ISLAMABAD: A three-day exhibition, showcasing batik textiles and fabric, opened on Monday, celebrating the shared intangible cultural heritage between Pakistan and Indonesia.

The exhibition has been jointly organised by the Indonesian embassy and Batik Studio, Islamabad, at the Centaurus Mall.

Indonesian Ambassador Adam Tugio inaugurated the event in the presence of President of the Pakistan Foreign Office Women’s Association (PFOWA) Mehwish Sohail and Batik Studio Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Mohsin Qamar.

The beautiful collection of batik fabric and textile products was sourced from Indonesia and featured ornate motifs and patterns created by brushing or pouring hot wax onto un-dyed fabric. The lovely layered designs are overlaid with different colours, some of the most detailed ones showcasing flora and fauna.

Ambassador Tugio said Indonesia was extremely rich in art and culture, both of which are intertwined with religion and age-old traditions. The crafts of Indonesia vary in both medium and art form and people are artistic by nature and express themselves on canvas, wood, metals, clay and stone.

He said: “Batik is the most quintessentially Indonesian textile. 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. It is gaining popularity internationally as a wonderful creative medium and it has been added to the Representative List of Unesco’s World Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity which is the theme of the exhibition as well”.

The event was attended by faculty and students from the National College of Arts (NCA), Iqra University and Fatima Jinnah University.

Iman Manzar, a visitor to the exhibition, said: “I have come to Centaurus to see this exhibition arranged by the Indonesian Embassy, and to see the unique textiles and designs. I am getting many ideas from this exhibition and such cross-cultural exposure is very valuable. I greatly appreciate the efforts of the Embassy in exposing us to this craft and recommend that they collaborate with the government to arrange similar activities in the provinces. Women especially, will benefit from these ideas and learn how to combine Indonesian Batik designs with Pakistani designs. I think these are beautiful and strongly encourage people to come out to see the exhibition.”

Samreen Khan, an amateur artist, drawing comparisons between the traditional hand-printed fabrics of Sindh and Batik from Indonesia, said, “There is a similarity in the motifs and patterns, especially the geometric ones. The way the textile is used to produce such a wide array of products like bags, purses, scarves, jackets and loose fabric is also similar to the modern uses of traditional fabrics in Pakistan.”

Batik is traditionally done by hand and on pure cotton and silk fabric although there is now a movement towards the mass production of batik with technology and machines. The highest quality Batik cloth, however, continues to be produced by hand with painstaking effort. Designers in Indonesia and internationally have started incorporating batik textiles and designs into their collections and batik has found its way into handbags, bedspreads, curtains and tablecloths much as Ajrak has done in Pakistan.

Neelam Amir, who runs an NGO that showcases women’s handicrafts and arranges similar exhibitions said that she found batik and wax painting very interesting, adding: “There should be more exhibitions like this and Pakistan should arrange exhibitions of Pakistani crafts as well.”

Ayesha Karamat said: “This beautiful collection of handbags, bedspreads and curtains has been arranged by the Indonesian Embassy. I would love to get some for myself and my friends and recommend that people come here to see everything.”

Ambassador Tuglio also shared that the embassy intended to organise ‘The Pakistan Batik Design Competition’ in collaboration with Pakistani universities. The top three winners of the competition will be sent to Indonesia’s world famous Bali island for a two-week hands-on training on Batik technique and design at an arts college of the Island.

Published in Dawn, October 12th, 2021