A beautiful textile pattern with the power to transmit the lay back and exotic lifestyle of the heavenly Indonesian archipelago, Indonesian Batik is a cotton dyed cloth, featuring exotic motifs inspired by the Indonesian culture and landscape and is full of symbolism.

Batik is an ancient art form that is still today very much alive. Batik textiles are commonly used by Indonesians not only in traditional ceremonies but also in their daily life, where batik modern clothes are worn in business and academic settings.

Due to it’s deep heritage meaning, the Indonesia Batik was recognised by the UNESCO as a Masterpiece of Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity from Indonesia and the Indonesian Government safeguards and promotes it’s usage to make sure it’s craft will be preserved and developed.

The Motifs

Many Indonesian batik patterns are symbolic. Infants are carried in batik slings decorated with butterflies to bring them luck. Other batiks are reserved for brides or funerals.

Indonesian batik has a long history of acculturation, with diverse patterns influenced by a variety of cultures and influences, ranging from Arabic calligraphy, European bouquets and Chinese phoenixes to Japanese cherry blossoms and Indian or Persian peacocks. Often handed down within families for generations, the craft of batik is intertwined with the cultural identity of the Indonesian people and, through the symbolic meanings of its colours and designs, expresses their creativity and spirituality.

Technique

The ancient technique of Batik making consists on applying wax-resist dye to a clothe. The craftspeople draw designs on the fabric using dots and lines of hot wax, which resists dyes and allows the artisan to colour selectively by soaking the cloth in one colour, removing the wax with boiling water and repeating if multiple colours are desired.

There are four main types of batik today, depending on how the prints are achieved; hand-painted, block printed, screen printed or tie dyed. Depending on the method used, the motifs and aesthetics of the batik will vary.