Drie batikkende vrouwen 1912

Onnes Kurkdjian made this photograph, *Drie batikkende vrouwen,* capturing three women at work. The act of crafting batik textiles – imagine the meticulous, meditative process of applying wax, dyeing, and layering patterns. I think about the artist, Kurkdjian. What was he thinking when he made this? Did he see himself as part of a conversation with the women, who are deeply engaged in the act of creation, transferring the designs with great care? The tools in the foreground hint at the slow and steady rhythm of the women's work. I think about the hot wax, and the patient hands that coax it into intricate designs. The patterns are not merely decorative. They are imbued with meaning. Artists are always in dialogue, speaking across time through their work. This photograph is one gesture in an ongoing exchange of ideas, where creativity blossoms from what has come before. It embraces uncertainty, and allows for multiple readings.