03/04/2021
Batik
Batik textile manufacturing in Sri Lanka is deep-rooted into the local culture and many local artists have embraced it as one of our own, developing unique wax resist and dying techniques to create batik designs that are unique to Sri Lankan batik artists.
Originated in Indonesia and introduced to Sri Lanka by Dutch in the 19th century. Originated as a primary art of fabric dying, Batik has evolved into a vibrant industry of fabric art in Sri Lanka, with our own identity, methodology, and designs. However, the batik industry was limited to a cottage industry till the late 1970s when a growing tourism culture in Sri Lanka gave a sudden boom to batik as well as other many local handicrafts industries.
The word batik means "wax painting". It is both an art and a craft, which is becoming popular in the West as a wonderfully creative medium. Batik is a process known as “resist dying”, in which the surface design on cloths is applied with a semifluid substance that resists dye. When the substance is removed the resulting, negative space or motif contrasts with the dye. Repeated applications of resist and dye create a complex design.
