Indonesian batik on show in Amsterdam

Indonesian batik on show in Amsterdam

By Kunang Helmi-Picard

AMSTERDAM (JP): Yet again, Indonesian batik plays a prominent
role in an internationally renowned museum, this time at the
venerable Tropenmuseum in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.

Drawing upon the rich archives of Indonesian batik cloth built
up over two centuries, thanks to the ties between the Netherlands
and Indonesia from the colonial period up to the present, the
show opened on April 10 and is on until Oct. 14.

The Dutch curators of this year's seminal batik display
decided to divide the exhibition into seven sections. The first
section is made up of an introductory overview with a display of
all the possible types of cloth and clothing in batik. Here the
museum exhibits choice pieces of its extensive collection that
represent all the important centers of batik-making on Java and
the entire range of batik styles.

The second section concerns the technique of batik and covers
batik production and commerce. This ancient imaging technique is
based on the principle of a "negative" drawn in wax on both sides
of the cloth, which is then dyed through immersion. The wax-free
areas are then permeated with color and the wax removed. A
demonstration of how a piece of batik is made takes place in this
section and has so far attracted the interest of many visitors.

The third section deals with batik as clothing. Fashion
designers from Indonesia and the Netherlands display their work
inspired by the traditional batik cloth.

According to curator Itie van Hout: "Various kinds of garments
are defined by the size of the cloth, the organization of the
patterns, the colors and the motifs. From the beginning of the
1960s, batik cloth was made into other ready-to-wear garments,
such as shirts, blouses and dresses."

Iwan Tirta and Binhouse production from Indonesia, in addition
to batik experiments concocted by fashion students from the Dutch
Rietveldakademie are on display here.

"Batik and trade" is the title of the fourth section. Batik
has played a significant role in trade, both in the past and
present. Indonesian machine-printed batik, for example, is today
readily sold to countries such as Cambodia. The dissolution of
the "United East Indies Company" in 1779 led to the halt of
imports of Indian textiles to Indonesia (known as the Dutch East
Indies at the time).

This, in turn, favored the establishment of a domestic market
for the batik industry, which developed from a cottage industry
to a large commercial activity as a result. Connoisseurs are
reminded in particular of North Javanese batik cloth production,
which was sold and exported to other islands in the archipelago
as well as abroad.

Parallel to this, imitation batik cloth was produced in
Haarlem, Leiden and Helmond among other centers in the
Netherlands. This mechanical production of cheap imitation batik
from the beginning of the 19th century onwards was exported back
to Java and later also to Africa.

The fifth section deals with the origins and identity of
batik.

Batik developed into a more highly refined art in Indonesia
than in other parts of the world. In Indonesia, it developed into
a core cultural activity, particularly on Java. The various
centers on Java reflect the multicultural heritage of Javanese
history and reveal the cultural and social identity of the
Javanese, the Indo-Chinese, the Indo-Arab and Indo-European
ethnic groups on the island.

The sixth section deals with the interest in the technique of
hand-drawn batik in the Netherlands, which originated around the
beginning of the 20th century when Javanese batik attracted the
interest of Dutch artists. These artists experimented with
different types of dyes and waxes at the laboratory of the
Colonial Museum in Haarlem, the Netherlands. Here, visitors can
admire textiles used for interior decoration as well as for other
batik-inspired artistic activities.

The last section displays samples of batik inspired by
traditional legends and fairy tales, both from Indonesia and the
Netherlands. This includes depictions of the legend of Prince
Panji as well as the fairy-tale of Cinderella. The criss-crossing
of cultural influences through the medium of batik is a riveting
phenomenon, well-illustrated by select samples of batik work by
Javanese artisans and artists.

Those of us who cannot make it to Amsterdam can buy the book
Batik - drawn in Wax, 200 Years of Batik Art from Indonesia in
the Tropenmusuem Collection, written by Itie van Hout and
published to mark this occasion.

Others can consult the museum's website: www.tropenmuseum.nl
or the publisher's website: www.kit.nl/publishers. However, for
textile freaks it is well worth the effort to visit this
important Dutch city to be able to enjoy the choice pieces at
close range.