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'Masa Depan Batik': Unveiling the industry’s challenges and reshaping its future
Batik has a long tradition in Indonesia and has been recognized by UNESCO as an item of intangible heritage in 2009 while at the same time there are concerns about its future. Dutch artisan and researcher Sabine Bolk, however, is determined to keep up the spirit and skills, ensuring batik will always have a future.
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Batik guardian: Dutch artist and researcher Sabine Bolk stands in front of her batik self-portrait that she made earlier this year. Bolk is determined to keep up the spirit and skills, ensuring batik will always have a future. (JP/Sylviana Hamdani)
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atik graces everyday life in almost every part of Indonesia. Since UNESCO's recognition of batik as part of Indonesia’s intangible heritage in 2009, there has been a surge of national pride, with people wearing batik not only to the office, but also to malls and parties.
However, despite its widespread popularity, the batik industry confronts formidable challenges in navigating the fast-paced modern life.
In an exhibition titled Masa Depan Batik (The Future of Batik), Dutch artist and researcher Sabine Bolk sheds light on batik’s current challenges and envisions its future. Hosted in Erasmus Huis Jakarta until Jan. 20, the exhibition provides a comprehensive overview of Bolk’s 14-year research into batik, showcasing iconic pieces that vividly portray the craft’s unique history and diversity.
“We need to show this craftsmanship to the younger generation to make it more future-oriented and sustainably resilient,” Bolk said on the opening night on Oct. 20. “At the same time, this is also an invitation to reflect on the future of batik.”
Dutch Ambassador Lambert Grijns also attended the opening of the exhibition, wearing an elegant sapphire-blue batik shirt portraying the grutto (black-tailed godwit) the Dutch national bird.
“Batik is very special,” the ambassador said. “It’s at the core of Indonesian culture. I’m actually very proud and honored that we can have an exhibition of this element of Indonesian culture at the Erasmus Huis.”
