VIEWPOINT MAGAZINE Volume 2.3 March 2014 | Page 11

M b a t i k
From Village Art To
International
Fashion
By Kezia Surjadi

T

here’s a Javanese saying “mbatik manah” that
means “drawing a batik design on the heart.” This
phrase expresses the feelings of a true batik artist.
Every time he lifts his canting and skillfully draws a
line or a dot, he is really inscribing a design in his
heart. This may be the reason that Indonesian batik
has captured the attention of the world. Many other
nations have tried to create their version of batik, yet
none can compare to the intricacy and beauty of
Indonesian batik. There was a time that Indonesians
tried to exchange batik for modern clothes, but due
to the efforts of numerous people, batik is now an
Indonesian icon. One of these people was Iwan
Tirta.
Although he is now remembered as a batik
designer and artist, Nusjirwan Tirtaamidjaja, best
known by his pseudonym Iwan Tirta, began as a
lawyer and a law professor. He furthered his
education in America and England, and afterwards
worked for some years in the United Nations. His
interest in batik and its history began when he
received support from the John D. Rockefeller III to
study the Javanese dance, the Susuhunan. It was
during his research that Iwan Tirta became
interested in the unique hand painted cloth known as
batik. His interest soon became a passion that
motivated him to explore the history and the art of
batik. Eventually he became a batik artist himself.
After years of work, Iwan Tirta became one of the
best batik designers in Indonesia. Whenever
important national guests were invited to Indonesia,
Iwan Tirta was given the responsibility to design and
make their batik. One of his proud clients was
Nelson Mandela, who was a fan of Tirta’s batik and
wore it often at important international meetings.
Despite the recent popularity of batik cap (batik
made by stamps), Iwan Tirta held on to the
traditional way of making batik by using a canting. In
his opinion, batik cap reduces people’s awareness of
the elaborate art of traditionally made batik. Tirta did
not stop in hand-painting cloths though, but
originated the idea of drawing batik designs on
ceramics, which he hoped will inspire the younger
generation of Indonesians to appreciate their
heritage.

His innovative ideas brought a new awareness to
Indonesian culture, especially batik. Despite his
success, Tirta was not satisfied. He explained there
are still many other aspects of batik that Indonesians
needed to be aware of such as differentiating
between batik cap and batik tulis. After years of hard
work, dedication, and innovation, Tirta died from
medical complications. Following his death, his batik
rose to the rank of luxurious, if not priceless items.
Through his consistent and innovative efforts, Iwan
Tirta was able to turn a village cloth art into an
international fashion vogue. But, it is not only his
batik that captured the world’s attention, but also his
love of Indonesian culture and the hard work he put
in to preserve a part of it. He realized the future
meant nothing without a bit of the past, as he best
expressed in his quote, “We cannot move forward
without preserving our past."

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