Three-day Batik exhibition kicks off

Envoy says Batik intertwined with cultural identity of Indonesian people

Indonesian Ambassador launched the Batik Exhibition titled “Indonesia Batik: Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity” at the Centaurus Mall, on Monday.

The exhibition is aims at transmitting innovative ideas and skill development in creative mediums and fashion industry. Some fine collection of batik and batik products are on display at the three-day show. The event is being organised is collaboration between the Indonesian Embassy, Islamabad and the Batik Studio, Islamabad.

President Pakistan Women Association President Mehwish Sohail was the guest of honour while faculty and students from National College of Arts, Iqra University and Fatima Jinnah University were also present on the occasion.

Ambassador Adam Tugio flanked by the guest of honour, GM Operations Centaurus Mall Irfan Ul Haque, CEO Batik Studio Mohsin Qamar launched the exhibition by cutting the ribbon.

Read Calligraphy exhibition opens at PAC

Speaking on the occasion, Ambassador Adam Tugio said that because of the shared historical, religious and cultural linkages and remarkable similarities, the possibilities for deepening of Indonesia’s relationship with Pakistan were enormous. Hence, promotion of people to people contact encourages the vital role that various stakeholders could play in contributing to the strength and vitality of the bilateral relationship.

He said that Indonesia was extremely rich in art and culture, which were intertwined with religion and age-old traditions. The crafts of Indonesia vary in both medium and art form and as a whole the people are artistic by nature and express themselves on canvas, wood, metals, clay and stone, he added.

The envoy said that Batik was the most quintessentially Indonesian textile and historically the most expressive and subtle of the resist methods. Batik was intertwined with the cultural identity of the Indonesian people and, through the symbolic meanings of its colors and designs, expresses their creativity and spirituality.

The ambassador also said that the embassy will soon organise “The Pakistan Batik Design Competition” in collaboration with the Pakistani Universities. Batik textiles feature ornate motifs, patterns, and colors created by brushing or pouring hot wax onto undyed fabric. The fabric is then dyed, and the wax is removed with boiling water to reveal the patterns.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 12^th, 2021.