My name is Retno Nawangsih. I was born in Cilacap, Central Java, and I grew up in Tangerang, West Java. Working as a domestic worker in Singapore doesn't stop me from doing what I love to do or my hobbies, such as sketching, painting, and journaling. I love everything about art and craft. I have experience in knitting, embroidery, and macrame as a beginner. I participated as an artist who was paired with one of the storytellers in the Storytelling Festival "the second edition, in 2023; I joined and won some competitions in Singapore, such as journaling, painting, and craft competitions. Personally, I think art is an act of freedom. I feel free to express and create my ideas into something.

Home

The familiar creak of wooden floorboards.

The slam on the wall,

The crack where the ball hit long ago,

The scratch from our cat on the sofa,

The ticking grandfather clock.

The scribbles etched onto the table from what seems like decades ago,

The smiling faces, glass picture frames,

The saplings, now great willows, bearing down on us.

The wooden bookshelves were armed with knowledge.

All these things sealed my mind.

All these things make this home.

My home.

Batik

Batik is an Indonesian technique of wax-resistant dyeing applied to the whole cloth. This technique originated on the island of Java. If perceived through etymology, the word "Batik" comes from two Javanese words, " amba," which means board, and the term "malik,” which means the making of dots. My family and ancestors are from Java (Central), and Batik clothing has been part of our lives. My grandma and my mother always wear clothes with a "Batik" pattern, and I remember I had a blanket with a batik pattern when I lived in Java when I was a kid.