Indonesia modern ceramic art, was began to start when in 1963, the art school of Bandung Institute of Technology (Institut Teknologi Bandung, ITB), opened its ceramic studio, under the supervision of Edie Kartasubarna and Angkama Setjadipradja, were both graduated painters from ITB with a mild interest in ceramics, who then took ceramic training for about one year in Alfred University, United States.

It was then an art student, Hildawati Soemantri (1945-2003), who studied at ITB since 1964 and graduated in 1971, went to United States in 1973, to continue her ceramic study. In 1976 after finished her MFA in Pratt Institute, she came back to Indonesia and held her first solo exhibition at Jakarta’s Arts Center (Taman Ismail Marjuki, TIM). She showed installation objects, which are shocking to Indonesia’s art world at that time. Hildawati then well known as one of the Pioneer of Installation Art in Indonesia, especially the Pioneer of Contemporary Ceramics in Indonesia and The Mother of Modern Art of Indonesia. Her artworks showed stoneware ceramics which were spread freely on the floor and some raku firing slabs combined with found objects such as cloth, paper, stone and twig.

Then in 1977, Hildawati established a ceramic studio at Jakarta Arts Institute (Institut Kesenian Jakarta), located at Jakarta Arts Center (TIM). Years went by, and the arts scene in Indonesia showed its progress, then in 1993 at ISI (Indonesia Arts Institute, Yogyakarta) a ceramic major introduced as a new major to complete the arts department, and show its development in 1995. Those three arts school showed their positive contribution to the ceramic art in Indonesia. Unfortunately, the development of (contemporary) ceramic art in Indonesia when related to contemporary art do not show its ‘light’ yet and the quantity of the ceramicist (who are loyal to this single material) are too little. Not like other arts discipline such as painting, photography, installation, mix media art, and design. We have to admit that painting is still the most popular then any other discipline, besides installation art now are very welcome. Ceramic, when treated as single material then (suppose to) categorize as craft which represent the ‘low art’ that usually produced by the artisan who produced mass products that (pretended) do not contribute critical or conceptual thinking. This situation influences the ceramic artists. Many graduated ceramicists from art schools, explore another media to express their idea. They do this to be accepted as a contemporary artist as they assumed to become a contemporary artist in this present era will be more acceptable. The terms contemporary art, which is legalize any medium and focusing to the arts concept rather than the object itself, sometimes creates non-ceramic artist to use ceramic as their medium in order to deliver their ideas. This means the ceramic is treated not as the main medium but as the ‘supplement’ for their works. I choose some artists who broaden their exploration, they are Lie Fhung, Indonesian born artist, resides in Hongkong, graduated from ITB, and Donna Prawita Arissuta, resides in Yogyakarta (West Java, Indonesia), graduated from ISI. Fhung’s solo exhibition in 2005, ‘FLIGHT’ was a range of installation artworks which were used ceramics and porcelain combined with various wires, glass bottle, chain. In these works, she used ceramics and porcelain merely as one of the medium. Donna Prawita Arisuta recent works, used ceramics to be applied on canvas, so her works more to painting then ceramics itself.

In contrary, according to Mr. Asmudjo J Irianto, a Fine Arts lecturer at ITB (Bandung Institute of Technology), some of contemporary ceramic artist show their existence (gain acknowledgement) as contemporary artist but some of them merely ceramic artist. He said that their existence as artists are determined by their acknowledgement as contemporary artist rather than medium exploration. Some of them are the passed away Hendrawan Riyanto, a ceramic graduated from ITB, he is acclaimed as contemporary artist. His works mostly based on his spiritual experience which showed the combination of rituals, symbols, and natural elements and strong in technical skill. His works are a range of installation art made from earthenware and some of them are huge ceramics forms that measure about 1.6 meters. Another artist who gain acknowledgement as contemporary artist is Nurdian Ichsan, who got his MFA of Fine Art Department from ITB in 2002. In 2008, he got a grant to have 2.5 months residency in Institute Ceramic Studies, The Shigaraki Ceramic Cultural Park (Togei no Mori), Koka City, Shiga Prefecture, sponsored by Jenesys Program. He made small scale low fired bricks arrange orderly and stoneware white sculptures, mold in technique. In his works, bricks symbolized human civilization, and the stoneware sculpture (sometimes himself as the model), symbolized existence of human being. Whereas, some artists who quite well known as merely contemporary ceramic artist are Lydia Poetrie, a ceramic sculptor and a lecture at Ceramic Craft Dept. faculty of Fine Art at IKJ (Jakarta Arts Institute). The younger generation is Endang Lestari, a lecture at ISI (Yogyakarta Arts Institute). Her works always show technical skill and material knowledge. She loves to explore social politics issue as she was grown up in a conflict region of Aceh (North Sumatra).

The development of ceramics art in Indonesia is not supported by magazines, journals, special galleries, and events such as ceramic biennale, ceramic competition and communities. Besides books about ceramics published in Indonesia are very rare. Discussions and seminars about ceramics are also very rare. In 2004, ITB held a national ceramic exhibition ‘Indonesia Young Ceramic Artists Exhibition’ (Pameran Seniman Keramik Muda Indonesia), at National Gallery, Jakarta. This is a good start, because the participants were the ceramic artists from all over Indonesia. Unfortunately, the similar exhibition is still not our next schedule yet.

Above condition, caused the quantity of ceramicists are too little and it is a ‘super hardwork’ to survive as a ceramicist in Indonesia. Whereas, as I observed, the creativity of Indonesian artist may compete to international artist, besides the clay itself is a challenging material to explore further. Then this will be our homework!

(pic 1)Bejo in the Box / Asmudjo J Iriantoraku
52×26×55 cm / 2000
(pic 2)Man and Steps / Nurdian Ichsan
48.5×144.5×139 cm / 2008
(pic 3)Memory / Hildawati Soemantri
60×60 cm / 1999
(pic 4)Silent Chat / Endang Lestari