Brahma Tirta Sari Studio 1 - Indonesia
Batik Studio - Yogyakarta, Indonesia
Founded in 1985 by the artist couple Nia Fliam and Agus Ismoyo, the BTS studio produces contemporary fine-art textiles based on traditional Indonesian techniques. Both artists are driven to explore the symbolism and techniques of an intangible cultural heritage they deeply respect and artfully transpose into their own innovative work. Wearable-art and wall-hangings are on display at the BTS art gallery while the monumental batik artworks requiring many months of waxing and dyeing, are exhibited in museums and international textile shows. Their striking batik textiles are infused with Indonesian aesthetics and Javanese philosophy, making the distinction between craft and art, contemporary and traditional art, rather outdated.
Nia Fliam grew up in Denver, Colorado and later moved to New York where she studied Asian and African textiles at the Pratt Institute, earning a BFA in Textile Design in 1981. She fell in love with batik while in arts school and traveled to Yogyakarta in 1983 to pursue her batik studies. The young American student willfully immersed herself in Javanese culture, learning both Bahasa Indonesia and Javanese to have a solid grasp of batik symbolism and Javanese philosophy. She studied ancient and sacred Javanese batik motifs with Ibu Duto, an artist from the Kraton Palace (Sultan’s Palace), learning and becoming fascinated with the repeated cycle of the batik process. The budding artist came to realize the “art of batik was a powerful medium that required a quiet heart”.
The son of a Javanese priest, Agus Ismoyo was born and raised in Yogyakarta in a family immersed in Javanese philosophy and in the art of batik. A self-taught and protean artist, Agus Ismoyo graduated from the Industrial Academy in Yogyakarta.
Read MoreFounded in 1985 by the artist couple Nia Fliam and Agus Ismoyo, the BTS studio produces contemporary fine-art textiles based on traditional Indonesian techniques. Both artists are driven to explore the symbolism and techniques of an intangible cultural heritage they deeply respect and artfully transpose into their own innovative work. Wearable-art and wall-hangings are on display at the BTS art gallery while the monumental batik artworks requiring many months of waxing and dyeing, are exhibited in museums and international textile shows. Their striking batik textiles are infused with Indonesian aesthetics and Javanese philosophy, making the distinction between craft and art, contemporary and traditional art, rather outdated.
Nia Fliam grew up in Denver, Colorado and later moved to New York where she studied Asian and African textiles at the Pratt Institute, earning a BFA in Textile Design in 1981. She fell in love with batik while in arts school and traveled to Yogyakarta in 1983 to pursue her batik studies. The young American student willfully immersed herself in Javanese culture, learning both Bahasa Indonesia and Javanese to have a solid grasp of batik symbolism and Javanese philosophy. She studied ancient and sacred Javanese batik motifs with Ibu Duto, an artist from the Kraton Palace (Sultan’s Palace), learning and becoming fascinated with the repeated cycle of the batik process. The budding artist came to realize the “art of batik was a powerful medium that required a quiet heart”.
The son of a Javanese priest, Agus Ismoyo was born and raised in Yogyakarta in a family immersed in Javanese philosophy and in the art of batik. A self-taught and protean artist, Agus Ismoyo graduated from the Industrial Academy in Yogyakarta.
