Heaptalk, Jakarta — Kaukus Perempuan Parlemen Republic Indonesia (KPP-RI) held RUPA KARYA (Ruang Pameran Karya Anak Bangsa), a batik exhibition held in Selasar Nusantara Building II, Parliament House, Senayan, Jakarta (14–18 February 2022). The exhibition features 20 nominee masterpieces from the National Batik Design Challenge, which has been held by KPP-RI since November 2021, with the theme “Women and Indonesia’s Herbs,” and has gone through a curation session. This event was judged by the KPP-Judicial RI team. The selected winner will be announced by the Chairman of the Indonesian House of Parliament, Puan Maharani, on Friday, February 18, 2022.
Dewi Asmara, KPP-RI Presidium, explained in her written remarks (14/02) that the organization of this activity is a form of KPP-commitment RI’s to support efforts to preserve the archipelago’s culture through batik. This activity is also meant to help keep alive traditional Indonesian spices, which show up in the designs of Indonesian batik patterns.
“KPP-RI supports MSMEs to continue to increase creativity, especially in efforts to preserve the culture that is in harmony with the country’s natural wealth in the form of spices, which also color the fine fibers of batik made by this country’s children,” said Dewi Asmara. This member of the DPR RI from the Golkar faction also stated that, apart from having a wealth of various spices, Indonesia is also abundant with various plants that can be used as natural dyes for batik. Saga, turmeric, jackfruit wood, and mangosteen are just a few examples. So, not only does batik production help the economy, but it also helps people care for and protect nature.
Even during a pandemic, batik’s contribution to the national economy as a part of the textile sector is significant. According to a report from the Ministry of Industry, there was 532.7 million dollars worth of batik exports in 2020, and in the first three months of 2021, they made 157.8 million dollars worth of exports.
Casytha Arriwi Kathmandu, Chairperson of the KPP-RI RUPA WORKS Exhibition Committee, described batik as a cultural asset as well as a source of national identity. “Furthermore, the batik industry is one of the sectors that has made a considerable contribution to the national economy so far, dominated by small and medium-sized enterprises (IKM), and is a sector that provides numerous work opportunities, particularly for women. Through batik, MSMEs can become foreign exchange contributors, thereby promoting economic recovery and increasing community engagement, particularly among women,” said Casytha A. Kathmandu, a member of the DPD RI from the Central Java electoral district.
KPP-RI has been hosting the RUPA KARYA National Batik Design Competition since November 24, 2021, and has received 91 entries from 91 participants from various regions in Indonesia. The Jury of KPP-RI members, consisting of Arzeti Bilbina Huzaimi (member of DPR RI PKB faction), GKR Hemas (member of DPD RI-DIY Province), Krisdayanti (member of DPR RI-PDI-Struggle faction), and Ratu Ngadu, selected the results of this design work into 20 nominations of selected works (list attached).
Bonu Wulla, (member of the House of Representatives from the NasDem Party Faction). In addition, the KPP-RI management chooses from the nominations to pick 5 (five) works that will be shown at this RUPA WORKS Exhibition on February 18, 2022. One of them will be made into a KPP-RI batik.
This exhibition is fully supported by PT Bank Negara Indonesia Tbk (BNI), which has always had programs to empower MSMEs, including the Batik sector. In this exhibition, a number of communities of batik craftsmen and designers also appeared, who exhibited a number of their collections. Most of the community of batik artisans and designers participating in the RUPA KARYA exhibition are coordinated by the DKI Jakarta Dekranasda (Jakpreneur). Among others, KOMBAT (Tangerang Batik Community), Batik Wolter, Afif Syakur (Daily Manager of the Indonesian Batik Foundation), Batik Marunda, Batik Gobang, Elemwe, Batik Wijaya House, Firdaus Batik, Batik Suqi, Zarming Batik, House of Hanum, Batik Ismoyo, Nany Batik, Batik Ghaweyan Dewe, and Oscar Lawalata.
The exhibition is open to the public, but to watch this exhibition, all visitors must comply with health protocols and bring the latest swab letter. The point of this activity is to build synergy from upstream to downstream for the Indonesian batik industry. Casytha A. Kathmandu said that she hoped this event would keep the idea of preserving our cultural assets and identity alive, as well as help people, especially women, live better lives through batik. (*FK)
