Textiles have long been an integral part of Southeast Asian cultures since they are the physical manifestation of each society’s beliefs, traditions, aesthetics, and artistic ability. KPWI, a community dedicated to preserving Indonesian traditional fabrics, to promote ikat textile from Ende East Nusa Tenggara initiated an exhibition at the Textile Museum in South Jakarta on Wednesday.

KPWI director Sinta Kaniawati said that she hoped Ende's traditional craftsmen can use the exhibition to promote their work and raise awareness of the unique style by gaining more recognition from the public.

All of the ikat fabrics in the exhibition are handwoven and naturally dyed. It can take up to six months to produce just a single roll of ikat cloth.

Compared to ikat from other parts of East Nusa Tenggara, Ende-style ikat features smaller and denser patterns, usually inspired by nature, such as flowers, horses, cows and lizards.

The muted color palette is made up mostly of dark brown, black, yellow and red. Ende artisans create the dyes from mud, charcoal, turmeric and mulberries.

The co-organizer of the event, Ali Abubekar, Director of the Museum of Ende Woven Ikat said that lack of awareness and public appreciation have led to many weavers and dyers in Ende struggling to make ends meet. Ali fears that no one will want to make Ende-style ikat anymore and the unique style will go extinct.

The KPWI during the exhibition to raise funds for local weavers in Ende will be organizing an ikat cloth auction and a fashion show featuring designer Musa Widyatmojo.

The exhibition which kicked off on 14th Dec will run until 20th Dec at the Textile Museum in South Jakarta.