Brahma Tirta Sari

Crossing both visible and invisible boundaries of nationality-ethnic background, the traditional-the contemporary, art-craft, Agus Ismoyo (Indonesia) and Nia Fliam (U.S.A.) have been working collaboratively to produce contemporary textiles in their fine art batik studio, Brahma Tirta Sari (BTS) in Yogyakarta, Indonesia since 1985. Ismoyo’s ancestors were batik makers in the court city of Solo in Java. He was trained in industrial management at the Industrial Academy (AKPRIND) in Yogyakarta. Nia originally explored dye resist techniques from Africa and Asia in America. She completed her fine arts degree at Pratt Institute in New York City before coming to Indonesia in 1983 to study traditional batik.

Brahma Tirta Sari means ‘creativity is the source of all knowledge’,  produces fine art batik and was founded on the belief that there are many relevant traditions rooted in cultures throughout the world, which are important resources in the creation of contemporary art. When Ismoyo and Nia founded BTS, they were committed to explore the rich lessons of traditional Indonesian art, both in terms of technique as well as symbolism. Beyond the creative process and symbols of these ancient techniques, they found an unending rich source of inspiration in an ever-expansive journey of artistic discovery.

The chemistry of destiny cannot be defined. It has its own trajectory that takes us to an unknown time and place.

In 1985, Agus Ismoyo and Nia Fliam established their studio, Brahma Tirta Sari, in Yogyakarta, Indonesia and began their journey together as two artists with very different backgrounds. They were committed to collaborating using the medium of batik, a very ancient art medium, to create fine contemporary textile art and installations. 

This journey has led them to a deeper understanding of their respective world views. Through the use of the cultural heritage creative process, Tribawana, they have come to understand that there is a universal wisdom found in such traditions. They now see that their artwork is not only their collaboration, but also a collaboration with nature, the ancestors and the source of creativity. This forms the basis of the creative process used in their work, which they call ‘Growth in Rootedness’, supporting them in developing artworks that are relevant in this era, akin to a tree whose roots penetrate deep into the earth and whose branches, leaves, twigs and fruits rise high into the sky, breathing the air of renewal, and touching the sky with the spirit of new growth.

In this exhibition, they share the installation work, ‘Father Sky and Mother Earth’ which depicts a collaboration as a constellation of reciprocal relationships and the process of managing these when creating an artwork.