The Fragile Beauty of Edward Hutabarat’s Lurik

Renowned fashion designer Edward Hutabarat exhibits his design collections of lurik at Pelataran Ramayana, Hotel Indonesia Kempinski from 23 to 28 August. The exhibition titled “Tangan-Tangan Renta” (the Old Hands) showcases not only fashion designs, but also includes photography, videos and installations (living and fashion) from the past seven years.

Lurik is the name of the fabric derived from Javanese language, lorek, which means stripes. It usually comes in gloomy colours and basic stripes motifs, a symbol of simplicity.

Edward has been involved in woven lurik for three decades. He closely observed and studied the process of making lurik as well as the manufactures in its home region in Klaten, Central Java and Yogyakarta.

Through the exhibition, which is curated by Jay Subiakto, Edward wants to share the story of the lurik artisans, who are mostly of old age and without any good regeneration. Lurik may belong to the richness and wealth of Indonesian fabrics, but compared to batik, it has notseen a lot of exposure. Therefore, the continuity of lurik needs special attention.

“There aren’t many young people who want to become lurik artisans, so the movement to motivate them and to preserve lurik needs to be encouraged,” Edward Hutabarat said.

Sari Widiati

Sari has been an arts and culture enthusiast for many years. She has written extensively on the arts, travel, and social issues as Features Writer at NOW! Jakarta.