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Inside the Artist's Studio is a series by National Gallery Singapore that brings you into the creative spaces of Southeast Asian artists where experimentation, collaboration and growth happen, and where magic is created.

The first in the series brings us inside the batik studio of Brahma Tirta Sari in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. Led by collaborative artists Agus Ismoyo and Nia Fliam, the traditional Javanese creative process of batik-making lies at the heart of what they do and the contemporary batik they create. Built on a deeply collaborative art practice, they strive to delve deeper into understanding the core of this traditional method of art-making, seeking new ways to expand the limits of contemporary creative expression through batik.

This is part of their story, their process, their journey, their hopes. Come into their space. Peek into their world. Take a breath and step inside.

Tribawana (”Three Worlds”)

Tribawana is a concept rooted in ancient Javanese philosophy and suggests that we live within three inter-connected worlds—the micro-cosmos or the self, the macro-cosmos or nature encompassing all living beings and elements of nature, and the intangible, the source of all creativity.

In the process of engaging with Tribawana, we connect with nature and the larger universe, nurturing a desire for unity, loving compassion and a sense of gratitude within ourselves. We naturally embark on our destiny or “kodrati” and open ourselves up to unlimited creative energies, growth and possibilities. This process can spark our discovery of the pure creative potential within ourselves.

Utopia’s Lessons of the Land

Australian First Nations artists have worked with batik since the 1970s. In the Ernabella community of South Australia, Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara women started making batik in 1971, while the Utopia community was introduced to batik-making by Fregon artist Yipati Kunytjitja Brown and art worker Suzanne Bryce in 1977.

Since then, several First Nations communities have embraced batik as a means of creative expression. In Utopia, it is a medium that works well with the community’s low-tech, outdoor lifestyle, where life is full of children, laughing, conversations, camp dogs and bush weather cycles. There is much traditional law in these batiks which determine who will batik what kind of iconography. Yet, while Creation Stories follow traditional law, there is still space for immense creativity which these artists have in abundance. The Utopia artists also developed their own style of batiking. Because of the wind and sand, they usually sit cross-legged with the fabric stretched taut across the lap from knee to knee, as they pull in the front and work on it incrementally by hand.

The people of Utopia have cared for the land since time immemorial. They believe that their ancestors created the land. Signs of their ancestors’ creation processes are found everywhere, and are represented in their dances, music, sacred stories and artistic practices. Lena Pwerl, one of the elders of Utopia, likes to batik figures of goannas because the animal is one of her Creation Story icons. Often, the goannas she draws have eggs in their abdomens. Sometimes, she, or other members of her family, softly sings songs that have been handed down to her from her ancestors. For these artists and for those continuing the ancient Javanese batik tradition, the connection to nature is of utmost importance.

Utopia was the name given to a lease of over 1,800 square kilometers, about 240 kilometers northeast of Alice Springs in central Australia, which was granted to white pastoralists in 1927. Its borders cut across the traditional lands of the Alyawarr and Anmatyerr language-speaking peoples. In central Australia, the first period of white pastoral development in the 1880s brought aggression to traditional First Nations owners. The second period, between the two world wars, saw acts of violence such as 1928’s Coniston massacre of First Nations people.

Throughout the 1970s, both First Nations and white Australians strove for Native Title—legislation for First Nations land rights. In the 1979 Land Claim hearing which resulted in the grant of permanent legal title to the former Utopia station, the Utopia women gave evidence through performance of Awely women’s ceremonies, demonstrating knowledge of country and ancestral law/lore.

“The country that we hold onto is our country again now, and today we are still holding onto it. We spoke in front of the [Land Claim] judge, and then painted ourselves up with Awely ceremonial designs, and got the land back. We got our Father’s Father’s country back. Now Utopia belongs to the Aboriginal people again and we’re living happily on the land. The Land Claim got it back for us—one way—and now we’re living in the bush. We got the land back with our Awely ceremonies, and held onto it—us fabulous women astounded them with our performance—turning from side to side as we danced.”

- Lena Pwerl, Sandover River, 1995

Australian indigenous artists have worked with batik since the 1970s. In the Ernabella community of South Australia, Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara women started making batik in 1971, while the Utopia community was introduced to batik-making by Fregon artist Yipati Kunytjitja Brown and art worker Suzanne Bryce in 1977.

Since then, several aboriginal communities have embraced batik as a means of creative expression. In Utopia, it is a medium that works well with the community’s low-tech, outdoor lifestyle, where life is full of children, laughing, conversations, camp dogs and bush weather cycles. Some of the most brilliant pieces of Utopia batik consist of a maze of blobs, which for the Indonesia batik style would be horrifying. But in the Utopia style with their Creation Story iconography, it is beautiful! There is much traditional law in these batiks which determines who will batik what kind of iconography. Yet while Creation Stories follow traditional law, there is still space for immense creativity which these artists have in abundance. The Utopia artists also developed their own style of batiking. Because of the wind and sand, they usually sit cross-legged with the fabric stretched taut in the lap from knee to knee, as they pull in the front and work on it incrementally by hand.

The people of Utopia have cared for the land since time immemorial. They believe that their ancestors created the land. Signs of their ancestors’ creation processes are found everywhere, and are represented in their dances, music, sacred stories and artistic practices. Lena Pwerl, one of the elders of Utopia, likes to batik figures of goannas because the animal is one of her Creation Story icons. Often, the goannas she draws have eggs in their abdomens. Sometimes, she, or other members of her family, softly sings songs that have been handed down to her from her ancestors. For these artists and for those continuing the ancient Javanese batik tradition, the connection to nature is of utmost importance.

Ambatik and the role of women

An important ancient text about batik is the Sěrat Sulūk Kuṭa Gěḍé—believed to have been written in the 16th century CE and transcribed in the 19th century. A section in it talks about batik, “Sulūk Ambatik”:

The activity of Ambatik was the work of women. At that time, women, through Ambatik, studied the creation of miniatures of this universe, including mountains, oceans, jungles, animals, rivers, lakes, and ways of caring for and preserving them. They learned that the Divine bestowed loving kindness and graciousness on those who truly had the desire to carry out Pūjā (prayer ritual) and Bhakti (devotion), achievable through Brata (self-control) exercised through Ambatik. At the time, Ambatik required the holding of ceremonies (Upacara), the helping of others through kindness and the carrying out of offerings and obligations (Upakāra), as well as fasting and controlling the sensory organs (Upavasa), in order to develop wakefulness and watchfulness (Asvapna).

Women who Ambatik are said to be without defect and worthy of respect. When a woman Ambatiks, she has to choose a correct time and guidance before beginning a sacred batik as a pure woman. As she Ambatiks, she faces the universe, resting her mind and inner sensibility (rasa) on nature. Her refined behaviour sets the base of the cloth that is to be baṭiked with an image (citra). The image is drawn on the cloth with a canting tool—the “Pen of the Divine”—which shows the way, and as this is being done, she sings praises to the Divine. What is most important is that which is shown on the surface of the cloth—a form of māyā (the illusion of the phenomenal world). This is the essence of the Divine itself entering the body and soul of the batiking woman, and results in the process of Ambatik which transforms the cloth into a pure, sacred, perfect thing

This perfect cloth in turn enables the woman batiking it to attain loving compassion (Sih) from the Divine as well as from the family. The activity of Ambatik becomes her path (Sulūk) of self-control and devotion so that she becomes perfect, blessed by the Divine (Mukti) with release from the constraints of everyday life.

(Summarised from text by Javanese philologist, Manu J. Widyasěputra)

Walka Walka

“The Pitjantjatjara/Yankunytjatjara word walka means design or any meaningful mark. For example, the patterns on a bird’s feathers or the markings on an animal’s coat or body markings for ceremonial purposes. These feature the specifics of their environment as manifested in mai putitja (bush foods) and physical resources such as water places (tjukula), wood and trees (punu), and grasses (tjanpi).

There is no word in First Nations languages that is equivalent to the European terms “art” or “artist.” Since the making of meaningful marks—on the body for ceremonial, ritual, or any other cultural purpose; on rock or wood surfaces, or also, in the case of people living in sandy areas like Anangu Pitjantjatjara/Yankunytjatjara, on the ground—was integral to all aspects of living. It was not seen as separate specialist activities, undertaken only by a particular category of person. Not only is there no word for “art” or “artist,” neither is there vocabulary in First Nations languages to express the concepts of Western aesthetics. So, when referring to Anangu Pitjantjatjara/Yankunytjatjara art, walka has to do service for many different visual categories and descriptions: painting, drawing, print, manner, design, pattern, style, decoration, sketch, plan, detail, view, picture, photograph, writing etc.”

- Hilary Furlong, former co-ordinator at Ernabella Arts

Artwork #5,
Year
INSIDE THE ARTIST'S STUDIO:
Selamat Datang! We are Agus Ismoyo and Nia Fliam of Brahma Tirta Sari Studio. We would like to invite you into our world of batik and introduce you to its many exciting layers of culture, tradition, philosophy and meaning. Welcome to our universe of batik!
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What is batik? Batik refers to both the method of patterning fabric using wax and dye, and the patterned cloth itself.
Historically, batik-making has been practised in many countries across the world. In Indonesia, batik-making took root and flourished over the centuries, becoming a refined art and an integral part of life, even till today.
Batik
is
part
of
Some think the word “batik” comes from the Javanese word “tik” which means “dot.” Others think it might have been derived from a Proto-Austronesian term “beCík” (to tattoo), as early sacred motifs were tattooed on the body and later transferred to cloth.
life...
Batik might also come from the word “ṭikā,” which means a drawing or sacred painting. Batik has also been closely connected by philologist Manu Widyaseputra with the word “paṣṭika,” which refers to a material used to create batiks using honey and gemstones.

Batik is so important to us because it is part of Indonesian life! For the Javanese, batik is used as a form of cultural expression during the various cycles of life. It is vital in rituals that take place from the time a child is in the womb until the death ceremony.
Batik cloths are used according to the meanings they represent.
The motifs featured on the cloths are representations of Indonesia's ecology and cosmology, and bear an expression of rasa (inner sensibility), or hope for various aspirations.
Did you know?

Prior to the existence of a royal court in Yogyakarta, during Java's Hindu period, schools called ashramas were run by scholars who taught religion, literature, the arts and technology. They supported batik-making and helped it develop and flourish.

After the establishment of the Mataram Islamic court, these centres became madrasahs teaching religion. The batik of Yogyakarta then became the domain of the court where it was used both as a sacred cloth and a system of ranking. Certain motifs became "forbidden," to be worn only by royalty or certain courtiers. These "forbidden" motifs were freed up for the layperson to wear in the 20th century, though certain motifs are still honoured and are not worn by the public when in the court.

Use of batik cloth during the Mitoni ceremony
Batik in cycles of life
Mitoni

The Mitoni or Tingkeban ceremony is carried out in the 7th month of a woman's first pregnancy in preparation for birth. A variety of batiks are used in this ceremony, during which the expectant mother changes into seven different cloths.
Birth

During birth, a cloth called kopohan (from the word “kopoh”—basah kuyup—which means “totally drenched”) is used as the child emerges from the womb. This cloth is retained as the child grows up. When the child is little, the cloth is used as a carrier in which the child is wrapped, particularly when unwell, and held close to the mother’s chest. It is believed to help the individual in their healing process throughout life.

Kopohan motifs are not specific. They are chosen by the parents for their intended meaning. The cloth bears the hope that the baby will be gifted with a long life and imbued with kindness.
Wedding

Javanese weddings are long and complex! First, the groom's entire family goes to the bride’s house with gifts, to ask the bride's family if they will allow their daughter to marry their son. During the engagement process, it is common for the Ceplokan motif to be worn. After this, there is a ring exchange. In the days preceding the wedding, the bride and groom go through separate cleansing rituals where they have water poured over them by family elders. Subsequently, the long process of getting the bride ready begins. The common batiks for this ritual are Tanjung Gunung, Wora Wari Rumpul, and Semen Romo.

Then comes the actual wedding which includes the wedding ceremony, reception, and groom’s reception (at a later date) where the bride and groom wear batiks of their choice, depending on the hopes that they might have for their union. The wedding couple usually changes their clothes between the wedding and reception. The parents may wear the above-mentioned batiks as well, which may not be the same as those of the bride and groom.
Death Ceremony

In a death ceremony, the body may be covered by any batik beloved by the deceased. Generally, the two cloths that are used for the death ceremony are Kawung and Slobog.
“Batik brings you to the centre of your creative process.”
- Ismoyo and Nia

What does batik mean to you?

Ismoyo: For me, batik is a recording of the process of Indonesian culture, of values that have an ancient history. It is a technique that absorbs and records the cultural life of my people, speaking to each generation.

Batik creates an ongoing connection between ancestors and their descendants, and makes me conscious that I am an integral part of the growth of my culture. For this reason, I grow more rooted in Indonesia’s traditional arts which have become an essential part of my creative process.

Why did you choose batik?

Nia: I fell in love with batik when I was in art school. People were always confused and asking me: “Why did you choose batik?” I would say, “Can you explain to me exactly why you love someone? Well, I have a love affair with batik!”

It is truly an amazing technique that has existed for a very long time. It is a very powerful medium and rather like a meditative technique. Batik requires a quiet heart, and it brings you to the centre of your creative process.

Nia Fliam making batik on cloth

What do you mean batik is a living tradition?

I: Batik definitely requires an immersion of mind and soul. We have steeped ourselves into the realm of Javanese batik, delving into its many layers, beyond the boundaries of time and space, seeking to get to the root and the core of this living tradition.

N:Tradition is like the DNA of our world culture. There are all kinds of indigenous cultures that are guardians of the world’s cultural heritage! These cultures naturally cultivate universal values that we can access through the creative process.

I: For example, in Java, the practice of batik-making is deeply rooted in our Indigenous cultural history. Embedded within the visual texts of traditional Javanese batik is a wealth of cultural knowledge that (like many other indigenous cultures) nurtures a deep connection to nature that supports the development of creativity.

Can you tell us about your creative process?

N: We engage in a wide range of activities related to Indonesian indigenous creative process. But, first and foremost, we make batik.

I: In our batik-making, we seek to understand and explore batik using the Tribawana (or “Three Worlds”) creative process. Through this process, we strive to attain authenticity, integrity, harmony, and balance within ourselves and in our connection to nature. We do this by honouring all that exists in nature with all its elements, including our connection to our society and the universe we inhabit. We also honour our connection to the source of creativity. The ultimate goal of this process is to achieve what is called in Javanese philosophy Kapti Kerdating Sukmo—or that which has been created by a vibration from the soul.

N: Traditionally, an "empu" (Javanese for “master”) created batik motifs by harnessing creative energies and representing the ecology of place. Each batik motif which is made through such a process contains meaning and significance not only for the creator of the cloth, but also for those who wear it. It is worn with the hope of achieving that which has been represented on the cloth.

I: As batik artists whose creative growth is rooted in the philosophy of Tribawana, we try to learn from the path of an empu in the making of our batik art. Focusing on integrity, authenticity and harmony in the Tribawana, and inter-connections between the Three Worlds, we do not feel we are borrowing from traditional motifs, but using them as inspiration for explorations in a contemporary form.

How is batik made?
Batik is made using an ancient wax-resist dyeing technique. This is a patterning technique which resists the penetration of dyes into the parts of the cloth on which wax has been applied. The areas left uncovered by wax are coloured by dye.
STEP 1—SKETCH
Batik can be made on any natural fibre, including—but not exclusively—linen, cotton and silk. The desired designs are first sketched onto a cloth to indicate which areas should be waxed.
Select a pattern to fill in the cloth below:
STEP 2—WAX

The design is hand-drawn onto the cloth with melted wax using a brush or a traditional sprouted tool called a "canting." Batik that is hand-drawn with a canting or brush is called "batik tulis" (to write).

The canting is a tool with a wooden handle,

a copper bowl to hold hot wax,

copper bowl
metal tip
wax
and a spout from which the wax is used to draw on the cloth.
Ce-cek Isen Klowong Tembok Nitik
Types of Canting :
This has the smallest spout and is normally used to make the smallest dots.
This spouted tool makes it possible for batik-makers to draw very fine lines and dots. It is unique to Indonesian batik-making and the refinement of Indonesian batik may perhaps be attributed to its use.
Did you know?

The Indonesian batik cap was invented to expedite the batiking process and make it more consistent. Cap stamping enabled batik-makers to create batik in greater volume and at greater speed.

USING THE BATIK CAP

Another traditional method of batik is “batik cap.”
Batik cap is a 19th century Javanese invention which involves the use of an intricately patterned metal or wooden stamp called a “cap” to print cloth by hand. Wax is applied to the cap, and this is in turn pressed onto the cloth in a manner similar to block printing.
Did you know?

These days, a lot of batik we see sold in shops and markets is not authentic batik made with the traditional tulis or cap methods, but batik made by industrial or mass printing! Additionally, nowadays, there are machine printing methods that use what is called "cold wax" such that the cloth looks like a batik. It is then batiked on by hand or with a batik cap. This makes it difficult for many to detect what is real batik, which by definition is either hand or cap batik, or a combination of these two techniques.

STEP 3—DYE During the colouring stage, the fabric is dipped in natural or chemical dyes, with the waxed areas remaining uncoloured, and then dried. The waxing and drying process is repeated until the desired design and variety of colours have been achieved. Only then is the wax removed by boiling the cloth.

At Brahma Tirta Sari Studio, we use both chemical and natural dyes. We make natural dyes from harvesting various leaves, fruits, branches, roots and flowers from our garden at the studio!

After picking or cutting the leaves and flowers, we dry them. When we are ready to use them, we soak them in saltwater for a day before boiling down the leaves, wood, fruit and flowers to create an extract. We usually wait until we fill the entire vessel that we use to make the concentrate before we make the dyes.

We are very much at the beginning of understanding natural dyes. The benefit for us is utilising what is in our environment, trying to create as little waste and pollution as possible. All our dyes and the water used in the batiking process are put through a water cleaning system before being returned to the water ways.

We harvest various leaves and flowers from our garden to make our own natural dyes.
We grow and harvest:
The leaves of the teak tree
STEP 4—RINSE

Unlike a painter who sees their work develop as they paint, a batik-maker must think in reverse. The first layer made is the foreground, which becomes buried as the batik moves on to the mid-ground and background.

So, it is impossible to know what the batik will be like until the wax is removed—the most exciting moment when all is revealed!

Kebun Binatang Sakral / The Sacred Zoo
2007
225 X 140 cm
Batik on silk
Collaboration Agus Ismoyo & Nia Fliam with Ernabella Arts, South Australia, Imiyari Yilpi Adamson, Niningka Lewis, Amanyi (Dora) Haggie, Salish First Nation Pavels, USA, Michael & Susan Pavel, and Yemisi Ajaya, Nigeria
OUR
JOURNEY

"I was surrounded by batik since childhood. I cannot even remember when I first batiked!"
- Agus Ismoyo

"I have been making batik seriously since 1978, my second year in art school. I found it highly addictive. Batik is a visual expression of a very complex system that I am sure I will never fully understand in my lifetime."
- Nia Fliam

1978
1985
Brahma Tirta Sari
“creativity is the source of all knowledge”
FOUNDING OF OUR STUDIO

We met at a batik studio in Pakualaman, Yogyakarta in 1985. We were drawn to each other by our common appreciation of art. That year, we established our studio in Yogyakarta, Brahma Tirta Sari, which means “creativity is the source of all knowledge.”

With that as our founding philosophy, we focused our collaborative art practice on unearthing the source of creative process in Javanese creative practices—batik-making in particular. We wanted to immerse ourselves in the cultural philosophy and aesthetics at the core of batik, to discover its essence and utilise it as a source of inspiration within a contemporary artistic expression.

Within our studio, we have come to understand that our batik-art-making grows not only from individual creativity, but also develops through collaboration. We create our fine art pieces and produce our commercial cloth with a team of artists and artisans in our studio. We work with forms of cap and hand batik in the same way a painter uses their brush on a canvas. Batik has become for us an unending source of knowledge and inspiration in artmaking.

INTERACTIONS THAT CHANGED OUR LIVES

A few years after the birth of our studio, a chance encounter led to a series of interactions with another indigenous culture—that of the Australian First Nations people—that would forever change our lives.

In 1989, we travelled to Australia and visited Aboriginal communities in the Northern Territory. There, we taught batik-making to the Tiwi people on the Bathurst and Melville Islands, and at Merrepen Arts Centre at Nauiyu (Daly River).

1989
GOING BACK TO TIWI

The following year, we had a three-month residency with the Tiwi again on Melville Island.

During this time, we discovered surprising similarities between our cultures! Both Indonesian and First Nations cultural practices emphasise the importance of tradition, the significance of the ancestors, our connection to nature, the notion of the divine, and the application of what First Nations people call the “law,” or a cosmology and mythology.

ERNABELLA ARTS

Another Aboriginal community we worked with was that of Ernabella a.k.a. Pukatja from the APY Lands (Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara Lands) in South Australia. Artists from Australia’s oldest Indigenous Art Centre, Ernabella Arts, were sent to Yogyakarta to learn batik-making at our studio in 1990.

Ernabella Arts Artists with Agus Ismoyo and Nia Fliam (from left) Seated: Dwi Kusno Raharjo, Nura Rupert, Kunmanara Stanley, Agus Ismoyo / Middle Row: Nia Fliam, Renita Stanley, Josephine Mick, Alison Milyika Carroll, Alison Munti Riley / Back Row: Niningka Lewis, Kanytjupai Baker, Hilary Furlong

1990
EXCHANGING KNOWLEDGE

In 1994, ten artists from the Utopia community in Central Australia came to Yogyakarta to work with us and learn the cap technique of batik. We produced batiks that became part of the exhibition Hot Wax organised by the Museum and Art Galleries of the Northern Territory (MAGNT). At that time, a documentary film, The Golden Cord was filmed in both Yogyakarta and in the Central Desert at Utopia.

The Utopia artists took us to their sacred places where many of their traditional motifs from the Creation Stories, or the Dreaming, are located, and told us the stories passed down from their fathers’ lineages. They tried to teach us to hunt in the outback and shared some of their detailed knowledge of the land and its flora and fauna.

This remarkable exchange was made honouring both the law and the lore that are the essence of the Utopia heritage, as well as the law/lore found in the representations of traditional Indonesian batik.

1994

Utopia Artists with Agus Ismoyo and Nia Fliam. Taken outback during preparation of artworks for the Asia Pacific Triennial in Alice Springs 1999 (from left) Barbara Weir, Ada Bird Petyarr, Susie Bryce, Jenny Green, Violet Petyarr, Nia Fliam, Agus Ismoyo, Hilda Pwerl, Glory Ngal, Myrtle Petyarr

Detail Tribawana / Three Worlds
1999
300 X 115 cm
Batik on silk
Collaboration Agus Ismoyo and Nia Fliam with Utopia, Central Desert Australia

After attending the exhibition opening of Hot Wax in Darwin, we travelled throughout the Northern Territory (NT) to visit Aboriginal communities, teaching batik for three months for the NT Department of Education. We visited the remote Central Desert communities of Fregon, Yuendumu and Kintore, as well as Utopia where we were able to work once again with the artists.

1995
COLLABORATING WITH THE UTOPIA ARTISTS

In 1999, we were invited to participate in the Queensland Art Gallery’s Third Asia-Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art: Beyond the Future (APT), and we asked the Utopia artists to collaborate with us. Songs of the Ancestors was the theme for our collaboration, which included six three-metre-long batiks and one 10-metre-long work. Sadly, this would be the last time that we would all meet and work together as a group, for several artists in the group have now passed on.

Utopia's Lessons of the Land

Australian First Nations artists have worked with batik since the 1970s. (READ MORE)

1999

Josephine Mick of Ernabella and Agus Ismoyo using batik cap at
Ernabella Arts Studio (September 2005)

BACK WITH ERNABELLA

Years later in 2005, we, together with one of our studio’s master dyers, Dwi Kusno, spent three weeks at Ernabella Arts, working in collaboration with Ernabella artists. The cloths we made were based on themes from the Pitjantjatjara and Yankunytjatjara Aboriginal cultures. cultures.

A prominent theme referred to in the Ernabella batiks was walka walka, which means “meaningful mark.” Another was tjukurpa, or Creation Stories which tell of ancestral beings and how the land was formed. A third theme was milpatjunanyi, a storytelling practice where spoken or sung narratives are accompanied by the drawing of people or actions in the sand. Women and girls are the milpatjunanyi experts of such stories.

Walka Walka

The Pitjantjatjara/Yankunytjatjara word walka means design or any meaningful mark. (READ MORE)

2005

Detail Walka-Walka II
2006
230 X 115 cm
Batik on silk
Collaboration Agus Ismoyo and Nia Fliam with Ernabella Arts, South Australia, Alison Milyika Carroll

Ambatik and the role of women

Women who Ambatik are said to be without defect and worthy of respect. (READ MORE)

“…the same creative process that once existed in traditional Javanese creative process…still exists in the Australian outback.” — Ismoyo and Nia
SIMILARITIES BETWEEN CULTURES

From the start of our collaborations, all of us from BTS, Utopia and Ernabella were conscious of the similarities between our cultures. We all underwent growth, guided by a culturally-rooted sensitivity to natural laws, through a long process of sharing, seeking harmony and mutual understanding.

Additionally, the work of the artists from Utopia and Ernabella was inextricably linked with their ancestors who they believe have become one with nature and speak through them and the ancient iconography inherited by each succeeding generation. The resulting collaborative artworks are deeply connected to all our cultures.

What was fascinating to us was that, as they batiked, the Utopia and Ernabella artists sang ancient songs to channel guidance from their ancestors and nature. We felt that ancient Javanese women doing “ambatik” would have similarly sung their sacred songs while expressing their appreciation for life and nature by batiking the universe, rivers and plants on cloth! It was incredible that the same creative process that once existed in traditional Javanese batik (and which we use as a model in our practice) still exists in the Australian outback.

We were deeply touched by these collaborations. Our joint artworks not only celebrated nature, life and traditions, they were a way of becoming one with the world.

EXPLORATIONS OF TRIBAWANA

Besides making batik at BTS, we also organise activities that investigate, explore and promote Indonesia’s Indigenous cultural heritage and creative process.

For this reason, in 2005, we set up the Babaran Segaragunung Culture House (BSG) with Pang Warman and Agung Harjuno, with “Growth in Rootedness” as its motto. BSG aims to dig deeply into Indonesia’s Indigenous cultural heritage and explore with an awareness the application of the Tribawana philosophy in its creative process in a contemporary form.

Also located in Yogyakarta, BSG is now an umbrella for our various activities including BTS’ batik practice and the social enterprise, Baragung, that supports BSG’s ongoing educational programmes for artists, artisans and culture enthusiasts in Indonesia and abroad.

Tribawana

Tribawana is a concept rooted in ancient Javanese philosophy. (READ MORE)

Do you know where batik is made in Indonesia?
There are various places that produce batik in their own unique style.
Broadly, the regions are:
Pekalongan
Pekalongan is a major commercial batik-making centre and creates about 70% of all the batiks produced in Indonesia. Their batiks typically feature flora and fauna themes executed in bright colours.

During the colonial period, the Dutch ran several ateliers in Pekalongan, and during their occupation, the Japanese operated their own.

Their styles of batik are still produced today and include the “bouquet” and “hokokai” style, named after the community organisation that the Japanese created during their occupation of the area that is now Indonesia.
Yogyakarta
Solo
Solo and Yogyakarta are two of the three court cities of Java, and are Central Java's main batik centres. The motifs of Yogyakarta and Solo are similar because the Yogyakarta court grew out of the Solo court. But while the names of some motifs are the same, the visual forms can be different.
Cirebon
Cirebon is Java's third court city, and is located on the north coast. This batik centre is famous for its motif, "mega mendung" ("cloudy sky"), and its characteristic colours of beige, blue and red.
Many of Cirebon’s motifs show the influence of the Chinese ceramics that were traded along the north coast, possibly a result of intermarriage between local and Chinese nobility as well.
Lasem
Lasem is known to produce the Peranakan style of batik. It is famous for its red dyes.
Pekalongan
Solo
Lasem
Tiga Negri ("Three Countries") batik is a very famous style of batik that uses the distinct style of the three regions of Lasem, Pekalongan, and Yogyakarta or Solo, thus, the name, “Tiga Negri”!
There are many places within and outside Java that produce batik such as Tuban, Klaten, Batang, Madura, Jambi and Palembang in Sumatra, Minahasa in Manado and many more.
OUR HOPE FOR THE FUTURE
“…to continue our path, the path of learning, the path of knowledge, … to find a way to do new work”

What do you want for the future?

N: Our collaborations with the Australian First Nations artists served to deepen our art practice and strengthen our belief in a shared human and creative spirit. I certainly hope we can continue collaborating with Indigenous communities in the future.

I: It has been simultaneously challenging and rewarding to delve into the world of batik the way we have. We will definitely continue to work on unearthing and renewing the vast histories and deep knowledge buried within the heart of batik. Our wish is to support the growth and teaching methodology of the ancient creative process found in batik’s intangible culture. We hope to continue through our practice to develop educational and collaborative projects, and youth-oriented programmes.

N: Trust is one of the most important elements in our work. I trust that Ismoyo will have a solution—an aesthetic solution—to whatever it is that we are working on, and I trust that he will give me space in terms of our own individual work. I trust that whatever happens, we will be able to continue our path, the path of learning, the path of knowledge, and that we will continue to find a way to do new work. This is a precious gift and we feel very privileged that we can do what we love and have the space to learn and grow.

I + N: We would love for you to come and visit us at our studio in Yogyakarta to see us at work and perhaps even try your hand at batik-making at one of our workshops. We hope you will fall in love with batik as we have and discover your own creative energy in the process!

Inside the Artist’s Studio is a series by National Gallery Singapore that brings you into the creative spaces of Southeast Asian artists where experimentation, collaboration and growth happen, and where magic is created.
Writers: Agus Ismoyo and Nia Fliam
Editor: Natalie Foo
Producers: Lee E Shyen, Erica Lai, Tamares Goh
Designer: Do Not Design
Illustrators: Gerby, Do Not Design
Images Courtesy of: Agus Ismoyo and Nia Fliam
Special Thanks: Patricia Lee, Wong Jia Min, Ernabella Arts
Website Developed by: Edelo Software
Copyright in the content of this digital publication may also reside in persons and entities other than, and in addition to Brahma Tirta Sari Studio and National Gallery Singapore. We are fully committed to respecting the intellectual property rights of others and always use our best efforts to obtain permission for copyright material used. Please contact us should you have any queries about this. Inside the Artist’s Studio: To Batik the Universe is published by National Gallery Singapore. All rights reserved. Materials in this digital publication may not be reproduced in part or in whole without written consent of the Gallery.



WHAT IS BATIK