Lisa King

I’ve spent the last three years studying the collection of batiks I inherited from my late mother; not just their provenance but how they were made and the meaning behind the motifs. That research took me to work with one of the oldest studios still working by hand batik (batik tulis) and in search of a natural dye studio for them to work with. Together with the help of Specialist artisans and dye masters I deconstructed the processes behind my mother’s collection; breaking down the steps of the intricate art of hand drawn and stamped wax designs, combined with its dye stages. I wanted to create my own language in batik, and apply these processes to it, and so the orchid pattern was born. It is created through a five-stage dye, hand-drawn and stamped wax resist process and sits alongside the traditional stamp designs of Winotosastro, creating a dialogue between two studios, Indonesian and British, exemplifying archive and invention. My mother inherited batik from her mother and grandmother, and grew her own collection through a lifetime of buying. The orchid pattern is me; I am the fourth piece in this portrait of four generations of batik.

Framed in a solid wood frame.