Sarkasi Said is an internationally renowned batik artist who goes by his artist name Tzee. Called the “Baron of Batik”, he is known for his bold and vibrant abstract style, and his mastery in unconventional wax-resist techniques. His works have been exhibited internationally and feature in many public and private collections. In 2003, he set a Guinness World Record for the world’s longest batik painting with a 103.9-metre-long batik artwork. Sarkasi has also served on committees for the National Arts Council, Malay Museum Commitee, and the Modern Art Society.

Sarkasi Said was born on 27 Mar 1940, in Singapore. As a young boy, he helped his grandmother—who together with his grandfather, came from Karang Malang in Indonesia—sell batik in a time where batik was a highly desired artistic commodity. Through this, he learnt and experimented with batik techniques.

Despite dabbling in other creative forms in his early artistic career, batik became a natural medium of creative expression for Sarkasi as developed as an artist. The significance of batik in Malay culture and for his own family was of inescapable importance for him.

Already a dab hand dealing with the complexities of manipulating silk, dyes and paraffin wax, he was first presented with the opportunity to learn and use dye-resistant methods, techniques and materials at a Singapore exhibition of batik created by non-Asians in the ’60s.

Largely self-taught, Sarkasi travelled extensively, particularly throughout Indonesia, to improve his skills in batik. In the absence of formal batik training, he developed a distinctively bold style that would become his calling card. Now, he is known also for his expertise in unconventional wax-resist batik techniques. His vibrant colours and frequent depictions of tropical natural environments were further influenced by Hawaiian artists that he came to know.

Sarkasi frequently employs traditional motifs, interpreting objects such as orchid flowers in his contemporary, sometimes even abstract batik works. In the ‘70s, he began creating batik designs for clothes that he sold at his shop Tzee Creations. During that period, he designed a Singapore national dress with orchid motifs for a National Trades Union Congress initiative, eventually resulting in him being known as the “Baron of Batik”. In 2003, he produced a 103.9-metre-long batik artwork, setting a Guinness World Record for the world's longest batik painting.

An internationally recognised batik artist, Sarkasi’s works have been exhibited in the USA, France, Japan, New Zealand and in Southeast Asia. Now, his works can be found in public and private collections, including the collection of the National Museum of Singapore.

Known also a champion of batik as an art form and of batik’s role in Malay culture, Sarkasi also believes strongly in art appreciation and the importance of art in society. In this capacity, he served on committees for the National Arts Council and the Modern Art Society. He also played a prominent role in the organisation of the International Batik Conference and Exhibition in Singapore in 1997.

Sarkasi received the Cultural Medallion in 2020. A year later, he suffered kidney failure and passed away at the age of 81.