From October 5-9, 2026, Prof. Dr. Miglė Lebednykaitė and Prof. Severija Inčirauskaitė-Kriaunevičienė, textile artists and professors at the department of Textile Art and Design of Vilnius Academy of Arts, visited Institut Teknologi Bandung (ITB) in Indonesia.
During their visit, the professors delivered lectures, conducted creative workshops, participated in the exhibition Material Interweave, and explored traditional batik techniques – an important part of Java's cultural heritage and a living textile tradition.
The exhibition Material Interweave, held at the Design Centre of ITB's Faculty of Art and Design (FSRD ITB), featured works by Prof. Severija Inčirauskaitė-Kriaunevičienė, Prof. Dr. Miglė Lebednykaitė, John Martono (Indonesia), Eidine Syifa (Indonesia), Mutlara Khairunnisa (Indonesia), and Alima Hasna Sajida (Indonesia).
During the visit, the professors delivered lectures introducing Vilnius Academy of Arts, its department of Textile Art and Design, study programmes, and contemporary developments in textile art and design. They also presented their individual artistic practices, approaches to artistic expression, and working methods. Lectures were also held at the ITB Cirebon Campus.
Creative workshops organised for ITB students focused on exploring different materials and the possibilities of combining them. Through hands-on experimentation, students were encouraged to explore various material-based approaches and consider artistic practice from an interdisciplinary perspective.
To gain a deeper understanding of Indonesia's textile heritage, the professors visited major batik museums in Cirebon and Pekalongan (Pekalongan Batik Museum), as well as traditional batik production centres in Cirebon, Pekalongan, and Lasem (Lasem Batik Village). These visits provided opportunities to explore batik-making processes, techniques, and their continuity in contemporary culture. The experience offered valuable insights into batik as both a distinctive textile technique and a living cultural tradition passed down from generation to generation.
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The programme also included meetings with Dr. Kahfiati Kahdar, Dean of ITB's Faculty of Art and Design, and other members of the academic community. The professors visited ITB's studios and creative workshops in Bandung and Cirebon, the studio and private gallery of artist John Martono, as well as the studio and private museum of renowned Indonesian artist Nyoman Nuarta. These visits provided valuable insights into the local artistic environment, creative working methods, and the broader context of Indonesian art.
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The visit helped establish and strengthen academic and creative ties between Vilnius Academy of Arts and Institut Teknologi Bandung. Discussions focused on opportunities for future collaboration, including student exchanges, joint exhibitions, and creative projects. A visit by representatives of ITB's Faculty of Art and Design to Vilnius Academy of Arts is also planned for Spring, 2027.
The professors' visit was funded through the Erasmus+ programme.
