Malanginspirasi.com – The Auditorium Building of Brawijaya University (UB) in Malang bore witness to a deeply moving exhibition on Tuesday, 18 November 2025. A breathtaking series of batik painting installation by renowned artist Bambang Sarasno, blending the ancient art of batik with the timeless language of the zodiac.
For Sarasno, the zodiac is not a passing trend.
“I’ve been drawn to the zodiac since 1974,” he revealed.
Yet it was only in 2005 that he began transforming this lifelong fascination into purposeful batik works that resonate with contemporary life.
What truly drives him, however, is a quiet sorrow for how batik is often misunderstood and undervalued in modern Indonesia.
Batik is About Technique
While the government proudly proclaims batik as national heritage and a UNESCO treasure, Sarasno feels the deeper story—its intricate resist-dyeing technique—remains untold. Cheap printed fabrics sold for 10,000 or 20,000 rupiah are casually called “batik,” eroding the art’s true dignity.
“To me, batik is not just a motif or a cultural symbol—it is a technique,” he insists.
“As long as the cloth is created through the process of resistance—blocking certain areas so the dye cannot penetrate—that is batik,” he added.
Through his zodiac series, Sarasno set out to honor Indonesia while speaking directly to younger generations.
The zodiac, he explains, is universal—recognized across cultures—yet its stories of hope, prayer, and destiny echo the philosophical depth found in Javanese batik.
“In every zodiac sign there is a story, a hope, and a prayer,” he explained.
To make the ancient art feel fresh and joyful for Gen Z, he adopted a “learning with fun” approach.
Each zodiac figure is depicted in profile—never facing forward—as a respectful nod to the side-view tradition of Javanese wayang kulit shadow puppets. Ornaments and visual details remain unmistakably Indonesian, grounding the universal theme in local soul.
The Power of Women
One striking feature of the collection is the prominence of female figures.
For Sarasno, who lives with disability, this choice is profoundly personal.
“Everything I am today, I owe to my mother,” he shared with emotion.
“The role of a mother, the role of a woman—it is the key to character building, to everything. The key lies with women,” he said.
In Sarasno’s hands, batik becomes more than cloth. It becomes a bridge: between past and future, between Java and the world, between hardship and hope.
