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Batik is more than a mere textile. Its meanings and significance transcend its colors, motifs and fabrics.

In Java, people traditionally wear certain batik designs to show their social stature and power, or to communicate their best wishes for the future on important occasions such as coronations and weddings. For many people, batik is more than just an item of clothing — it is intertwined with every aspect of their lives.

Batik also fosters relationships among people from different countries and cultural backgrounds. The latest exhibition at the National Gallery, “Indonesian Batik: A Living Heritage,” is evidence of how batik has brought together people from many different walks of life and bound them as lifelong friends.

The exhibition offers an insight into batik’s history, its current developments and future possibilities.

More than 80 vintage batik pieces belonging to German and Indonesian collectors are now on display at the gallery in Central Jakarta.

“Batik is a trademark of Indonesia,” Norbert Baas, Germany’s ambassador to Indonesia, said at the exhibition opening on Wednesday.

“Batik, with its rich colors, motifs and meanings, has always charmed visitors to Indonesia. I think it has a lot of potential. I see a great future in batik.”

The exhibition is part of Germany and Indonesia (Jerin), a series of cultural celebrations to mark 60 years of diplomatic ties between the two countries.

Martin Krummeck, deputy managing director of the German-Indonesian Chamber of Industry and Commerce (Ekonid), is the coordinator of the exhibition.

“Batik is not only found in Yogyakarta and Solo, but everywhere in Indonesia,” he said. “Here we want to show you a glimpse into the huge range of batik and the many different cultures that have influenced its styles, colors and motifs.”

Krummeck and his team spent more than six months conceptualizing and coordinating the exhibition. The result is a detailed and informative insight into this traditional art of Indonesia.

Displayed in the foyer, under the antique crystal chandelier in the gallery’s main hall, is an array of batik pieces in traditional sogan (brownish) hues.

The pieces in the foyer are on loan from Indonesian batik collector Hani Winotosastro and German collectors Annegret Haake and Rudolf G. Smend.

“In 1972, I came by car from Germany as a hippie,” Smend said. “I visited Sumatra, came to Jakarta by boat and then took a train to Yogyakarta. [Before then] I was not aware that Indonesia was so large.”

In Yogyakarta, Smend fell in love with batik. He stayed in the city for three months and studied batik from skilled artisans in Taman Sari, a water park located in the grounds of the kraton, the sultan’s palace.

“To understand the techniques [of batik] is to love batik,” he said. “It’s a combination of deep meditation and traditional skills handed down from generations.”

During his visit, Smend also became acquainted with Indonesian batik maestros, including the late Go Tik Swan and Iwan Tirta.

“[Iwan Tirta] had been my best friend since the first days I was here,” Smend said. “Whenever I came to Jakarta, I never missed visiting his house. And whenever he was in Europe, he always invited me to his special [fashion] shows.”

Smend then returned to Cologne, Germany, and in his hometown established a batik gallery, which he called Galerie Smend.

He has since written a number of publications on the art, including “Batik: From the Courts of Java and Sumatra.”

At the National Gallery, batik pieces from all regions and eras are on display. A 12-meter-long wall installation, titled “Batik dari Masa ke Masa” (“Batik Through the Ages”), welcomes visitors to the exhibition.

From this piece, visitors can learn about the history of Indonesian batik, from the batik patterns recorded on the walls of the 9th century Borobudur Temple in Magelang, Central Java, to the present, when European designers have begun to incorporate batik into their creations.

An undulating 1-by-2-meter fiberboard installation stands at the center of the exhibition hall. The installation, made of embossed fiberboard perforated with a kawung motif (a four-petal floral pattern), is a replica of “Landscape of Diversity,” an even larger installation exhibited by the Alur Design Group at the London Festival of Architecture in 2010.

The installation is an example of parametric design, in that math formulas and computers are used to create the traditional motif in the fiberboard. The piece was short-listed as one of the top 10 artworks in the London festival, chosen from among 39 installations from foreign embassies in London.

In another room is a tribute to the late batik maestro Iwan Tirta. Thirty-three of his masterpieces are on display, including the unfinished round tablecloth in the lively motif of djawa hokokai (Javanese batik influenced by Japanese designs) that Iwan had been working on the night he passed away on July 31, 2010. His personal canting, a special pen to apply melted wax in batik, and earthenware stoves are also on display.

The most iconic piece among Iwan’s collection is a large wall-hanging of his own design. Titled “Garudo Simbar Jerman,” the piece portrays the Bundesadler, the Federal Eagle of Germany’s coat of arms, standing between a pair of garudas, the mythical eagle that is featured on Indonesia’s coat of arms.

The work of five German batik artists is also displayed as part of the exhibition. While they adopt the traditional techniques of applying molten wax to fabric by hand, these pieces do not feature any of the traditional Indonesian batik patterns.

A batik painting by German artist Joachim Blank, for example, features blue, scale-like patterns on cotton fabric.

“It was made using a block of wood that I found on the beach,” Blank said. “The block had an interesting pattern, so I decided to make it into a batik stamp.”

The next room shows the good work of the Clean Batik Initiative, a four-year program implemented in 2010 by Ekonid and Indonesia’s Environment Ministry. The initiative aims to develop ecologically safe ways to produce batik.

Their efforts include re-introducing natural dyes and reducing water and energy use in producing batik. In 2012, CBI plans to extend its activities to batik-producing regions such as Madura, Sumatra and Kalimantan.

The “Indonesian Batik” exhibition will run at the National Gallery until Monday before traveling to East Java.

“I think more people should come to this exhibition, where they can actually learn something, rather than going to the malls and spending a lot of money,” said Johannas, an exhibition visitor. “It’s a very informative and well-executed exhibition.”