Handicraft display in West Jakarta

Handicraft display in West Jakarta

JAKARTA (JP): An exhibition of Indonesian handicrafts are being held in West Jakarta.

The exhibition was opened Thursday by Mrs. Surjadi Soedirdja, wife of the governor of Jakarta at ITC Roxy Mas.

Among the local handicrafts on display were garments, batik, leather work, marble work, calligraphy, wooden blinds, mats, gems, seashell items, needlework from Kalimantan, East Java and West Java.

Mrs. Surjadi called on the business community to support amateur artists and offer them chances to learn and grow in order to develop and improve their work.

The organizer did not say how long the exhibition would last.

Some participating artisans said they had received generous support after becoming members of the Indonesian Handicraft Council, a loose organization of craftsmen founded in the 1980s.

"We've been to Japan and the Netherlands to market our products," said Udin, 20, from the Jakarta-based Kayu Tangi Art, whose ingenuity gave birth to producing beautiful Kalimantan wooden blind and mats.

"Lots of woods are wasted around the timber factory in Kalimantan," he said. "I thought about making creative use of it."

Prior to visiting the exhibition, Mrs. Surjadi inaugurated the ITC Roxy Mas building, which had its soft opening last April. The building has about 500 kiosks. (14)