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.