After spending years abroad during his younger days, Aza Osman returned to Malaysia to re-connect with his artistic roots. Upon returning to his country of birth, this young painter found that the pseudo-bohemian lifestyle which was about to taper-off in the 80s still left some impressions that nurtured wholesome creativity among local artists. Aza soon found himself actively inspired by the environmentally-conscious artist colony, Anak Alam (Child of Nature), whose live-in studio was located right in the heart of Kuala Lumpur.

After a spell with Anak Alam, Aza found himself in Langkawi. Its been years and he has not looked back since. These legendary islands have been kind to him, endlessly feeding him with fresh ideas to sustain the Atma Alam Batik Village in Padang Mat Sirat, which he founded with Roshadah Yusoff, a batik artist.

Atma Alam welcomes visitors to immerse themselves in the world of batik. Here, you can browse the vast collection of original batik paintings, prints and other artistic creations. These are the real McCoy, not the tacky polyester stuff you find elsewhere. Original oil paintings are also on sale.

Easily accessible from the main road, this art village is popular among tourists. The building, which is based on traditional Malay architecture offers a homely interior that cleverly showcases products for a comfortable shopping. There is a wide range of authentic, hand-painted batik paintings, fabrics and products such as casual and beach wear. Songket, the intricate gold-threaded Malaysian fabric, is specially made into cushion covers, purses and handbags.

It has been claimed that the batik style that is Atma Alam is among the two in Malaysia that beats a path back to the traditional repertoire of motifs after having explored liberal creative emancipative horizons. The batik sold here is produced locally, hand-drawn as well as block printed. It varies from the experimental pieces to pieces that are well within tradition, offering some surprises, for instance in the choice of colours.

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