Sarkasi Said, Untitled (Mangroves), Undated
Batik on cloth
121 x 146 cm
Condition: Very good
Certificate of Authenticity from the Estate of Sarkasi Said available.
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Sarkasi "Tzee" Said, built his reputation on batik, a wax-resist technique he taught himself after watching a visiting Italian artist use it, going on to become its best-known Singapore practitioner. Untitled (Mangroves) turns that method toward the coastline, dye pooling and resisting across cloth where his contemporaries used ink or oil: brown branches tangling in quick, squiggling lines against the pale blue of the water.
Mangroves are the quiet infrastructure of the Singapore coast, the tangle of roots that holds the shoreline together, shelters life, and buffers the land against the sea. Where much of Nauti's nautical work looks at the river as it was worked and built, this looks at what grew along its edges - the same coastline, turned toward what held it in place.
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Sarkasi Said (Singaporean, 1940-2021), also known as Tzee, was a pioneering Singaporean batik artist who played a key role in elevating batik from a traditional craft into a recognised form of contemporary fine art. Working primarily with the wax-resist technique, he developed a distinctive abstract style characterised by fluid lines, layered textures, and vibrant colour.
Deeply inspired by nature and his early exposure to batik through his family, Sarkasi experimented extensively with materials and processes, pushing the boundaries of the medium beyond its conventional decorative function. His works have been exhibited internationally, and he remains widely regarded as one of the leading figures in modern Southeast Asian batik art.
In 2020, he was awarded the Cultural Medallion, Singapore’s highest artistic honour, recognising his lifelong contributions to the development of visual arts in the region.
(Photographed in May 2026)