Batik: An Indonesian Cultural Treasure

The exhibit ‘Two Ladies Found a Culture in Cloths’ arrived in New York on July 24, to start its tour to nine U.S. cities.

PRESIDENT OBAMA'S MOTHER: From the collection of the late Ann Dunham, the president's mother, comes the Tambal Nitik batik, also called Nitik Cakar, worn during the Siraman ceremony. Nadia Ghattas/The Epoch Times

NEW YORK—The exhibit Two Ladies Found a Culture in Cloths arrived in New York, at the Consulate of the Republic of Indonesia, on July 24, the start of its tour to nine U.S. cities. Batik expert Aryo Prakoso Vidyarto accompanied the exhibit to explain how batik masterpieces are created.

The exhibit presented pieces from the personal collections of President Obama’s late mother and Indonesian First Lady Madame Hj. Ani Yudhoyono and was organized by the Indonesian Embassy and Consulate in collaboration with President Obama’s sister, Maya Soetoro Ng.

Vidyarto’s House of Danar Hadi continues to create beautiful batik fabrics in the traditional way. Vidyarto took me through the exhibit, explaining each motif.

There are many misconceptions about batik, Vidyarto said. Batik is the process and not the motif itself. The process is making the fabric. The technique uses dye-resistant color, and wax is the resistant agent.

Each motif represents the environment and time when and where the batik is made. By looking at a fabric, one can determine its origin. Known by the Javanese term Ambatik, or Nimbat titik, batik from the royal courts and palaces are always brown with philosophical motifs and symbols. This represents an Islamic belief that people or animals should not be depicted. This does not apply to Java’s coastal regions, which make batik in bright colors with delightful birds, flowers, and butterflies.