batik of java : poetics & politics

Last weekend I went to the opening of a beautiful textile and painting exhibition, batik of java : poetics and politics, at the Caloundra Regional Art Gallery.
I lived in Indonesia for two years in the mid 90's and fell in love with the many varied textiles produced there and was inspired by the creativity of the crafts people (many of them women and weavers) and artists.
I wanted to share some images of details in some of the exquisite, hand made Batik Sarongs hanging in the exhibition. The fine details and dots created by the hand poured wax and dyes is incredible.
The Batiks belong to the collection of Ian Reed and Greg Roberts and were collected from the Javanese North Coast region.
Many of the Batiks featured motifs taken from nature, including butterflies,

these traditional Chinese style clouds
flowers and birds.

But some of the most interesting and appealing to me were those depicting strange and quirky interpretations of sea creatures and fishy crustaceans (the batiks originating from the coastal areas remember) like the ones below.

The one above was my absolute favourite and has now become my phone background!
(Speaking of which, I took all the photos with my iPhone because I've lost my camera, so sorry if the quality is lacking.)
If you're in the area, the exhibition is well worth a visit to feed your inspiration, and it's on till 14 August.

xo xo Ann