Edition 1 of 2025: Journey to Batik by Sabine Bolk

Journey to Batik was an open invitation to follow the trail that led to Sabine Bolk’s lifelong obsession with batik. Since her first trip to Indonesia in 2009, Sabine—an artist and batik researcher from the Netherlands—had visited workshops and collaborated with makers, advocating for batik narratives that honour the craft and the hands behind it. During the journey, participants had the opportunity to meet artisans, gain behind-the-scenes insight into their creative processes, and try their hand at making batik themselves.

The journey began in Yogyakarta (A), where participants gained insights into batik design for both traditional and contemporary wear. They designed their own selendang (shawl) and worked on tritik (stitch resist) along its short edges. From there, the group travelled to Lasem (B), where the selendang was decorated with hot wax applied using a canting (wax pen) under the guidance of a batik maestro. In Batang (C), participants learned about the art of botanical dyeing—a key element in batik production—from the artisan who dyed their creations. Along the way to Jakarta (D), the final departure point, the journey included stops in several renowned batik towns—Solo, Kudus, Ungaran and Cirebon—where museums and workshops were visited and meaningful conversations with batik artisans took place.