A total of 700 pieces from the 12 main collections of Alam Melayu textiles are presented in the exhibition 'Splendours of Malay World Textiles' at Menara Ken, Taman Tun Dr Ismail (TTDI), starting now until next October 30. Among the collections are textiles based on songket, limar, telepuk, tekatan, rainbow, ikat loseng, woven, linangkit, prints, batik, lace and plaiting. The oldest collection is owned and controlled by the Chinese American and art history expert and collector, John Ang. John moved to Malaysia in 2018 to further his studies and understanding of the history of Malay textile art to improve his collection. John said he collected Malay textiles in 2014 and has since been captivated by the beauty and complexity of Malay textiles.

"I traveled all over Asia to search for and study the results of art history. To get closer to the history of Malay textile art, I moved to Malaysia in 2018 to explore my studies and collections," he said.

The exhibition was launched by the Curator of the Textile Museum Collection, George Washington University Museum, Lee Talbot and the President of Citra, Marini Ramlan, which is a non-royal body (NGO) that loves textiles, which specializes in maintaining and promoting local textiles.

Textiles from other countries that have similarities with Malay natural textiles will also be exhibited for comparison.

The Textile Museum Collection contains over 21,000 exhibits of handcrafted textile art representing five continents and five millennia.

John said, producing great textiles is both technical and aesthetic.

"Nowadays, large-scale textile production uses machines, so many people do not understand the meaning and understanding of past textile products.

"This project marks the start of a new era in global understanding and appreciation for Malay natural textiles," he said.

He hopes that the people of this country and international travelers will take this opportunity to see the exhibition and benefit from it.

"This collection is my gift to the Malaysian people who have been closer to my heart since the day I started living here again," he said.

Nini Marini also hopes that people can spend time visiting the exhibition to understand and feel proud of the country's heritage and culture.

"I like to study Malay history through its textiles because it's already here. The range of Malay nature presented in this exhibition is wider and farther than what we think about Malaysia being so vast.

This exhibition offers a unique opportunity to experience the beauty of Malay textiles. He showcased the main techniques in Malay textile making and explained the particularities within each branch of the technique," he said.

With the content of this outstanding art history, this quality exhibition is expected to inspire, spark awareness, interest among ordinary people, textile enthusiasts, fashion designers, interior designers and textile manufacturers.