Indonesian Ambassador on Monday launched the ‘Batik’ exhibition titled ‘Indonesia Batik: Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity’ in Islamabad to commemorate Indonesia’s National Batik Day, which was held on October 2, 2021.
The exhibition which is a collaboration between the Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia, and the Batik Studio, Islamabad aims at sharing and spreading innovative ideas and skill development in creative mediums and the fashion industry.
The Indonesian Ambassador to Pakistan, Adam M. Tugio launched the exhibition by cutting the ribbon. In his opening remarks of the exhibition, he said that Indonesia and Pakistan share similarities in the context of history, culture, culinary and clothing, as well as batik. Pakistan also has patterns and motifs that are similar to batik but the patterns, motifs, and manufacturing methods are different, he added.
The CEO of Batik Studio Mohsin Qamar appreciated the efforts of the Indonesian Embassy and said he was honored to be able to work with the Embassy to promote Indonesian batik through Batik Studio Fashion Store in Pakistan.
Batik Studio Fashion Store has 9 outlets in various cities in Pakistan.
The Indonesian Ambassador hoped the exhibition would provide art and design lovers as well as the general public an opportunity to witness the uniqueness and beauty of traditional textiles and their combination with Pakistani fashion and lifestyle.
“I hope that the consistent and focused efforts of the Indonesian Embassy in collaboration with Pakistani partners will bring the desired results and contribute to the improvement of bilateral relations between the two countries at a higher level,” he said.
The Pakistan Batik Design Competition
Adam also informed that the Indonesian Embassy will soon organize “The Pakistan Batik Design Competition” in collaboration with the Pakistani Universities. The top three winners of the competition will be sent to the world’s famous Bali Island in Indonesia for a free trip, where they will also get two weeks of hands-on training on Batik Technique and Designing at the prime Arts College of the Island.
The Batik textiles
Batik textiles feature ornate motifs, patterns, and colors created by brushing or pouring hot wax onto un-dyed fabric. The fabric is then dyed, and the wax is removed with boiling water to reveal the patterns. This process can be repeated multiple times to create layered patterns with different colors.