You are staring at the pretty batik shirts, featuring parang, kawung and mega mendung motifs. When you flipped over the price tag, you were startled by how (in)expensive these shirts are. You might be wondering: are these Indonesian batik real? To answer, we should first understand: what is Indonesian batik?

Batik comes from the combination of Javanese words, amba and titik, which means to write and to dot, respectively. By this simple definition, all fabric would have been classified as a batik. Alas, the world is not that simple and here is the quick(-ish) answer to that question.

The Batik Process: the First and Most Important Factor

The first important part of the definition of batik is the process. Batik is a technique to decorate a piece of cloth by repetitive application of dye-resisting agent to create pattern using a canting or a tjap, colouring and wax removal. Contrary to popular beliefs, this technique is neither originated nor discovered by Indonesians. In fact, evidence suggests that this traditional textile making process has been part of the civilisation for centuries. It was found in other countries including China, Japan and India.

So, how does batik became “Indonesian”?

Batik was conferred to Indonesia by UNESCO during the inscription of the art into the List of Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity in 2009. This is mainly because of two other factors: the culturally-relevant symbolism of the motifs and their usage in important rituals.

Read more: Batik Process: the Making of a Textile Masterpiece

What are Indonesian Batik Motifs?

Indonesian batik motifs are not just about artistic patterns and colourful design. They are living artefacts that represent the ideology, inspiration and thoughts of mankind throughout the Indonesian history. Batik motifs have transformed vastly from the 17th century. From being synonymous to Javanese and Hindu culture, it transforms into an eclectic mix of contemporary cross-culture designs.

Classic Indonesian Batik

Indonesian batik motif are generally classified (by us at aNERDgallery) into 4 groups. They are batik pedalaman (inland batik), batik pesisir (coastal batik), batik Indonesia and batik kontemporer. Batik pedalaman refers to the batik designs that are developed at the Sultanates royal grounds in the middle of Java island, Yogyakarta and Surakarta. They are abstract, philosophical and dominantly of Hindu trinity colours (brown, dark blue and white). The size and strokes of batik pedalaman motifs represent the status symbol of the wearers.

The art of batik moved upward towards the North coast of Java, where trading thrives. The incoming traders from China, India and Middle East brought in goods and new ideas, including textile design. This results in the batik pesisir motifs that are more figurative, as compared to their batik pedalaman counterparts. Arabic calligraphy, Chinese classical mythology, Japanese flower blossoms and Indian or Persian geometrical design inspires the batik pesisir motif. Other than patterns, the traders introduced dyes to the artisans. As a result, batik pesisir is often associated with vibrancy and colours. Unlike batik pedalaman which uses the motifs as status symbols, the colours on the cloth tell tales about the social position of the batik pesisir owners.

Modern and Contemporary Indonesian Batik

During the wars and beyond, time and place give a distinct flavour to the textile design. The Dutch colonisation and Japanese occupation gave birth to unique thematic batik painting and oriental prints. With the batik artists spread across the archipelago, designs reflects adaptation to the local culture. Examples include the tribal symbols in Dayak and Papuan batik as part of Batik Indonesia.

Many students now go outside of the village, or the country. Also, there is increased interaction with international artists. As such, recent contemporary art works often reflect the values, belief, interest – the story – of the individual artist.

Read more: Batik Motif: the Art of Philosophy and Science

The Batik Ritual

The last, but not the least, is the significance of the textile in the cultural setting. During research, UNESCO found that Indonesia, particularly in Java, is the only place where they use batik as part of the traditional ritual today. Batik plays a significant role in sacred Javanese rites of passage rituals, from giving birth and coming of age to wedding and funeral. The uses of these cloths also go beyond than just fashion, such as altar covers (Cirebon’s kain Tok Wi) and bed sheets. Regardless of the cultures, each life stages would require a unique set of batik textiles with patterns symbolising various meaning of blessings and charms to the users.

Making sense of Contemporary Indonesian Batik

As a whole, combining the three parts: Indonesian batik is defined as a technique to decorate a piece of cloth with a dye-resisting agent to create culturally-relevant motif using a canting or a tjap and in which the cloth is to be used as part of cultural rituals.

As time progresses, Indonesians expanded the definition of batik based on the contemporary art technique and recent culture. Many artists and collectors insisted that, while they explore and try to stretch the limit of the definition, the technique of repeating application of dye-resisting wax, coloring and wax removal is the utmost important aspect of batik. Some explore unusual mediums, like a wood block to create furniture, or experimenting with rust as an additional resisting/complimenting agent in batik painting.

Now you know, the next time you see a parang or a kawung motif painted on a bus or printed on a piece of garment, they are simply just that – a batik motif being printed, or applied, on to a surface. Motifs, make up only one-third of the full definition of batik. Hence, it will not and should not be defined as an Indonesian batik.