KOREA FOUNDATION

The Story of Indonesian Batik and Jinju Silk

Hosted by the Jinju Culture and Tourism Foundation, “The Story of Indonesian Batik and Jinju Silk” is an international exchange project joining the long-standing traditions of Indonesian batik and pearl silk from Jinju to create a single product on the basis of mutual respect and understanding between Indonesia and Korea.

While Jinju, the home of Korean silk in South Gyeongsang Province, is a UNESCO Creative City of Crafts and Folk Art, batik, the Indonesian technique of dyeing cloth and adorning them with traditional patterns, is a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage. The project combining these two traditions is supported by the Jinju City administration and the result of a collaboration between the Korea Silk Research Institute and the Indonesian Embassy in Korea.

The institute selected 40-odd silk samples from silk producers across Jinju and offered consultation regarding the batik dyeing process. Josephine Komara, the leading Indonesian batik artist and an authority on the modernization and evolution of batik, then dyed silk cloth with modern batik motifs, before Korean designer Park Seonok, well-known for her modern interpretation of hanbok (the traditional Korean attire), created dresses with it. The outcome of this collaboration was shown in the Indonesian capital of Jakarta last year and attracted the keen attention of local media and broadcasting stations.

The project is significant in that it has instilled new life to a time-honored local industry. Furthermore, it has gone beyond a simple cultural exchange and become a fruitful collaboration, building common ground through sharing, appreciating, and respecting one another’s cultures.

The Jinju silk and batik workshop

Dressing up to show off the piece

Jinju Culture and Tourism FoundationIndonesian BatikJinju SilkKorea Silk Research InstituteIndonesian Embassy in KoreaJosephine KomaraPark Seonok