26/10/2026
Gerabah tidak harus berhenti sebagai peninggalan tradisi. Tanah liat, teknik pembuatan, dan pengetahuan turun-temurun dapat diolah menjadi bahasa seni kontemporer. Namun, ketika pasar menyusut dan keterampilan perajin menghilang, muncul pertanyaan mendasar: siapa yang akan meneruskan tradisi tersebut?
Persoalan ini terlihat di desa Sitiwinangun, Cirebon, yang masih memiliki perajin meski jumlahnya terus berkurang, dan desa Gosari, Gresik, yang tradisi produksi gerabahnya telah terputus. Gambaran mengenai nasib Gerabah Sitiwinangun dan Gosari, serta di beberapa tempat lain di Indonesia, bahkan di kota-kota di dunia tersebut dibahas dalam Wicara Seniman ARTSUBS 2026 bertajuk “Desa Gerabah: Antara Tradisi, Modernitas, dan Seni Rupa Kontemporer”, Minggu, 25 Oktober 2026, menghadirkan Iftikhar A. Radjwie dan Arik S. Wartono, dengan Asmudjo J. Irianto sebagai moderator.
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Pottery need not remain merely a relic of tradition. Clay, pottery-making techniques and knowledge passed down through the generations can be transformed into a contemporary artistic language. However, as the market shrinks and the skills of the craftspeople fade away, a fundamental question arises: who will carry on the tradition?
This issue is evident in Sitiwinangun, Cirebon, which still has potters although their numbers are steadily dwindling, and in Gosari, Gresik, where the pottery-making tradition has been severed. Both stories from Sitiwinangun and Gosari, and other perspectives and examples on pottery from different cities in Indonesia and overseas were discussed at the ARTSUBS 2026 Artists’ Talk entitled “Pottery Villages: Between Tradition, Modernity and Contemporary Art”, on Sunday, 25th October 2026, featuring Iftikhar A. Radjwie and Arik S. Wartono, with Asmudjo J. Irianto as moderator.