Guess What?

Guess What?

The human touch is everything for batik master Obin, leaving
her willing to take the time to personally address each
invitation for her coming exhibition.

"I don't want my friends to receive printed invitations. I
want to give a human touch (to the exhibition), starting from its
invitation," said Obin, whose real name is Josephine Komara.

Titled Toko Kain (Fabric Shop), the exhibition featuring 300
fabrics will be held from Nov. 15 to Nov. 19 at the National
Archive building in West Jakarta. Obin's mother is scheduled to
open the exhibition.

The historic building was selected as the exhibition's venue
because it holds a special appeal for Obin.

"The minute I knew about the National Archive building, I fell
in love with it and promised myself that I would use it for my
show," said the devout Buddhist.

Obin's high quality batiks are the result of a myriad
influences. Her horizons are widened by delving into books,
conducting research and with the continuing support of husband
Ronny Siswandi, an archeologist and lecturer at the University of
Indonesia. She said a variety of sources also increased her
understanding of the historical and cultural backgrounds and
philosophical ideas behind each batik pattern.

Her hard work has been fruitful. Bin House can now be found in
Jakarta and Bali, while some of the fabrics are being exported to
several fashion centers abroad.

"We should take what the country has to other countries, not
the other way around." (Wicky S.)