With Ibu Jani, former curator Insular Southeast Asia Collection of Weltmuseum, at her batik display at Weltmuseum
Painting by Klimt at Belvedere
During my In the Blaudruck apprenticeship-journey, I also got to spend some time in Vienna. Last time I was here was in 2022. I stayed two days, of which one was visiting the depot and giving a talk at the Weltmuseum and the other day visiting the Wiener Secession & Theatermuseum which was absolutely great. I really wanted to return and happy I got to go back after 4 years. Now I got three days, which were well spend again, so lets dive into it!
New display of Textiles and Carpets with focus on inspiration in the broadest sense
On 30 April I managed to get an appointment at the MAK, Museum of Applied Arts depot to look at some Javanese batiks. I saw after my last visit a video of the museum in which a batik was on display. When looking at their online collection, turns out they have some Javanese batiks, but also batik made in Europe.
Curator Lara Steinhäußer welcomed us and gave us a tour through the new textile display. Amazing carpets, cloths, clothing and small samples to show the diversity of the MAK collection together with how inspiration goes further then just copying techniques or motifs.
In the depot I looked at Javanese batiks donated in 1886. All looked new, unworn, and seem really typical of that time from pieces I saw. It is not allowed to share any photos of the depot visit itself, but in the MAK online collection there are good images of all the batiks they have. And the images can be downloaded too. So I highlight three here:
Batik Tulis & Cap
With label: Ayam Koetjing (Indonesian: Ayam, Kucing = Chicken, Cat)
from 1870-1880
Credit MAK/Branislav Djordjevic
Isn't is the loveliest weirdest batik? The cats with their human like faces and moustache!
Batik Tulis
inventory nr; T 3938
With label: Pohon kamari. Could be Kamari tree (Gmelina arborea | Cashmere tree)
from 1870-1880
Credit MAK/Branislav Djordjevic
All these batiks have a paper label with a description in Indonesian/Malay on the motif
Batik Tulis
With label: ‘Strep strep’ (Dutch: Streep streep = lines)
from 1870-1880
Credit MAK/Branislav Djordjevic
The colours still so lovely, with a blue and red, green and purple (from overdyeing)
I also looked at one batik piece by the Dutch artist Johan Thorn Prikker. On a thicker velvet he created these interlocking flowing shapes in black on a pinkish colour. The museum bought three batiks by him in 1901 from the World exhibition held in Paris in 1900.
Batik by Thorn Prikker from the MAK Collection
inventory nr; T 5477
Credit MAK/Katrin Wißkirchen
An interesting collection, apparently it hasn’t been requested to look at for a long time ~ Martina Dax told us it was never requested in the time she has been working in the depot. So it also hasn’t been on display also, apart from the one Batik with cats & chicken. Time for a Batik exhibition in Vienna, I think! But first much work to do back home. One of reasons to look at the batik by Thorn Prikker is that I am currently working on an Batik exhibition for the Kunstmuseum in Den Haag (NL). More on this soon, but the focus is on their collection of batik made both on Java and in the Netherlands between 1890-1930.
Tree of life detail, from design by Klimt at MAK
Batik by Else Augusta Stübchen-Kirchner from 1920 at MAK
Display of Wiener Werkstätte textiles and textile designs with sliding doors
Display of Wiener Werkstätte textiles and textile designs
Dress by Josef Hoffmann, from 1910at MAK
Outfit by Wiener Werkstätte, want!
In the afternoon took time to visit the museum and enjoy all textiles, in the new permanent set-up Textiles and Carpets & in the new display on the Wiener Werkstätte. Now on display is a small batik made in Vienna and a imitation sample made by Voortman – nv Texas (1790-1988) in Belgium (more samples of thsi Belgium company in their online database ). In my previous post ‘Preparing the Blaudruck journey’ I shared I saw some blockprinting blocks from the same company at the Momu collection. Wonder how their archive got so scattered. But then again, most cottonprinting archives are (see Things That Talk zone ‘Fabric(s) of Leiden’).
The Muster Room at MAK
Downstairs at the museum there is the Munster room, some of these samples were also shown upstairs. These historical Biedermeier fabrics samples from between 1824 - 1845 give a nice, colourful insight in what was worn in this period. The display is lovely.
It was an inspiring visit, and many thanks Lara Steinhäußer for taking the time to share the great new textile display she made!
Entrance to the exhibition ‘The Ultimate Breath’ by Indonesian artist Indah Arsyad
On 1st of May got to meet Jani Kuhnt-Saptodewo, the former curator of the Insular Southeast Asia Collection. In 2022 she invited me to gave a talk at the Weltmuseum, but she was in Indonesia when I held it. Now 4 years later (my talk was on 3 May 2022, see blogpost 'Gruss aus Wien') we finally meet.
Ibu Jani guided us through the new temporary exhibition by Indonesian artist Indah Arsyad. The artist addresses air & water pollution in Indonesia in the exhibition ‘The Ultimate Breath’.
The exhibition stems from the artist’s deep concern about climate change and environmental pollution. In her works, Arsyad breathes new life into symbols of Javanese mythology and culture – wayang, gamelan, and traditional songs. The gunungan symbol, which represents balance in nature, features particularly prominently in her work. Symbols such as the deity Batara Kala, the waves of the ocean, and the Kalpataru tree reflect the interconnectedness of all life. They draw parallels with photosynthesis, which connects the sun, plants, and phytoplankton as sources of oxygen on Earth.
Of course going through the Weltmuseum, I saw many interesting things that caught my eye, like these Japanese Katagami stencils and blue prints. Apparently the fabrics were collected by Heinrich von Siebold and the stencils from the Vienna World's Fair in 1873 later inspired Art Nouveau artists in Vienna.
Japanese blue printed textiles from the Vienna World's Fair in 1873
We of course also visited the batik display,
that might be changed soon since these batiks have been up for a while now.
The step by step batik process is also great.
Made in Batang, organised by Pak William Kwan.
Painting by Raden Saleh at Weltmuseum in Vienna
On 7 May I had time to go to Belvedere, the museum housed in the palace, in Vienna. My feet were a bit worn out, but I was still very happy to walk through all the buildings, seeing all the splendour & seeing paintings by Klimt. Some details of the many, many painting by Klimt, which I was very happy to see from upclose.
The painting of Klimt I had as postcards of it my room, made me want to study Art. It felt like a full circle moment, again! This journey was again such a confirmation how wrong my teachers were at the Art Academy, or better, how long they kept me from the path I wanted to follow. Luckily I was stubborn enough to walk it anyway. I just wanted to work with patterns & totally was fascinated by Art created around the 1900’s, and I am happy I can tell my younger self “We did it, we are doing it!".
Lower Austrian Country Wedding from 1843, by Waldmüller
The museum has next to Klimt & Schiele, many amazing works by Austrian artists including many 19th century painting depicting landscaped & people. It was fun to see if I could spot any Blaudruck and pretty sure some painters did capture it in often subtle and stunning ways.
The Harvest from 1908, by Koller-Pinell
Brushwood Gatherers in the Vienna Woods from 1855, by Waldmüller
'The Neighbours' from 1859 by Waldmüller, so cheeky!!
The way his apron is folded, is a sign you are done for the day with work
View of the Imperial Estate Emmersdorf from 1826, by Rebell
Bonus to my visit was herman de vries lavender carpet. How lucky to get to see so many artists I like and admire!
I also got to see the just opened exhibition on Anni Albers ‘Constructing Textiles’. I missed it before in the Netherlands. It was the first exhibition on her work held at the Kunstmuseum! I am not that much into weaving, and thought before it would not be my cup of tea. But it was actually great to see, especially how they worked with her collecting of old South American textiles, her years teaching and the sketches, her finished designs and her husbands collaborative.
108 pounds of lavender flowers
Lavender carpet by herman de vries at Belvedere
on view till 13 September 2026
Weaver, author, designer, artist, visionary, and teacher-Anni Albers (1899-1994) uniquely combined all of these roles. Weaving for her was a constructive act, a process of building from threads to create textile structures that unite form, function, and aesthetics- While studying weaving at the Bauhaus, Albers developed an experimental approach to material in which the starting point for every design was the fiber itself. She was interested in the individual thread, its feel, and its visual expression.
Weaving by Anni Albers
sketch by Anni Albers
Her encounter with pre-Columbian textile art in Mexico and the Andes also had a lasting influence on her work. The highly developed Incan and Mayan weaving techniques, their abstract formal vocabulary, and the use of textiles as a conveyor of information broadened her perspective.
The exhibition Constructing Textiles, whose title is taken from an essay written by the artist in 1946, is devoted to Albers's wide-ranging oeuvre. It focuses on five projects in which Albers collaborated with architects.
These commissions clearly illustrate how she took account of the requirements of the different spaces when developing new textiles. Apart from innovative textile designs, the exhibition also explores her experimentation with the limits of weaving itself, as reflected not only in her pictorial weavings but also
- Anni Albers saw her work in her graphic art. as an adventure. It is to be hoped that this exhibition will also inspire, shift perspectives, and arouse curiosity.
- Exhibition is open until 16 August 2026 at Belvedere
Carpet by Anni Albers
sketch for carpet
sketch for carpet
Vitrine with small sample fo the final carpet and photo of how the carpet was used, look how the shadows create an extra pattern onto the carpet!
I really did enjoyed her works. It was also great to see indeed how innovating her designs were and how the re-appreciation of Textile as Art, and women in the Art/design world, make for great exhibitions! I hope what I am working on now can be part of this hopeful trend!
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