This is a story of a trip I made in October 2014 - I know it has been a while but better late than never! This project has been assisted by the Australian Government through the Australia Council for the Arts, its arts funding and advisory body. In early 2014, I impulsively wrote a message on the website of F. Widayanto, the renowned Indonesian ceramicist, asking if I could visit him to learn about Indonesian ceramics. Never could I have imagined that more than ten months later, I would be invited to his studio in Tapos, Bogor, Indonesia for two weeks of learning. I was also fortunate to gain an ArtStart grant to fund the trip. The ArtistF. Widayanto has been making ceramics for more than 30 years. He graduated from the Faculty of Arts and Design of the prestigious Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB). In his 60’s, he routinely divides his time between his three homes at the studio in Bogor, a gallery in Jakarta and a gallery house in Depok, just outside of Jakarta. He is probably the most successful ceramic artist in Indonesia, with sold out shows and a variety of other ceramic related businesses. F. Widayanto’s sculptural works can sell for more than AUD$30,000, but he also caters for domestic needs by producing affordable tableware. He has stayed true to his Javanese heritage and style. He loves incorporating sensuality into his work but admitted that it may not be everyone’s cup of tea. He has experienced censorship with his work (some of them feature topless/scantily clad women) to the extent that at a show he was invited to participate in, his work was hidden behind a screen as it was considered too risqué. Looking at his many colourful works, you would never have guessed that he is actually colour-blind. Luckily, he managed to overcome it using techniques taught by a friend whose father was a doctor. What I found refreshing about F. Widayanto is his open minded view on ceramics as a business. He stated that even though ceramics is his passion, he has to make a living out of his passion. He unabashedly calls himself a whore when it comes to his art as there is no limit to what he will do to sell his own expression of art. He makes ceramic tableware, wall installation, sculpture, indoor decorations, plumbing fittings and decorations for outdoor landscaping. He also branches out to food catering, interior design, landscape design, wedding organising and floral arrangements. Regardless of what he does, he has always managed to incorporate his own unique style and art into them. In his opinion, an artist should be able to sell their own works, and not be confined by the ability of the gallery/agent to sell their work for them. When an artist relies too much on the gallery/agent, they can end up being steered to the whims and trends set by the gallery/agent. He freely disclosed that when he thinks of new works, he takes into consideration whether the work will be saleable. That is, whether people will like it enough to actually purchase the work.
To be continued in the next part: At the Studio of F. Widayanto - The Studio
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This is a story of a trip I made in October 2014 - I know it has been a while but better late than never! This project has been assisted by the Australian Government through the Australia Council for the Arts, its arts funding and advisory body. In early 2014, I impulsively wrote a message on the website of F. Widayanto, the renowned Indonesian ceramicist, asking if I could visit him to learn about Indonesian ceramics. Never could I have imagined that more than ten months later, I would be invited to his studio in Tapos, Bogor, Indonesia for two weeks of learning. I was also fortunate to gain an ArtStart grant to fund the trip. The StudioF. Widayanto’s studio is located in an isolated valley with a river running through it. Inspired by his trip to Shoji Hamada’s studio in Japan, he purchased the land 25 years ago and gradually expanded as he built his studio and home there. The studio is spacious and open, flowing to the natural surroundings outside. Seating areas are scattered all around the studio grounds, to allow people to enjoy the beautiful views. There is a sense of tranquillity, a fitting environment for such an artist. Everywhere, the works of F. Widayanto are visible as part of the landscape. F. Widayanto has more than 40 people working at the studio. Since almost all of them are locally from the area, some of the workers are related to each other. All the workers were trained in house at the studio. I was told that because they are so well trained, competitors would approach the workers to entice them to work for the competition. The studio is divided into sections: clay processing, moulding, throwing, glazing and firing, decoration, sculpture, jewellery and finishing. Each section has a team leader responsible for the work. And at the time I was there, there was a supervisor and a supervisor-in-training who runs the well-organised studio. The workers mainly work on the regular products, replicating previous works with a degree of creative freedom as long as it achieves the required quality and in the style of F. Widayanto. The tools used in the studio are a mix of bought and handmade tools. Some of the workers are skilled in making tools from materials such as bamboo and metal bits from broken umbrellas. The studio is very efficient with its materials, and avoids excessive wastage. All clay scraps are collected and reprocessed for use. With glazes, instead of wiping excess glaze with a wet sponge, they are scraped off with a wooden stick and the dust collected into a big bucket at the end of the day. Once they have enough, the glaze dust is mixed with water and then tested to make a one-off unique glaze. Instead of using an airbrush gun, glaze spraying is done manually using a toothbrush and a needle tool. They have used airbrush guns before, but it often jammed and required lots of maintenance. Although it is a slower process in comparison to using an airbrush gun, it is an effective method with a better control of the spraying. Fifteen minutes before the end of each day, everyone stops work and clean their benches, store their works, sweep and mop the floors so that they can start work afresh the next day. It was fascinating to watch the process; it was like a synchronised dance of cleaning where everyone knew what to do to complete the task within the time. In the short two weeks at the studio of F. Widayanto, I gained knowledge and skills that would help me with my own ceramic work. But most importantly, I was presented with a different, more pragmatic perspective on how I could develop and shape ceramic as a business. It was an experience I would always cherish as I go on my ceramic journey. I am forever grateful for F. Widayanto for allowing me the opportunity to visit his studio, and thankful to everyone at the studio and the main office for all their help. And a special thank you to Dr Andi Hudono, who welcomed me into his home to view his collection of F. Widayanto’s artworks.
For more information on F. Widayanto, visit www.fwidayanto.com. This is a bit of a late post - I went to Darwin in March but since I've been busy/sick with project baby I haven't had the chance to write this. Going to the Museum and Art Gallery of The Northern Territory (MAGNT) was a nice artistic experience for me, a respite from the hot weather outside. One of the most prominent feature of the MAGNT was the Cyclone Tracy Gallery, dedicated to the people of Darwin who experienced the cyclone on Christmas Eve 1974. There are two parts to the Gallery, one featuring the arts/artefacts associated with the cyclone, and a second section exploring the architectural history of Darwin before and after the cyclone. There is also a sound room where visitors can hear the recording of the cyclone. It was so eerie to listen to the recording and I could just imagine the fear and chaos at that time. Going through the MAGNT, I of course kept an eye out for ceramic works. I was very pleased to see some works by indigenous artists. I love the colours on these works. There was also an exhibition of Rob Brown at MAGNT when I visited. He had some very cheeky works! There was a whole series called Cooking with Noah where he portrayed animals with different body parts. The one pictured below on the right look innocent enough from afar until you take a closer look. ![]() I had never visited Darwin before so I really had no expectations of what it was going to be like. One thing I was not prepared for was how hot it was. It was so hot that taking photos in the outdoors resulted in this kind of blurry quality (or maybe my camera's just not good enough?). A couple weeks ago, my husband and I went on a short break to the South Coast. On the way, we stopped at Milton for lunch and stumbled upon a little pottery gallery run by the Nulladolla Pottery Group. What a find! I spoke to the very friendly and welcoming Chris Shinton, President of the Nulladolla Pottery Group. Chris explained that there are about 30-35 members, with 20 of them being the core members. They hold weekly meetings/classes on site, including demonstrations by guest potters. At the back of the gallery, communal tables and the usual ceramic tools are set out for use. They have electric kilns that are placed outside in a separate location. The site used to be a TAFE facility. When TAFE closed their doors, the local potters benefited by taking over the site, including almost all of the facilities. While I was there, there was a member working on her piece and she kindly allowed me to take a photo. What really caught my eyes are these raku pieces. Chris explained that they are horse hair raku pottery. I love the final result. The gallery itself isn't very big, but it is filled with lots of beautiful pottery made by the members. There is a nice variety of wares for sale, and they are very affordable. Visitors are very welcome to the Group and I would highly recommend if you are looking for nice handmade pottery. If you wish to visit or find out more information, their details are:
Courtyard Studios Milton, NSW 2538 Ph: (02) 44541518 Email: nulladollapottery@gmail.com I tried using a manual kick wheel at F. Widayanto's ceramic studio in Tapos, Bogor, Indonesia. I have to say that I really sucked at it! The whole experience reminded me of when I was learning to drive manual for the very first time. I had to make sure my feet, hands and eyes are all coordinated to make sure I don't screw up the work. Being elevated like that was another thing to get used to. I have been accustomed to being down low, on ground level. It took a lot of getting used to. Pak Udin, the main person working in the throwing wheel room, patiently guided me and provided instructions (and the occasional fix ups!). He told me that when he started, it took him a full day to finally get the hang of it. I did not manage to prove whether a full day was what it took to master the kick wheel, but nonetheless, it was a great experience trying on something new!
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Irine is a recipient of the Australia Council for the Arts' Artstart Grant (June 2014-2015).
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