Happy second Batik Day ;)!
On Facebook the photo of two women in a garden wearing Batik with a cat and fox face appeared in my feed. Gita shared the photo with our mutual friend Krisna Murti. I immediately liked it and asked her if I could share it as a Batik Statement. I also asked her what the story behind the photo was.
Gita is a contemporary dancer and performed in Krisna Murti’s latest video-work. She told me this photo was part of a project she is working on: Hijab Batik.
She is creating a new dance in which she explore the two words ‘Hijab’ and ‘Batik’.
The Hijab is becoming more common on Java. It is worn by Muslim women as a symbol of modesty, privacy and morality. It is a way of protection.
Traditionally of course Batik was clothing of everyday life on Java. With its practical and symbolic use it was and is also a form of protection.
Gita wrote to me: “Hijab Batik are two values, paradox and parallel. In my work I talk about it because I think Indonesian women today need to balance themself by Hijab and Batik. I try to explore the spirit of Hijab and Batik.”
The second photo she send me express this thought nicely. It is much less cheerful as the first one, but I think its very strong. I’m looking forward to see how her project develops. In the meantime we can enjoy some of Gita’s dances on YouTube on her channel ‘gita kinanthi‘. I totally fel in love with her performance on the Art Island Festival. Take your time to watch it, it is beautiful!
Terima kasih Gita for sharing your Batik Statements!