BATIK
2025

BATIK (2025-26) explores the ancient trade routes of the Indian Ocean to trace the origin of a particularly noble fabric, how its forced colonial evolution brought it to the shores of the Atlantic, and how the perseverance of the masters who practice the art and the people who revere their craft have joined forces to preserve a rich legacy.

Yemen is an ancient place, and cities like Sana’a and Ma’rib are among the oldest continuously inhabited communities in the world; it is a coastal nation with the Red Sea to the west, the Arabian Sea to the south, and the vast Indian Ocean to the east. From this vantage point, the lure of the west was perhaps less powerful than the lure of the east. Yemenis share the experience of colonization by the British with India, Malaysia, and Singapore in Asia, as well as Kenya and Zanzibar in Africa, all connected by the Indian Ocean.

Before the imposition of new—arbitrary and derogative—descriptives, Southern Arabia, modern day Yemen, was once recognized for its regal status and expression of exquisite beauty, a heritage that has lasted for thousands of years. Today, looking eastward, that status remains intact.

The colonial perceptions of power (of the East over the West) would shift preeminence to the Atlantic and the Pacific, yet the nobility of the Indian Ocean reaches back to the dawn of civilization. Before the colonizers imposed their perception of value, and the Southwest Asian peninsula was dismissed as the “Empty Quarter”, Yemeni expert seafarers and traders—they sailed under the fleet of Belquis, the queen of Sebaa’ (otherwise known as the Queen of Sheba)—were among the most successful in the world. Certain materials were far more valuable than petroleum; things like frankincense and myrrh, gold and jewels, teak, porcelain, and fabrics. This is the origin story of trade with extraordinarily divergent cultures along the historic trade routes of the East: Yemen, Zanzibar, Ethiopia, Kenya, India, Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam.

All of these places are ancient and very layered, and the history of their interaction coincides with the history of batik, the iconic wax-resistant fabric, whose origins are disputed between India and China. Today, the practice of batik has become most closely associated with Indonesia. The process involves applying wax to a cotton (flora) or silk (fauna) fabric prior to dyeing. The wax hardens, the fabric absorbs the dye, and is then boiled to remove the wax, leaving a negative space. This process is repeated to achieve multiple layers of colors, to extraordinary effect. Mathematical calibrations must be made to determine which dyes are applied first. The wax is applied by pen or by block. Interestingly, the pen is similar to those used for making tattoos, and the etymology of the term “batik” is believed to derive from “the Javanese word amba (‘to write’) and titik (‘dot’), or may derive from a hypothetical Proto-Austronesian root *beCík (‘to tattoo’).”1 The ink sinks into the skin similarly to how the fabric absorbs the dye.

Just as the batik archive preserves the history of this fabric, the BATIK series—Dunya (world), Roh (soul), Giwa (spirit, mind), Nafas (self, breath), Kawung (perfection, purity)—form an archive of cultural exchange among disparate people who share an understanding of spiritual attributes. If there is a single fabric that captures the essence of dunya—the treasures of the world both precious and otherwise—it is batik.

Here is a cloth that, like language, has the power to evolve from one place to another, with each place making it their own. Wax is not essential to the process, as any resistant substance will do: cassava paste, rice starch, or mud, depending on the region. Batik encapsulates the natural environments of these different regions, becoming a marker and definer, a natural imprint of each region, a document that belongs to the global archive.2 Using dream-like, painterly motifs, BATIK evokes the magical realism that transcends language, echoing across timeless net-works of exchange.

1 Dzulkifly, Shaza. “Batik from around the World.” Indonesia Design, Indonesia Design, 1 Oct. 2021, indonesiadesign.com/story/batik-around-the-world.

2 ”In 2009, the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has named Batik to be a Masterpiece of Oral and Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity because of its intricate symbolism for Indonesia’s history, culture, and nature.”

Indrayadi, Priscilla. “The Colonialization of Batik.” Medium, Medium, 19 Oct. 2021, priscindra.medium.com/the-colonialization-of-batik-eaca9639f46f.