The Cloth Remembers in Singapore

Explaining the inspiration behind my version of 'Batik kompeni'

Photo by Saul Chan Htoo Sang

at aNERDgallery in Singapore

Groupphoto of the artists, curator and organisers of 'The Cloth Remembers'

in front the work by of Mee Cha, of Moon Love Batik, who couldn't be there

at aNERDgallery in Singapore

Rangoli for Pongal in Little India, Singapore

A week home after bring abroad most of January. First leaving a snow-covered Netherlands for London, second for Singapore. I didn’t mind swapping the cold weather for the hot, and the weather was really mild in Singapore.

Arrived on Tuesday 13 January late afternoon in Singapore. On Wednesday me & Tony started building up the exhibition at aNERDgallery that opened on Thursday afternoon. When we arrived in the morning on Wednesday in Little India we saw sugar canes standing at the grocery stores corners and many people buying them. It was the start of Pongal; 

Pongal is a Harvest Festival. Originated in Tamil Nadu, a Southern state of India. The festival is named after the ceremonial “Pongal”, which means “boiling over” or “overflow” in Tamil language and refers to the traditional dish prepared by boiling rice with milk and jaggery. Mattu Pongal is meant for celebration of cattle, and the cattle are bathed, their horns polished and painted in bright colors with garlands of flowers placed around their necks and processions on the day. The festival is traditionally an occasion for decorating with rice-powder based kolam artworks, offering prayers at home, visiting temples, getting together with family and friends, and exchanging gifts to renew social bonds of solidarity.

What a nice time to arrive here. I visited the decorated cows in between hanging the artworks. The next morning, on Thursday, our opening day, many shops had decorations in front including rangoli (little temporary carpets made from coloured sand and flowers), the pot that is 'overflowing' and sugarcanes against the walls.

Building up 'The Cloth Remembers' at aNERDgallery

More Rangoli decorations for Pongal in Little India, Singapore

Since me & Tony were in Laos in 2024 we have been thinking of bringing the cloths we saw there during the symposium and the people who make them together. Diving deeper in the meaning behind the Hmong Story Cloth and how they were made, functioning as living archives of memory, displacement and resilience, we recognized this in other storytelling cloths as well. 

The exhibition ‘The Cloth Remembers’ has traditional story cloth next to re-imagined story cloth by HAFI from Singapore, Mee Cha from Laos, Saul Chan Htoo Sang from Myanmar and me.

Entrance to the exhibition 'The Cloth Remembers'

View of the exhibition 'The Cloth Remembers', open till 28 February 2026 at aNERDgallery

Left the work by HAFI, right side the work by Mee Cha of Moon Love Batik, 

behind the Batik Kompeni, left on the wall on loan from Rudolf Smend

Left traditional Chin embroidery from YOYAMAY from Myanmar, 

in the middle my re-made 'Batik Kompeni, 

on the right traditional Hmong Batik by Mee Cha of Moon Love Batik

For my re-imagined story cloth I was inspired by Batik Kompeni. In the exhibition we got to add two of these batiks. An older one from around 1920-1930. We got it on loan from Galerie Rudolf Smend. 

This hand-drawn batik kompeni in blue and red, showing marching soldiers and mounted horsemen alongside ships, elephants, tigers and flowers across the body of the cloth. The red head panel of the cloth is adorned with flowers and birds.

The second one, is a Batik Kompeni - Repro Batik Perang Lombok.  Batik Kompeni refers to batik that depict war scenes. These batik designs were first made in Pekalongan, Java, at the end of the 19th century. Renowned batik ateliers made these designs based on the Aceh war, which was part of a broader series of violent conflicts to insure Dutch colonial rule over Indonesia. In the 1920s, batik workshops in Cirebon started remaking this design, adding modern warfare imagery such as planes and firearms, to reflect the ongoing resistance to colonial oppression. These war batiks were named Batik Perang Lombok by a Dutch researcher in the 1990s although they are locally known as Batik Kompeni, after Vereenigde Oostindische Compagnie (VOC, Dutch East India Company).

For my own work I wanted to create a Batik Kompeni that depicts the actual history of the Vereenigde Oostindische Compagnie (VOC, Dutch East India Company) which had an impact to this day. This work highlights the era of Jan Pieterszoon Coen (J.P. Coen), a naval officer and former Governor-General of the Dutch East Indies, who ordered massacres and forced deportations that resulted in the displacement of the people of Banda in the 17th century. The scene is juxtaposed with the removal of his statue in Batavia during the Japanese occupation as well as the demonstration around his statue in Hoorn, Netherlands in 2020.

At the centre of this batik is a Nutmeg tree, the reason for the Dutch to start this chapter of violence, drawn together with a nutmeg pigeon (Ducula spilorrhoa) flying away, bringing the nutmeg to freedom.

On Thursday 15 January late afternoon we opened the show, together with the rebranding launch of aNERD. So many came, which was a lovely surprise, wonderful to see everyone so soon again. For the re-branding a lovely video is made as well, watch below. It was so great to be here during this milestone. aNERD opened in October 2022, I was a month earlier in Singapore when Tony just got the keys. It was also the first time we met in person, meeting online in the pandemic. What Tony accomplished in 3 years time is really remarkable. aNERD is The place for textile nerds & creatives to gather, learn, do and share in Singapore. I am so happy to be one of those nerds!

   

 

The exhibition ‘The Cloth Remembers‘ at aNERDgallery was part of Singapore Art Week (SAW) and will run till 28 February 2026.

My travel to Singapore is made possible by the Mondriaan Fonds International Voucher.  Thank you so much!

All dressed up for the opening of 'The Cloth Remembers' , 

posing in front of my work with HAFI. 

Photo by Pearl

I am wearing kebaya by Kebaya Jeng Sri, belt by Rengganis, batik by Ibu Ramini

aNERD has a new sign outside too

On Saturday 17 January we had a paneltalk, Remembering the Cloth: Artists in Conversation. An afternoon in which the participating artists; HAFI, Saul Chan Htoo Sang, me and curator Tony Sugiarta to reflect on the exhibition ‘The Cloth Remembers’, discussing story cloth as living archives of memory, displacement and resilience. Intertwined with our own lived experiences, the conversation explores how textiles and contemporary storytelling reimagine identity, community and collective hope. 

I realized my experience is pretty different, mostly because textile traditions are so far removed from daily culture in the Netherlands. We have hardly any traditional wear left and we aren’t connected to any handmade textile traditions since we do not have many left. There is an upcoming interest in handmade, repair & sustainability in clothing, but the connecting with tradition is often not made. Mainly I think because it soon gets intertwined with colonial history which many are not ready to deal with. It is something I think about too; what would be my own version of traditional Dutch wear if Batik was not my go to daily uniform. What would & could I wear?

Watch it back here:

 

 Paneltalk Remembering the Cloth: Artists in Conversation at aNERDgallery

On Sunday 18 January I went to shop for art materials for the Paper Sarong workshop and ended up crafting at the National gallery. For the exhibition ‘Fear no power: Women imagining otherwise’ the Kolektif made a activity booklet which included creating a junk journal inspired by the exhibition. I was definitely not their target group, but was nevrtheless welcome to cut & paste between the teenagers. 

The exhibition features some great women art collectives & shared next to work, some archival insights in their organization and activities. It was interesting to see that these women art collectives included textiles, traditional arts & crafts, next to politics in their exhibitions and gatherings. Something that is now more happening in the more general (read previous male dominated) Art scene and in museums. As this exhibitions shows. When visiting do take some time to read some of the letters on display, the struggle is real. 

Collage by Imelda Cajipe Endaya (b. 1949, Philippines)

Collection of Amaryllis T. Torres

This collage belong to the series Conversations on the Spoliarium and Women's Work (2004)

Now on view at the exhibition ‘Fear no power: Women imagining otherwise’ at National Gallery Singapore

The letter with the best shade I read in a while: “Dr. Capistrano-Baker’s scholarship certainly has impeccable data. And I don’t expect her to express lament or point an accusing finger. But at the very least she could have opined an Asian bias in her analysis. Alas one can’t give what one doesn’t have. Meanwhile let’s dream on until our scholars can convince museums to gift their collections to communities where their art hoard originated, and until our institutions can build capability to preserve, exhibit, and educate with them.” 

Written by Imelda Cajipe Endaya who was part of the KASIBULAN group

 I cut and washi taped this into my booklet, surrounded by very young Singaporeans who all brought stickers and more things to craft with. The photos above were the inspiration. It was actually really nice to look at the exhibition in this way.

On Monday 19 January after a walk in the park and seeing a whole hornbill checking out nest locations, I went to see ‘Peacock Power’ at Peranakan Museum. Me & Tony went for the activity booklet, of course, doing all the things in the exhibition; making a tiny belt, 3D peacock, colour in a feather & counting how many peacocks on the batiks. A guide gave us all the correct answers before we even got started. 

The exhibition is stunning and it shows a wide variety of objects decorated with peacocks, explaining how different Asian cultures use these birds as symbols. Great Indian and European block print, carpets, beaded and embroidered textiles. There are some lovely batiks, which are not of the museum collection and not in the small catalog. Again hidden behind the black mesh to make photography difficult, or to get a closer look. 

Detail of kepala on a batik, stunning detail

at 'Peacock Power' at Peranakan Museum in Singapore

Two block prints, probably from India, Coromandel Coast, early 18th century, 

collected separately, one used in a baju panjang, the other as full cloth. 

Look at the long triangles on the side, like the tumpals in batik. 

Detail of kepala on a batik, stunning detail

at 'Peacock Power' at Peranakan Museum in Singapore

Kalamkari hanging, Iran. 19th century

On loan from the Islamic Arts Muscum Malaysia

Detail of kepala on a batik, stunning detail

at 'Peacock Power' at Peranakan Museum in Singapore

Fake version of the previous

Printed hanging from Manchester or Lancashire, England, 19th century

at 'Peacock Power' at Peranakan Museum in Singapore

Display with batiks, beaded slippers and kebaya

at 'Peacock Power' at Peranakan Museum in Singapore

Detail of Pagi-Sore batik

at 'Peacock Power' at Peranakan Museum in Singapore

Kain Panjang batik from Solo and a Cheongsam

at 'Peacock Power' at Peranakan Museum in Singapore

On Tuesday 20 & Wednesday 22 January me & Tony got to join the promising conference ‘Global tropics: Fashion and Southeast Asia Conference’ at Lasalle, thanks Sufi for inviting us! 

The conference was held to open their new Fashion research lab ‘Equatorial’; The Equatorial Fashion Research Lab is an inclusive international research space that advances fashion practice and theory from Southeast Asia in connection to the world. It aims to create a site for fashion theorists, researchers and practitioners to conduct research rooted in the region’s lived realities. The inaugural Global Tropics conference marks our first gathering of practitioners and theorists, creating a space to meet and engage in meaningful dialogue shaped by the region’s perspectives. 

Opening speech by Dr. Circe Henestrosa with on the slide Thao Vu of Kilomet109

Panel 'Decolonising the Imaginary Nusantara' with Sufiyanto Amat Sopingi of Kebaya Societé

To our surprise Thao Vu of Kilomet109 was on the program too. We met her in Laos during the ASEAN symposium and I later visit her in Hanoi. I had the Hmong batik skirt I bought there with me this trip! What a cosmic alignment her being in town while we made the exhibition inspired by the symposium in Laos! She later that week came visit aNERDgallery and it is so wonderful how the love for textile (traditions) really connected us globally! A thank you to Linda McIntosh who brought us all together in Laos! 

The conference raised interesting questions, but it didn’t really go there. Stuck between politeness and perhaps distance to some of the topics, made it that only some of the speakers really brought the topic of the ‘tropics’ to the students. The main question I had was, do the students realize this too. If speakers all share the same stage, how does the audience know which words matter more? Which points of view might be dare I say, problematic, in the outside work, or which brand-visions will get lost when being worn in the actual world, becoming therefore the very thing they try to undo. Was impressed by the talks by Dr. Circe Henestrosa, Dr. Valerie Steele, Dr. Courtney Fu and Genevieve Clutario, wonderful to see fashionbrand Kilomet109 & Malay kebaya heritage by Kebaya societé on stage.

The famous mural of Kampong Glam highlighting the role of textile trade in Arab street

In between the conference I was browsing the shops in Little India for batik & most of all fake batik. It seems the more labels something has, the more fake (read machine or silkscreen printed) it is. 

Same in Arab street/Kamping Glan where I went on Friday morning. The textiles shops in that neighborhood are closing down, replaced by the same souvenir shops. Literally the same, selling the same magnets, keychains & other SG plastic tourist stuff. The closing of the textile stores is blamed on the lack of shoppers, but also the increasing rents, doubling the rent is crazy. But there is also another element to it, very much linked to all of this. 

It was here in the not so long ago past, you got get the most luxurious fabrics, from other places in Asia, but also from Europe. Now this is replaced by machine produced imitations. In Arab street you see the word Batik painted on the outside, but real batik is hard to find. Mixed between silkscreen and machine prints, some batik cap (stamped) can be found, but nothing really shares the real beauty of, or love for batik. This lack of quality is exactly what is going wrong. Obvious people can get all these fakes online, for an even lower price. There is no competing with that. So how to bring back quality, and more so customers who appreciated this quality. In a world where we just focus on growth and making more and more, it is quality that is becoming less. We see it happening everything and this development is part of that. 

It was nice to chat about this and other textile matters with Oniatta of Galerie Tokokita in Kampong Glam. Is she the only one left selling actual batik in this historical textile neighborhood? 

Textile shop in Arab Street

Fake batik for sell in Arab street

with in the background the selling out signs of one of the soon to be closed stores

But no real batik in sight...

Found a wax resist decorated sari fabric in Little India

Pile of machine & silkscreen printed textiles with batik labels on them in Little India

The rest of my time in Singapore I tried to see as many Singapore Art Week exhibitions as possible. Although I love any type of Art, I was surprised that textile art wasn’t a big thing. Textiles were used as inspirations for art works, but there were hardly any works made with textile. 

I asked Adele of Muta Wear if she knew of any textile related exhibitions. She told about the work of Teck Lim. 

The work he showed at Baroque House Art Gallery is a tribute to his late mother. Piles of her neatly folded cloths are featured in several of the photographic artworks. 

I thought it might make me really sad. I was the first visitor and the artist was there. We just rolled into this lovely conversation. Got to take a tissue from the box to keep. Left with a smile that continued throughout the day. 

At the Gillman Barracks, an old army side turned into multiple small galleries, textile was a source of inspiration, but not the medium to work in. There were two exhibitions inspired by the same traditional Balinese textile…

At the Indian Heritage Centre textiles were featured, but it was only a pop-up for the weekend. 

We also joined a tour by Post Museum on my last Sunday in Singapore. With the question ‘Art for Everyone’ our guide Zulfa brought us to public art and art by the public. It was a nice contrast with the Art SG which was definitely an art selling show, for who ever has large enough walls for paintings.

I enjoyed being more in the art-scene than the textile scene this visit. It showed me another, dare I say younger side, of Singapore. 

Tech Lim's 'Ahead of Time' at Baroque House Art Gallery

'Stealing Beauty (Steel Garden - After Durer's A Great Piece of Turf) '

 by Anila Quayyum Agha (b. 1965, Lahore, Pakistan) is an expansive wall-relief, comprises visual elements from South Asian Islamic culture enmeshed 

with motifs by the 19th-century British textile designer William Morris. 

By re-imagining these patterns, the artist considers questions about inspiration versus appropriation and how we often value or legitimize art based on who created it.

At Sundaram Tagore gallery at Gillman Barracks

For Ibrahim Mahama first solo exhibition in Singapore, he weaves together reclaimed materials - sacks, maps, documents, photographs - to compose a geography of colonial memory. The material, sewn, folded, and scarred, is never neutral: it bears witness to the passage from colonialism to global extractivism, from commodity to body, from official history to embodied memory.

At Gillman Barracks

'Wastra' by Kemalezedin

Wastra means cloth or textile. 

at the Mizuma Gallery At Gillman Barracks

'Tools of resistance' by Lim E-Lynn Joanne part of MirrorBall  

 At Gillman Barracks

Batiks by Safira, including the sarong she is wearing, at Indian Heritage Centre

Mural in one of the tunnels of Singapore, visited during the Post Museum SAW tour

On Saturday 24 January I got to give the Paper Sarong workshop for the first time in Singapore at aNERDgallery. During the week I was testing out different materials to get the right result. With 18 participants, we were more than fully booked, having them working in 6 groups creating a paper sarong. Starting with an introduction on how batiks can have different designs depending on when they were made and what size, I invited everyone to draw first individually. Drawing something that they thought would represent them, big or small, could be a pretty flower you saw that morning or a symbol explaining more about who they are. 

After creating these, I asked each group to put their drawings together into one bigger design, by discussing what everyone drew and why and how it can be put together. This is always such a interesting moment in which participants get really into it. The designs were divers and so much fun. A big lotus flower, view of Marina Bay, the land, the sea & the sky twice, food motifs in an udan liris design & two very sad cats. 

We made a round to every group sharing the story of their paper sarong. My favorite part of this workshop. It is wonderful to see how the participants, often strangers at first, can make this together in just of few hours.

Short introduction with examples of batiks showing the different designs and layouts

Trying out the materials before working a the Paper Sarong together

Singapore inspired designs were made

Every group sharing the story behind their paper sarong

Every group sharing the story behind their paper sarong

Time flew, so much to do, so many people to meet, so much catching up to be done. It was absolutely wonderful to get to spend two weeks in Singapore, joining the exhibition ’The Cloth Remembers’ activities and so much more. Between the rangolis of Pongal and the gold & red of Chinese New Year, it was a great moment to be in Singapore and see Art, art, Art! 

Thank you Mondriaan Fonds for making this journey possible!

Thank you Tony for having me!

Looking forward to all our new plans!

Like our new tour that was just announced, join us in October for aNERD tour by me ‘Journey to Batik, info & to book go to https://anerdgallery.com/product/edition-2-of-2026-journey-to-batik/

Stall with Chinese New Year decorations

Real and imitation batik to end 2025

Examining a baby traditional wear jacket made from different pieces of imitation batik. 

Collection Openluchtmuseum Arnhem. 

Photo by Jacco Hooikammer

Posing with their just finished batiks at the Indonesian Embassy Copenhagen op 5 December

Performer during the Untold Empowerment with Black Harmony Winti concert, 

dressed in (imitation/printed textiles with) Batik (motifs)

Wrote in my post 'Bulan Batik' in November that I just got two more negative results on funding applications. Making that six this years…Most of these were written together with others; scholars, organisaties, even museums. In every application goes much work and even more hope, so it made me sad it all seemed so fruitless. 

I was also trying to finish a batik for an exhibition, struggling to keep the wax warm & the last flying bees away. I started working in the our shed. Not ideal, resulting in much craquelé on the batik, just so I can send it before the holiday season to Singapore. The work was just in the mail when I got great news that I can go, and be part of the program held at aNERDgallery during Singapore Art Week!

I end this year with receiving two positive results. For two applications allowing me to travel. This January to Singapore, thanks to the International Voucher by Mondriaan Fonds. And later in May to Austria to dive into Blaudruck block printing technique still happening there thanks to KF Hein Grensverlegger-beurs . Looking forward to it so much & makes me feel very lucky. 

It has been 16 years since I have gotten a positive result from Mondriaan personally. Exhibitions & projects I worked on had been granted by them, luckily, but I think it is beautiful that my first journey, back then it was called Fonds BKVB, and now this upcoming journey have been made possible by them!

On Sunday 2 November went for two days to Enschede with Koen. Was invited a while back to come see the collection at the Museumfabriek which has collections of former cottonprinting companies. It was the perfect moment to combine it with the exhibition celebrating 70 years of art by herman de vries. On Monday we went to the depot of the Museumfabriek. In the past Enschede had a museum focussed on textiles and the former Stichting Textielhistorie was located in this textile historic city. Different collections ended up at the Museumfabriek were apart from some very big weaving looms, hardly any textile related objects are on display. In the depot on Monday I got to look at Batik & imitation batik, on rolls and in sample books. Great & interesting to see part of what is kept here, and for sure something to dive into further in the near future.

Koen in depot Museumfabriek Enschede, with batik from the collection

Batiks on rolls in in depot Museumfabriek Enschede

Calender machine at Museumfabriek in Enschede.

Calendering is a finishing process used on cloth and fabrics. 

A calender is employed, usually to smooth, coat, or thin a material

On Thursday 6 November I joined visiting PhD candidate Prerana Nair to see several Patola cloths from the Wereldmuseum Leiden collection. We met in Edinburgh in 2022 when we were both part of the Dress Historian symposium. We stayed in touch through Instagram, mostly me bombarding her with things I came across on Patola in relation with use in Indonesia. It was wonderful to catch up, not just at the depot, but in between also. An absolutely fantastic to get a look at these textile with someone with so much knowledge on them. Wonderful to learn more on these textiles & to spend time. Looking forward to your next visit.

Prerana Nair examining Patalo from the Wereldmuseum collection

Got to join two events that were organized to celebrate 50 years independence of Suriname from Dutch colonial rule. Good to see there was much organized in the Netherlands.

On 12 November Tailors and wearers gave a workshop Angisa folding at KB in Den Haag. Folding turned out more difficult than I anticipated, so took some photos in between trying for the KB. 

On 22 November I was at the KIEN Intangible heritage day in Rotterdam which ended with a great Winti concert by Untold Empowerment with Black Harmony. Of course had to capture the moments of the performers wearing Batik motifs.

Also made a quick visit to ‘Angisa Taki’, exhibition by Tailors & Wearers at De Doelen in Rotterdam with a video-installation by Yanira Gefferie & Lana Renfrum including dance and a display of unfolded angisa.

Tailors & Wearers Angisa folding workshop at KB in Den Haag

Performer during the Untold Empowerment with Black Harmony Winti concert, 

dressed in (imitation/printed textiles with) Batik (motifs)

Performers during the Untold Empowerment with Black Harmony Winti concert, 

dressed in (imitation/printed textiles with) Batik (motifs)

Video-installation by Yanira Gefferie & Lana Renfrum Angisa Taki’, 

exhibition by Tailors & Wearers at De Doelen in Rotterdam 

On 27 November got to give another guest lecture at UvA, second one for Jenny Boulboulle textile history & Art course which this time was called ‘The Interwoven Globe’.

We wanted also to do a hands-on part, not just talk about textiles; how they are made, used, lost & retold,  So we started the lesson with tie-dye. They already learned & read about Cotton, Indigo, Batik, Patola (double ikat) and more. Using beads, elastic bands & thread dipped in Indigo they made their own versions of plangi/tritik/shibori/tie-dye.

The Indigo vat was made by Rian Lenting & Jenny for their research on the Leidse woolen blankets ‘Black Magic’. It was fun to see the students reactions to the colour change. The greenish blue, going to a darker blue.

After the knotting, dipping, oxidizing & untying, I shared on the history of Batik & imitation batik. In between we did a round of "what resist-dye is it?". They had three textiles & three resist-dye techniques. I went through the different ways of resist-dyeing and the names. After they made up their minds which could be what, we discussed what they saw to unravel the technique. They did really well.

End the end I had several imitations, so silkscreen printed, machine printed, block-printed with only colour. Only one real batik was included. They had to see if the textile in front of them was a real or fake batik. It was great to see they used the earlier determined pieces, to compare the fabric to. All concluded correctly.

It is amazing to share about Batik & my work and research within a university context without coming from a university background. Bringing actual textiles, letting them work on textiles from the UvA collection, so they can look, feel and get to know the fabrics they read about. It is so important, and Jenny does this so well in this program.

Students at UvA trying to match the technique to the correct textile during my guestlecture

Posing with the tie-dye Indigo dipped results

To prepare and hang out, me and Jenny also went to the exhibition 'Unseen talent, Women of the Amsterdam School' at Museum Het Schip. It runs till 28 June 2026, so go and see. I will just highlight the batik works in this post by Cathrien Bogtman. 

Around 1900, batik became popular with Dutch artists and designers via the still-colonised Indonesia. The arts and crafts studio Bogman from Hilversum develops its own variant of the batik technique. This technique was applied to materials such as velvet and silk, and even wood and celluloid. The studio flourishes through the production of batik art objects in the expressive Amsterdam School style

The middle son, Louis Bogtman (1900-1969), is recognised in art history as the designer of the studio. However, his elder sister Cathrien Bogtman (1898-1973) also plays a crucial role in the studio. She introduces the batik technique to the family. Moreover, correspondence reveals that she makes artistic choices regarding the colourings of Louis's designs. She manages 10 female employees in the execution of the designs, including family members. The arts and crafts studio Bogtman demonstrates how design is a collective process. in which many women participate. 

Cathrien is inventive and enterprising. From 1925, she and her husband manage a second studio. Here, the entire production of lamps is performed solely by female employees. Sketchbooks also reveal that she created designs herself.

Read the text next to a photo of Cathrien Bogtman in a full batik look. They have batik on wood, leather and velours d'Utrecht (Trijp) which is a mixture of cotton and wool, by her. All from around 1925. 

Display on Cathrien Bogtman as shown in Museum Het Schip

Batik on leather by Cathrien Bogtman, at Museum Het Schip

Batik on velours d'Utrecht on Cathrien Bogtman, at Museum Het Schip

This december an article-interview with me is published in the magazine Handwerken zonder grenzen (Crafts without borders). During the Ambacht in Beeld festival, one of my participants was of the magazine Handwerken zonder grenzen. A magazine with a long historie. Founded by Henriette and Henk Beukers in 1978 the magazine featured textile crafts from around the world. I own several editions featuring articles on batik. In 2002 Henriette and Henk Beukers stopped themselves, but the magazine is still made today.

I got emailed by Yvonne Philippa if she could interview me for the magazine. She visited my exhibition ‘Masa depan Batik‘ and interviewed me. At the end of the interview she told me she was planning a visit to Indonesia and would love to dive into batik again. I said jokingly; “Well let me know if you need any tips, I am like a tourist information for Batik”. Hence the title became “Ik ben een soort VVV voor Batik” (“I am a kind of Association for Tourism for Batik”).

You can order a copy of ‘Handwerken voor grenzen’ no 252 here: shop.handwerkenzondergrenzen.nl

Interview/article in Handwerken voor grenzen no 252

My collection of old Handwerken voor grenzen with batik articles in them

On 5 December I got to give a batikworkshop at the Indonesian embassy in Copenhagen, Denmark. Of course it feels like an upside down world to be invited to do this, but bare in mind that the way I give batik lessons is very much adapted to work in an inside, colder environment. As always I do use the canting, waxpen, from Java, brought several batiks & books on batik with me and on a loop photos of the makers of Java that I took along my journeys were shown.

I was informed mostly spouses of ambassadors would join, but to our surprise also the ambassadors themselves joined. The ambassador of Indonesia herself joined both sessions to make Batik.

The participants had 1,5 hour to make their own batik, very short considering this is normally a process of several weeks. On a small size, using the canting and adding colours by brush, all 45 participants made their own unique batik. Next to many butterflies & birds, there were batiks inspired by flowers, Christmas, even Labubu made an appearance. 

It was an amazing experience. Before we had a lot of back and forths on the materials, making me have some worries, what if this was missing, or did not work. Carried myself 4 kilo’s of beewax, the right cotton & dyes, extra cantings, just to be sure. Our preparations were good, we missed nothing and all batiks turned out great!

Batikworkshop at the Indonesian Embassy Copenhagen op 5 December

Labubu in Batik

Second group posing with finished batik at the Indonesian Embassy Copenhagen op 5 December

While in Copenhagen I manage to see two amazing textile collections on display and even found Danish made Batik. 

At the Design Museum Danmark the exhibition ‘The Power of Print’ showcases textiles from the greatest Danish fabric printers throughout history, and displaying new textiles from current Danish textile printers. Rooms & rooms filled with patterned textiles, a true feast for the eyes. The way it is displayed, with the texts also printed on textiles, is gorgeous. Some really inspiring display cases, I love me some drawers to go through. 

And even three pieces made with Batik!! A scarf on silk by Lissen Ewald in 1930 & two pieces on cotton by Ebbe Sadolin & Mana von Hausen Sadolin from 1925 that were shown in Paris during the International exhibition of Modern Decorative and Industrial Arts. 

Batik was introduced in Denmark in early 20th century. It gained popularity between 1920 and 1925, after it was adapted in the Netherland in the Art Nouveau movement. So the inspiration didn't come directly from Indonesia, but through the European Arts & Crafts movement in which it was used mostly in home decor. 

In the Spring of 1924 Mana von Hausen (1898-1993), not yet married to Ebbe Sadolin (1900-1982), presented batik in the gallery Kunstboden in Copenhagen, where she also demonstrated the technique in public. A year later, she exhibited again, with Ebbe, and showed furnishing & clothing fabrics. All her works featured animals and flowers in multiple colours, while he presented wall hangings and more, in monochrome. The pieces they showed at International exhibition of Modern Decorative and Industrial Arts can be seen as 'a peak example of Danish batik', as stated in the catalog/book of this exhibition. These batik pieces ended up in the museum collection, of which two were shown. 

The other batik piece on display was a silk scarf by Lissen Ewald (1890-1957). Of this the catalog just mentioned it was presented in Paris as well. The scarf resembles in design more a slendang, with long lines on each edge. The colours, brown and blue, are like traditional batik, but the figures give it a more Scandinavian feel.

The exhibition end on 4 January 2026. There is also a great catalog ‘Danish Textile Prints, 100 years of Craft and Design’.

 Exhibition ‘The Power of Print’ at the Design Museum Danmark

Batik on cotton by Ebbe Sadolin & Mana von Hausen Sadolin, 1925

Collection the Design Museum Danmark

Silk Batik scarf by Lissen Ewald , 1925

Collection the Design Museum Danmark

Searching for textiles in museum in Copenhagen online, the David collection came up. The islamic collection holds many very old textiles, like ikat from the 5th century, woven cloths from the 15th century , Batik Besurek (batik with calligraphy motif) from the 19th century and much much more. I think I never saw so many, so old textiles. The museum is amazing in its layout. Each room is filled with the most marvelous pieces. The collection was brought/bought together by Christian Ludvig David (1878-1960), a lawyer and business man from an already wealthy family. In 1917 he started creating what is now the museum showing his collection. Next to textiles, it has so many breathtaking objects. Wonder of course about the what/where/how/why of this collection, in connection to Denmarks colonial past, but since all information in the museum is in Danish, I don’t know if it is mentioned/explained. 

What a visit it was. I was in Copenhagen once before in 2008 with my parents. Happy I could re-visit, doing a batikworkshop at the Indonesian embassy & in between seeing these inspiring museums

Tiny ikat from the 5th century, the David collection

 Batik Besurek (batik with calligraphy motif) from the 19th century, the David collection

Calligraphy in stone and textile, the David collection

View in the David collection

Was invited to see the possible batik, most likely imitation Batik collection of the Openluchtmuseum Arnhem on 15 December. 

We started with a block printed kasmir imitation scarf. In this room the bigger pieces of textiles are on rolls, reaching the ceiling. To look at these, they need to be removed with a forklift. So you can imagine the size of the space! 

The blockprint in multiple colours  looked for me too precise to be European made. On the edge with the fringes in the center is printed an Arabic (?) text. It looks like it is something you suppose to remove or turn into fringes when you buy it. So maybe it is information of the seller? If anyone knows, please comment below.

Block print with text in fringes

Collection Openluchtmuseum Arnhem. 

We went from room to room in the massive collection building in Amersfoort, which houses next to the Openluchtmuseum collection many more collections. In the next room we looked at everything to do with domestic culture, so textiles used in and around the house. There were several curtains that used all types of imitation batiks, so Java & Wax prints. Very bright and colourful. The squared shaped curtains were made for the box bed (bedstee). How fun they used Java Print Good Living, among other designs! 

Curtain for bed box using Good Living.

Collection Openluchtmuseum Arnhem. 

We continued with clothing in two other rooms. There were many small pieces, used to pin on the chest, parts of traditional wear, since most Dutch wear was pinned on to create the multiple layered outfits. But also complete baby jackets and aprons used all kind of (Dutch) imitation batik, but also imitation chintz, or already adapted for the West-African market Wax Prints. Among all the textiles we saw, only one was a real batik, made for (European) tourism with big Wayang figures used as wall hanging. 

Most of these colourful textiles were used mixed with also colourful textiles on the Dutch island Marken.  A few years ago I already wrote about how blue & white Wax Print ended up on boys aprons, but that was definitely not the only use. 

Thanks Jacco Hooikammer for the invite, lovely to look at these pieces and for sharing with me how these pieces were used traditionally in the Netherlands. An inspirational (imitation)batikful day, for sure to be continued!

Jackets for children

Collection Openluchtmuseum Arnhem. 

Small part of an imitation batik/Java print to pin on to the chest

Collection Openluchtmuseum Arnhem. 

Baby jacket made from Wax Print

Collection Openluchtmuseum Arnhem. 

Collection Openluchtmuseum Arnhem. 

Photo by Jacco Hooikammer

My last depot day of this year was on Friday 19 December. After making a Wereldverhaal (Word story) for the Wereldmuseum on Kebaya, me and Francine Brinkgreve couldn’t fit in all the stories we wanted to share. To prepare for a follow up story we looked at several items donated by the families Kan-Han-Tan. 

The first donation in 2015 resulted in a small exhibition in the Wereldmuseum Leiden called ‘Verbinding van culturen: Chinezen uit Indonesië in Nederland’ (Connecting cultures: Chinese people from Indonesia in the Netherlands). In the following years more was donated by the families, including a complete family altar, a Chinese traditional wedding costume, and more recently some more kebayas and photographs. 

For our upcoming story we will look at how photographs in the collection can help us (re-)telling the history of the kebaya in more recent years. Also in this way, these not yet fully documented & processed kebayas can already be featured online instead of waiting to be on display one day. 

Last depot visit of the year

Kebaya in the box it was transported in from the depot to the museum

At the moment enjoying some free days, which I really needed. Looking forward to be in Singapore this January. If you are in town, please come visit ‘The Cloth Remembers’ at aNERDgallery, opening 15 January 2016, program during the first weekend & during SAW. 

Dear readers, would like to thank everyone who follows my journey to Batik through my blog. I am every time surprised and feel honoured if people tell me they have been reading/following me. I hope I can share many more batik related stories with you this new year. Sharing this journey with you all keeps me going!

Salam Canting & Selamat Tahun Baru (Happy New Year)!