Along the Silk Route in Lowell

In Hyang Sook Park’s batik paintings, colors seem to dissolve and then reemerge in a kind of underwater light show that suggests layers of light.
Park’s meditative exhibit, "Floating Worlds: Batik Painting," is at the Brush Art Gallery and Studios from May 1 through June 26. A reception for the artist, who lives in Seoul, South Korea, will be held on June 12.

"She is a really well-known batik artist all over the world," said Signe Kaleel, a fiber artist, who helped bring Park’s work to the gallery. Kaleel’s batik quilt, "Oaxacan Hotel," is on display in the batik quilt exhibit at the New England Quilt Museum through June 19. "It’s so exciting to have her here," she said.
Park’s is one of numerous exhibits in the Boston-Lowell area (as well as one at the Rhode Island School of Design) organized in connection with "Wax Eloquent: The World Batik Conference," which takes place June 7 through June 15, and is hosted by the Massachusetts College of Art. It is the first such conference in the United States.
As Kaleel explains, the batik process itself, particularly when it involves silk, can create the luminous quality that characterizes Park’s work. "There’s such a love there of pushing the dye in with these very special $100 delicate brushes," she said. "Silk has this inner light that cotton does not have."
Batik, which means wax writing in Indonesian, has been practiced for more than 2,500 years, though in recent decades artists have begun experimenting with the process. Park incorporates silk-screened, computer-generated wave patterns in her paintings. The effect of this is to create shifting perspectives for the viewers, with subtle patterns emerging as they get closer to the work.
Certain images recur in Park’s batik worlds, particularly colorful fish that drift serenely from all directions. The fish have a Christian connotation (Park makes references to spirituality and prayer in her own writings) but can also be thought of as representing simply a buoyant journey. Sometimes chairs or stools appear, adding a sense of weight and

guing incongruity.
"In the Midst of Light" includes three fish among diaphanous panels of blue-green, red, and orange. The fish travel in distinct areas, seeming solitary, though they are all pointed in the same direction. One fish is partially hidden by a swath of color, indicating hidden worlds.
Park also portrays the lotus flower and the peony, both of which she has described as having roots in Korean art. In "Wondrous Things I," two cloud-like flowers share a small island surrounded by blue space tinged with yellow and red. A white-dotted horizon crosses the scene, yet the waves of color above it also suggest that the entire scene is underwater.
The New England Quilt Museum’s "Piece de Resistance: Batik Quilts," from April 7 through June 19, includes quilts of impressive handiwork, including "Coral Reef" by Margaret Hunt, a remarkable thread painting depicting swarms of fish in shades of orange. The threads themselves suggest yet another layer of tiny streaming fish.
In "Let Thy Loveliness Fade as It Will," by Terri Haugen, a sleeping nude woman with Modigliani-like face, is made of layered batiks, layers of stitching, and beads, buttons, and gold foil. The woman is surrounded by sunflowers and their loosened petals.
The exhibition also includes several quilts of more traditional style that incorporate handmade or commercial cotton batiks.
Also in Lowell, at the American Textile History Museum from May 7 through September 5, is "Batik from Courtyards and Palaces: The Rudolf Smend Collection" and "Batik Fashion/American Style."
For information on the conference, including registration and workshop information, and for a list of related exhibits and events, visit the website: massart.edu/batik. .