‘A name, a function and a philosophy’: The art of Indonesian batik
Gunawan Setiawan, a native of Solo, Indonesia, is the fourth generation of batik artisans and traders in his family. He was born in Surakarta, or Solo, in Central Java, which is also known as Indonesia’s batik capital.
“Batik is a special art from Indonesia, and especially Java, which is made with wax and dye”, Setiawan said. Prior to wax being chosen, “sticky rice was used to shape out the designs and make them resistant to the colored dye.
Although it’s difficult to pinpoint the exact origins of batik, it is thought to date back to the past when people began to dye cloth differently and decorate it with motifs, according to Setiawan.
Batik is thought to have originated in Indonesia but similar techniques are also found in Egypt, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, India and parts of China.
“In Java, we are surrounded by trees and leaves, and the colors of Solo’s batik reflect the environment.” Each part of Indonesia has its own colours and in Solo, they are brown, beige and gold”, Setiawan said.
“The colours of Solo’s batik are very calm”.
The batik also reflects the environment in places like Solo. According to Setiawan, communities that are close to the ocean typically use blues and greens, while those that are close to active volcanoes typically use reds and oranges.
There is always a specific reason or occasion for wearing batik, and it has a name, a function, a meaning, and a philosophy. You can’t wear batik randomly”, Setiawan said.
With that in mind, there is a particular batik design for pregnant women, women who have just given birth, babies learning to walk, weddings, funerals and even when someone has been promoted.
Changing times
Batik has been produced in Indonesia for centuries, but it is now finding it difficult to keep up with the times.
Alpha Febela Priyatmono, a Batik master, is a Solo resident. She contends that understanding the batik process extends beyond just textiles.
He told Al Jazeera, “People need to be aware of what batik is, which is the process of using wax to dye something,” referring to the process. Batik can be applied to ceramics, wood, and leather as well, but it must be a wax design that is created by melting wax until it is liquid.
He added that some contemporary designs could not be classified as batik because they deviated from the traditional method because they printed the cloth using a chemical compound to break down the wax before printing the cloth.
“Young people and the wider public must support batik but not just from an economic point of view, but also from an artistic, cultural and philosophical perspective, because that is the strength of batik”, he said.
“We have to find a way around the market’s current challenges because they are quite severe,” he said. We frequently lose money on imported textiles, so we must educate the public about true batik and how to love authentic products.
Priyatmono has a range of programs that teach young people about batik through simple and less difficult motifs in an effort to educate the public. The batik can also be made using natural dyes, recycled fabric, and wax, as well.
In operation since 1546, Solo’s Kampung Batik Laweyan is one of the city’s main hubs for batik.
The area’s fortunes have changed over time.
When Laweyan was at its height, there were hundreds of batik makers and sellers, and there was a decline in demand in the 1970s and COVID-19 pandemic.
Now, however, Priyatmono says there has been a revival, with about 40 to 50 sellers established in the area.
“But there is still a high risk to the local textile market in Indonesia, so we still need to nurture and grow the industry”, he said.
For his part, Setiawan says the outlook for batik is promising.
“I have a lot of faith in the government’s ability to promote Indonesian batik internationally.” I want it to be a worldwide trend”, he said.
Visitor dignitaries have long been given batik clothing and products from Indonesia. Leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summits pictured addressing President Joko Widodo in batik at the event last year. When they met in Indonesia in 2013, the leaders of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) also wore them.
Some Indonesian politicians, including Sandiaga Uno, the minister for tourism, and Gibran Rakabuming Raka, are also known as regular batik wearers at home and abroad.
Civil servants and office workers in Indonesia also wear batik, and the nation observes National Batik Day on October 2 each year.
A new generation
Batik businesses are typically passed down from generation to generation in the Setiawan family, but younger generations in Indonesia occasionally lack enthusiasm for the labor- and income-oriented endeavors.
Solo journalist, Syifaul Arifin, comes from a family of batik sellers and said that while he regularly wears batik, he did not want to work in the family business.
He said, “My father made beautiful sarongs, but when I was younger, I wanted to be a journalist rather than make batik.” “I’m upset right now,” I said. All that knowledge passed away with my father when he passed away.
Setiawan said his workshops at Kampung Batik Kauman, another of Solo’s batik centers, were an effort to rekindle the interest of younger people in the craft because it was so common.
Visitors to Solo’s shop experiment with their own batik designs by drawing them onto white cloth with wax before getting them dipped in the dye by sitting cross-legged on the floor near wax burners.
Rizka, a 19-year-old tourist and arts student, who like many Indonesians goes by one name, said she had signed up for the class to “learn something new”.
Other local and international visitors scurrying around the room to carefully paint their designs from the melted wax buckets.
Rizka, who is at university in Surabaya, said that she was interested in all Indonesian art forms and that it was important to understand Indonesia’s creative history.
Even though it is thought of as an ancient craft in Indonesian, batik is fascinating because it can adapt to the times and stay current, she said.
