Six NTB Flagship Textiles Ready to Captivate the World at the International Exhibition
JAKARTA - Featured textiles are one of the cultural heritages that not only display visual beauty, but also store historical values, philosophies, and the identity of an area.
Each motif and technique of its manufacture represents local wisdom that is passed down from generation to generation, as well as being a medium of cultural diplomacy in the international arena.
The West Nusa Tenggara State Museum has prepared six of the best textile artifacts to be exhibited at an international event in Adelaide which will take place from May 15 to October 11, 2026.
The head of the NTB Museum, Ahmad Nuralam, explained that the selected collection has a high historical value and represents the culture of the Sasak tribe who inhabit Lombok Island.
"The collection reflects and represents the culture of the people of Lombok in the fabric," he said.
The six collections to be displayed include songket star remawa, dodot songket, songket seret penginang, tapo kemalo, and two sheets of kemalik cloth.
One of the featured collections is the dodot songket cloth which is estimated to have originated from the reign of the last King of Mataram Lombok, Anak Agung Gede Ngurah Karangasem, in the period 1870-1894. This cloth is made from silk thread with the songket technique and is usually used in traditional and religious ceremonies.
The motifs on the cloth are very diverse, ranging from the endemic Australian lyre bird, peacock, to traditional ornaments such as kala, pucuk rebung, and flowers. Each motif has a philosophical meaning that reflects the hope for happiness and protection for the wearer.
In general, Lombok textiles not only serve as cloth, but also carry symbolic meanings in people's lives. For example, kemalik cloth is believed to be a deterrent to evil, while the motif on the seret songket symbolizes social togetherness and harmony.
"There are symbols that have the meaning of being part of people's daily lives in traditional and religious ceremonies," he explained.
The exhibition entitled Two Islands, One Thread: The Textiles of Lombok and Bali is organized by the Art Gallery of South Australia. The event raises the story of cultural interaction between the Hindu Balinese and Muslim Lombok communities that has taken place for centuries.
Apart from textiles, the exhibition also features other forms of art such as embroidery, painting, and dip-dyeing techniques that reflect spiritual values, traditions, and respect for ancestors.
According to Nuralam, the richness of meaning in textiles is a great strength to introduce Indonesian culture to the international world. "It turns out that cloth is very rich in symbols, traditions, and all sorts of things. This is one way we bring our culture to the international level," he concluded.