{"title":"Ibu Istikomah","description":"\u003cp\u003eBorn and raised in Batang, on the north coast of Central Java, Ibu Istikomah is an accomplished batik artist and batik trader. At present she makes batik nyambi (part-time) when she is not busy selling chicken and running the household.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"sarong-relawati-keong-2009-copy-2","title":"IBU ISTIKOMAH, JARIK KROKOTAN SOGAN","description":"\u003ch3\u003eIbu Istikomah \u003cbr\u003eBorn 1971, Batang, Indonesia\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eJARIK KROKOTAN (2010)\u003cbr\u003e100% Cotton, synthetic dyes \u003cbr\u003eHand-drawn wax resist on machine-woven cotton \u003cbr\u003e230 x 100cm\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch4\u003eA striking \u003cem\u003ekrokotan\u003c\/em\u003e jarik worked in rich tones, its purslane motif is said to be imbued with the healing and protective qualities of the plant that inspired it.\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis design is intricately detailed with the leaves of Portulaca oleracea — the krokot plant, a species of purslane known for its many healing properties in traditional Javanese medicine, or jamu. Many designs are inspired by native plants and vegetation with healing and nourishing qualities, imbuing the batik with protective properties that promote the prosperity and good health of the wearer.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe motif is punctuated by abstracted creatures connected along a vine, with feathery wings that suggest birds or insects — forms that dissolve into the design, adding a layer of mystery to the cloth. This reflects the Sufi Islamic tradition of not depicting whole living creatures unless one is also able to grant them a soul.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eSogan refers to the rich brown colour in the background, traditionally derived from plant materials indigenous to Java. Ibu Istikomah worked on this piece over a three-month period, across three waxing and dyeing stages to achieve each of the three colours. She chose the design because it is intricate and detailed when viewed up close, but most impressive and striking when viewed from afar.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch4\u003eIbu Istikomah\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBorn and raised in Batang, on the north coast of Central Java, Ibu Istikomah is an accomplished batik artist and local trader. \u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Ibu Istikomah","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":53415351550251,"sku":"BPB002","price":1600.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0925\/6753\/5915\/files\/Unknown_1.jpg?v=1778813254"},{"product_id":"sarong-relawati-keong-copy-1","title":"IBU ISTIKOMAH, SARONG MATEROS SOGAN BOH GUNUNGAN","description":"\u003ch3\u003eIbu Istikomah\u003cbr\u003eBorn Batang, Indonesia, 1971\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSARONG MATEROS SUGEN\u003cbr\u003e2010\u003cbr\u003e100% cotton, synthetic dyes\u003cbr\u003eHand-drawn wax resist on machine-woven cotton\u003cbr\u003e210 x 114cm\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch4\u003eRich in symbolism, this \u003cem\u003eMateros\u003c\/em\u003e batik is a meditation on the abundance that comes from fostering close relationships with those around us.\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis is a sarong hip-wrapper is called \u003cem\u003eMateros Sogan Boh Gunungan\u003c\/em\u003e. It is divided into a main panel, referred to as the \u003cem\u003ebadan\u003c\/em\u003e or body of the cloth, and a decorative panel at one end known as the \u003cem\u003ekepala\u003c\/em\u003e (head).\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eMateros refers to the filling motif inside the main panel, which is an intricate curl-like design. It is a design that requires painstaking patience and can only be successfully produced by an experienced artist. The interconnected vine is said to symbolise the prosperity that comes from strong kinship ties and relationships with those around us. For this reason it is considered an appropriate gift to convey blessings to a newly married couple.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe decorative \u003cem\u003ekepala\/sorot \u003c\/em\u003epanel, adopts the \u003cem\u003euntu walang\u003c\/em\u003e “cricket’s teeth” motif, used to ward off evil or bad-luck. The \u003cem\u003euntu walang\u003c\/em\u003e design is about inner strength and charisma - it represents the surprising powers and abilities that can be found in modest and unassuming characters (the grasshopper’s incredibly powerful teeth). The panel also features \u003cem\u003epelaraan\u003c\/em\u003e (stylised coconut palms), which are used as decorations for weddings and other cultural ceremonies and symbolise blessings and protection. The side panels to the \u003cem\u003esorot\u003c\/em\u003e are decorated with jasmine flowers.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe border around the edges of the cloth is in the \u003cem\u003egunungan\u003c\/em\u003e (mountain) design. Located along the Pacific Ring of Fire, in Java the volcanic mountain is considered the centre of life ― a symbol of vitality, the universe and all its wonders.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIstikomah worked on this batik over a 12-month period applying wax to the entire cloth three times. She enjoys making materos batik because the design is intricately detailed yet look impressive from afar. \u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch4\u003eIbu Istikomah (Ibu Itama)\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBorn and raised in Batang, on the north coast of Central Java, Ibu Istikomah is an accomplished batik artist and batik trader. She makes batik nyambi (part-time) when she is not busy selling chicken, caring for children, running the household, cooking, shopping at the markets.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Ibu Istikomah","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":53415722582315,"sku":"BPB009","price":2300.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0925\/6753\/5915\/files\/BPB009_Materos_Sogan_SV_6edad617-7c66-4b0c-af2b-837bb94f8a2d.png?v=1782530113"},{"product_id":"jarik-gendhagan-2025","title":"IBU ISTIKOMAH, JARIK GENDHAGAN","description":"\u003ch3\u003eIbu Istikomah\u003cbr\u003eBorn 1985, Batang, Indonesia\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eJARIK GENDHAGAN (2025)\u003cbr\u003e100% Cotton, synthetic dyes \u003cbr\u003eHand-drawn wax resist on machine-woven cotton \u003cbr\u003e256 x 102cm\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin-bottom: 5.0pt;\"\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cspan lang=\"EN\" style=\"color: #1a1a1a;\"\u003eGendhagan,\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan lang=\"EN\" style=\"color: #1a1a1a;\"\u003e the Rifa'iyah batik motif featuring the tree of life, or \u003ci\u003epohon hayat,\u003c\/i\u003e is also the Batang dialect word for courting or dating, much to the amusement of local artists.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin-bottom: 5.0pt;\"\u003e\u003cspan lang=\"EN\" style=\"color: #1a1a1a;\"\u003eThe \u003ci\u003epohon hayat\u003c\/i\u003e carries a layered history in Java. Its roots reach into Hindu-Buddhist cosmology long before the arrival of Islam: the \u003ci\u003ekalpataru\u003c\/i\u003e, the divine wish-granting tree, appears in the 8th century stone bas-reliefs of Pawon temple in Central Java, understood as the axis mundi connecting earth, heaven and the underworld. The same tree recurs across the archipelago — as the \u003ci\u003egunungan\u003c\/i\u003e of Javanese wayang shadow puppetry, and as the sacred \u003ci\u003ewaringin\u003c\/i\u003e (banyan) at the centre of the \u003ci\u003ealun-alun \u003c\/i\u003e(town square) of almost every Javanese city. Protected not by law but by belief, these trees remain, centuries after the arrival of Islam, the spiritual anchor of public life.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin-bottom: 5.0pt;\"\u003e\u003cspan lang=\"EN\" style=\"color: #1a1a1a;\"\u003eThe \u003ci\u003egendhagan\u003c\/i\u003e motif is also traditionally used as a bridal offering cloth (\u003ci\u003ehantaran pengantin\u003c\/i\u003e), carrying associations of blessing and the promise of new life.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin-bottom: 5.0pt;\"\u003e\u003cspan lang=\"EN\" style=\"color: #1a1a1a;\"\u003eThrough these tree compositions, the artist has woven floral bouquets and phoenix-like birds constructed from leaves and fruits — their forms dissolved into the foliage in the samaran manner, suggested rather than stated.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin-bottom: 5.0pt;\"\u003e\u003cspan lang=\"EN\" style=\"color: #1a1a1a;\"\u003eThe long edges are finished with \u003ci\u003etumpal\u003c\/i\u003e — upward-pointing triangles symbolising creation and the sacred mountain peaks where earthly and spiritual realms converge — set against a field of \u003ci\u003etruntum-\u003c\/i\u003elike stars. Their tiny forms, resembling jasmine buds scattered across a night sky, were drawn night after night, a quiet declaration of love. \u003ci\u003eTruntum\u003c\/i\u003e, from the Javanese \u003ci\u003etumaruntum\u003c\/i\u003e, means 'to blossom again.'\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin-bottom: 5.0pt;\"\u003e\u003cspan lang=\"EN\" style=\"color: #1a1a1a;\"\u003eDecorative vines run through the border panels, anchoring a composition that ranges from the cosmic to the intimate.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch4\u003eIbu Istikomah (Ibu Itamah)\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin-bottom: 5.0pt;\"\u003e\u003cspan lang=\"EN\" style=\"color: #1a1a1a;\"\u003eBorn and raised in Batang on the north coast of Central Java, Ibu Istikomah, known to most as Ibu Itamah, is an accomplished batik artist and trader. At present she makes batik \u003ci\u003enyambi \u003c\/i\u003e(part-time), fitting it around selling chickens, cooking and trading at the market.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin-bottom: 5.0pt;\"\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin-bottom: 5pt; text-align: left;\"\u003e\u003cspan lang=\"EN\" style=\"color: #1a1a1a;\"\u003e\u003cem\u003eMay Batik Rifa'iyah continue to prosper and become ever more celebrated throughout the world — and may there always be a next generation of makers who are dedicated to this art... \u003c\/em\u003eIbu Itamah, June 2026\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Ibu Istikomah","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":53753717883179,"sku":"BPB020","price":2000.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0925\/6753\/5915\/files\/BPB020_Istikomah_Jarik_Gendhagan_SV_92c98f28-2646-47ee-a26f-21ad450874a8.png?v=1782530014"}],"url":"https:\/\/sahulandsunda.com\/collections\/ibu-istikomah.oembed","provider":"Sahul \u0026 Sunda","version":"1.0","type":"link"}