Adiwastra Nusantara: Masterpieces of the Islands

Cloth, whether woven, beaten, knotted or knitted is much more than clothing in Indonesia. Throughout the centuries it has served to bind together people, families, and communities, to generate income, to display family status and the technical skill of the maker, to remind viewers, through symbolic patterning, of ethics, moral obligations, and the deeper meaning of life, to create cubicles for ritual enactment, to protect and bless, and to distinguish one group of people from another, or express group identity. In modern Indonesian society, traditionally made cloth continues to provide clothing, covering, employment, and income, but its other values are losing or have lost relevance. One thing remains constant, however: the role of cloth as an expression of identity. Indonesians take pride in wearing their distinctive textiles and usually have a small collection of superlative, heritage pieces for use on special occasions, such as weddings.

It is on this rich foundation of heritage collections that the Himpunan Wastraprema , a Jakarta-domiciled association of people deeply interested in the country's traditional textiles, organized the exhibition "Adiwastra Nusantara: Masterpieces of the Islands" in April 2008. This book, a catalogue of the exhibition, presents full-colored photographs of the most outstanding textiles in the show. It is a celebration of Indonesia's textile traditions and a testimonial to the skills of their makers.

Hardcover with dust jacket

Book condition: Near Fine. Internally very clean

Dust Jacket condition: Near Fine. Light general wear to jacket

Authors: Judy Achjadi, Mariah Waworuntu

Dimensions: 22 x 28 cm

Print length: 198 Pages

Language: English

Publication date: 2010

Publisher: Himpunan Wastraprema, Dian Rakyat Publisher

ISBN: ‎9789790780743