Relawati: An Immersion in Rifa’iyah Batik Art

This short documentary screening and Q&A invites audiences to encounter Rifa’iyah batik through the lens of Rifa’iyah women artists.

Rifa’iyah batik is an increasingly rare tradition of hand-made batik from Batang, Central Java (Indonesia), featuring motifs inspired by tropical flora and fauna, Sufi beliefs, and Javanese philosophy. The documentary Relawati explores the work of Rifa’iyah women artists as both a cultural expression and a living botanical archive. It reflects on their resilience and skill, and the ways they sustain Rifa’iyah traditions and knowledge through attentive, manual creative practice in an age shaped by automation, digital distraction and echo chambers.

The Q&A features Sarah Rennie (documentary director), Ibu Trihandayani Mulyati and Ibu Nandiroh (batik artists) and Emily Collins, Curator of Southeast Asian Art and Material Culture at MAGNT.

This event is part of Pencelupan – Immersion, a multi-arts project including a Rifa’iyah batik exhibition, three nights of live performance, hands-on batik workshops, and a living botanical batik walk, all taking place at George Brown Darwin Botanic Gardens.