Vice President M. Jusuf Kalla opened the “Gelar Batik Nusantara 2015” exhibition at the Jakarta Convention Center here on Wednesday.
Organized by the Indonesian Batik Foundation and PT Mediatama Binakreasi, it will be held from June 24 to 28 with the theme, “Batik Uniting Nations.” The expo will showcase thousands of coastal batik motifs and those of the best Indonesian batik collectors.
“The popularity of batik is more widespread now than ever before,” the vice president said in his opening address.
Kalla noted that batik was no longer merely a traditional dress but had undergone innovations for the international market and had been adapted by several countries.
He explained that innovations in batik first started being made on the island of Java, but now, it has evolved in various regions across the Indonesian archipelago.
Furthermore, besides being a cultural factor that serves to unify the nation, batik has also developed in a number of neighboring countries such as India and Malaysia, the vice president remarked.
In addition, he pointed out that since batik was recognized as a World Cultural Heritage by the UNESCO in 2009, its reach continues to increase.
Kalla opined that as batik has become part of both official and casual clothing, there are challenges, as well, in terms of productivity and innovation.
According to the vice president, batik has been transformed from a form of traditional art into a masterpiece of global standard. It is also one of the cultural products of Indonesia that people are proud of and want to preserve.
Therefore, Kalla emphasized that the Gelar Batik Nusantara 2015 exhibition is expected to be able to open market opportunities and attract entrepreneurs, investors and institutions to develop batik as an international product.
