Meet Aniqah, The Malaysian Teen Who Paints Elegant Batik Designs On Skateboards

Skateboarding is a pretty new sport with a small community of skaters in the different states of Malaysia.

As it is still a male-majority sport, the designs on some of the skateboard decks are quite… intense. With flames, skeletons or just plain colour.

However, a teen by the name of Aniqah Shahmi felt like she needed something closer to home, so she painted her very own batik skateboard deck.

“I wanted to learn how to ride a skateboard but I didn’t find one that I like.”

“Then I had a thought: ‘Why not paint it on my own?'”

Speaking to WORLD OF BUZZ, Aniqah, 17, has said that she loves batik and just thinking about the creative design makes her feel happy. As it was something that evoked a sense of joy in her, she wanted to share that with everyone through her art. Up until now, she has painted three batik skateboards.

At first, it took a week for Aniqah to finish a deck but since she has improved and learned from trial and error, it now only takes her four days to complete a deck. The deck is also for sale, however, Aniqah recommends it as more of an art decor piece.

This beautiful piece is for sale!

However, if you want to commission a skateboard deck, Aniqah’s DMs are open! It would also be really cool if local skateboard companies would collaborate with her to make a batik series! We would totally buy one!

It’s refreshing to see younger artists applying traditional art on different types of ‘canvases’. If you want to connect to Aniqah to commission her or to just check out her art, you can follow her on her Instagram! Lastly, the young artist says,

“Malaysia has such beautiful and diverse art originating from many different cultures and traditions. Please remember the beauty of our roots, our traditional art. Support traditional artists and stay safe!”

Also read: Meet Khadijah & Candy, These Badass Women Unite Over How Skateboarding Empowers Them