong, for example.
'The structural design composition of the sarong is like the human body and therefore there is a natural flow to how you view the design of a sarong, even in how you wear it, so that it shows the best of its design. These elements include the kepala kain (head panel), pengapit kain (flanking border), badan kain (body of cloth), and tepi kain (edge border).
Telepuk, a gilded textile predating batik, remains known to few and risks fading from memory. — Photo: Yayasan Hasanah
'And did you know that the way you wore your sarong once communicated your relationship status? For example, wearing the kepala kain at the front was a subtle way of saying you were single. Back then, that's how people expressed things. We didn't have emojis or social media to show who we were interested in or where we stood'.
In those days, Nini adds, women wore their sarongs in specific ways to say, 'I'm married', 'I'm widowed', or 'I'm single', much like how in Hawaii, the position of a flower behind the ear says whether someone's taken or not.
'We were doing that, too, but with our sarongs. Isn't that a beautiful part of our story to remember?'
Nini notes that globally the world is going into slow fashion mode, and artisanal craftmanship is a big topic these days.
'So why are we not looking at our crafts and crafts people with such high regard? This is a big personal question for me and I feel like the more we put light to it the more people will understand the need for artisans,' she emphasises.
In her new role as the head of Arts and Public Spaces at Yayasan Hasanah, a foundation of Khazanah Nasional, Nini is all geared up to lead initiatives that keep artistic traditions alive.
'My task is to advocate for the preservation of two things: heritage textiles, and the broader support of arts and cultural heritage in general, to ensure they are preserved, conserved, and that the arts continue to thrive in our society and our country,' she explains.
Aptly named hasanah, which means 'do good' in Arabic, the foundation's work spans five key pillars namely Education, Community Development, Environment, Arts and Public Spaces, and Knowledge. Through these pillars, it supports focused, well-thought initiatives that can spark meaningful change.
'Everything is about doing good. So, the vibrations here are very different, everyone shares the intention to give back.'
Nini says that in all the five pillars, knowledge is the foundation that holds everything together.
Crafting kelingkan, an intricate traditional embroidery unique to the east coast, demands deft skill and meticulous precision. — Photo: Yayasan Hasanah
'We believe that progress stems from being informed. That's why we operate with the principle that everyone needs to be knowledgeable and that knowledge is at the root of our collective advancement.'
Each pillar has its own focus areas. 'Under the Arts and Public Spaces pillar, our main focus is on the conservation of heritage textiles inspired by a baseline textile study that was done a few years ago.
'From the study, we identified batik, songket, kelingkan, keringkam, and telepuk to focus on. These stood out not because others were less important, but because they called for more attention.'
Telepuk, Nini says, is a heritage fabric art with Malay roots that predates batik.
'It involves applying gold leaf motifs to kain tenun (handwoven textile) that has undergone the gerus (traditional calendering) process. Once reserved for royalty, telepuk is now largely forgotten and at risk of vanishing.'
Thanks to the Hasanah Special Grant, a book on telepuk titled Telepuk – Forgotten Flowers Of Gold , was published last year by authors Intan Jailani, Khairulanwar Rahmat and the late adiguru (master artisan), Norhaiza Noordin.
The two-year project also included free workshops, apprenticeship programmes, and awareness campaigns, which are all key to keeping this tradition alive.
Yayasan Hasanah helps in its dedication towards cultural preservation and artistic innovation through structured funding, which includes capacity building for the grantees (also known as 'partners') as they execute their projects.
'That's the foundation's entire modality, we do and we give.'
Within the pillar that Nini oversees, the focus includes safeguarding textile heritage and positioning it as a viable contributor to the creative economy.
'We're capacity-building artisans and others within the industry to apply for grants and execute projects that give back to the community or solve specific problems,' she explains.
Preservation is broad in scope, Nini notes, from raising awareness about forgotten craft traditions to producing books and training a new generation of artisans.
Funding for these efforts comes from the Hasanah Special Grant and the Arts for All Seasons (ArtsFAS) grant, both of which are supported by the Ministry of Finance and target projects aligned with the Arts and Public Spaces pillar's focus areas.
Grant amounts vary by project duration, nature and capacity. Three-year projects can receive up to RM2.5mil; pilot and shorter projects are eligible for lesser amounts and are subject to Hasanah grant governance.
'Over the years we have funded a number of interesting textiles-based projects. Two stand out for their impact namely the Brooke Museums (in Sarawak) project, and the telepuk book project.'
The Brooke Museums project called Aspire addresses the dual challenges of preserving the art of keringkam (Sarawak's gold or silver embroidered textile) and supporting at-risk youths.
'By training young people in this art form, the initiative provides them with new skills and mental health support, while actively safeguarding the keringkam's future.'
Kelingkan, a traditional embroidery unique to the east coast region, with intricate patterns often stitched with metallic threads on fabric, is also at risk, with only one active adiguru remaining.
While efforts in the preservation of keringkam continues to develop in Sarawak, in the east coast, Yayasan Hasanah is also focused on preserving kelingkan, observing a need to create awareness for it and foster interest among the next generations.
'The current adiguru is Nik Marhamah Nik Megat or affectionately known as Kak Nik. The 50-year-old is the grandniece of adiguru, Nik Rahimah Nik Idris, who is 82 years old. Kak Nik began learning the craft while helping her grandaunt.'
Yayasan Hasanah also supports the broader arts ecosystem through the ArtsFAS grant, launched in response to the Covid-19 pandemic
'There was a real need at the time... livelihoods were in crisis, it was a bit of a Mayday,' says Nini, adding that the grant supports a range of disciplines including visual arts, performing arts, oral traditions, cultural heritage, and textiles.
Unlike the longer-term Hasanah Special Grant, ArtsFAS is a six-month grant meant to be completed within the calendar year. It encourages artists to submit ideas for exhibitions, performances, workshops, digital content or other creative expressions, offering up to RM250,000 for each eligible applicant.
Nini says these grants are designed for artists with the community in mind, whether they're advocating for change or offering support.
'At its core, this is about doing good for the nation. Advancing Malaysia, one person at a time, across all layers of society. With these grants, we hope to nurture a spirit of collective change. That's the vision we're working towards.'
