14/10/2020
Batik Industry in Sri Lanka
Over the past century the Indonesian art of batik-making has become firmly established in Sri Lanka. The Batik industry in Sri Lanka is a small scale industry which can employ individual design talent and creativity.
Batiks incorporate many motifs and colors, some traditional, others highly contemporary and individual. Many display a vigorousness of design related to their origin. The material created by the batik-makers is used to produce distinctive dresses, shirts, sarongs and beachwear well-suited for tropical climes. Apart from that there are tablecloths, wall pictures, beach clothes, pure cotton and silk, men's and ladies' wear and bed covers.
Batiks originated many centuries ago with the villagers and tribesmen of what are now the countries of Indonesia and Malaysia and has been brought to Sri Lanka by the Dutch. The promotion of the village arts is a way of keeping alive an important part of a vibrant and beautiful culture. Many of Sri Lanka's batik paintings are imported directly from Javanese village artists. They use 100-percent cotton cloth and all dyes used are color-fast.
The batik art panels provide quilters, craft and home sewers, and interior designers with an opportunity to combine an ancient art form with a contemporary use. Since each batik piece is individually handmade, the colors and designs may vary. Originally, when batik-making was a cottage industry, one artist created the entire batik from start to finish.
