October 3, 2014

Hijab Batik




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!





No comments: