The semiotics of Yogyakarta’s batik, nature as ontological and epistemological basis of the work

Batik is a collective work of society that become a world cultural heritage from Indonesia. This fact made batik widely researched and discussed in various forums at the national and international levels. However, to this day, the aesthetic foundations of batik, which form the basis of its ontology and epistemology, have yet to be formulated. This article elaborates on the specific issues of Yogyakarta’s batik ontological and epistemological basis as a case study. The assumption is that batik cannot be separated from nature. This assumption was proven using the semiotic analysis (integration of two domains, ecosemiotics and ethnosemiotics). Furthermore, it can be formulated that the aesthetic foundation, which is the basis for the ontology and epistemology of batik, is nature. This formulation made a significant contribution to the development of batik, both in academic discussion and practical activity, paving the way for forming the academic discipline of batik ecology.