Honggo puts Asmat motifs in his clay works
By Imran Rusli
JAKARTA (JP): "Crazy ceramics!" cried a group of female students, pointing to a ceramic displayed at the handicraft center of Pasaraya Big and Beautiful in Blok M, South Jakarta.
"Really crazy," they raved.
The object of all this craziness was the works of clay artist Honggo, whose Asmat-style pieces have won the hearts of many ceramic collectors.
A saleslady at another handicraft counter said "Honggo Asmat ceramics give everyone the giggles."
Honggo started into ceramics in 1991, out of desperation.
"It was actually a form of acute protest," he said.
He had first started a landscaping business in Cipinang, East Jakarta, after quitting the Indonesian Arts Institute of Yogyakarta in 1976.
His success as a ceramic artist came after spending a brief time in the cradle of the West Java pottery industry, Plered. He stumbled into the ceramic handicraft industry while browsing for a garden lamp in the village.
There Honggo met Haj Marzuki, an old hand in the Plered ceramic industry. The elder brought back what Honggo had learned about ceramics in his arts school days. He quit landscaping and joined Haj Marzuki's ceramic business.
Honggo perfected his knowledge of ceramic handicraft making in Haj Marzuki's workshop. But, after a year's work, he was still not satisfied. Something was missing, he felt.
"There was no progress in the figures and motifs of Plered ceramics. It has been static for decades. They are afraid of improvisation and prefer to stick to staid and plain motifs. I don't know how often I tried to persuade Haj Marzuki to be more innovative. It was all to no avail," said Honggo.
In 1991 he personally plunged into ceramics. With only Rp 5 million (US$2,127) he began his now renown line of Asmat ceramics. The primitive and exotic Asmat heads and figurines relegated the other motifs from Nias and the Dayak hinterlands to the back of the workshop.
"The Asmat design stands out more," explained Honggo. Strangely, Honggo has never set foot in Irian Jaya.
"I found the Asmat designs in the Irian Jaya pavilion of Taman Mini Indonesia Indah," he admitted shyly.
He read everything about the Asmat and studied the smallest details in pictures and statuettes of the Irian tribe. He then opened his Honggo Keramik showroom on Jalan Raya Basuki Rahmat in Cipinang, East Jakarta. He had three assistants.
Honggo participates in exhibits because "promotion is important," he said in an apologetic manner. Ever since he started, he has joined in four KIDI (what does it stand for?) exhibits, went to the Osaka Fair in 1993, a similar exhibit in Singapore the following year. He has held six exhibits at the annual Jakarta Fair.
"I joined the Irian Jaya kiosk on a 70:30 consignment basis," he said of his Jakarta Fair display.
Honggo ceramics, which sell for between Rp 1,000 and Rp 200,000 ($0.44 to $85), are marketed by PT Primamakmur Langgeng Lestari and PT Piranti. Honggo's products have already made inroads in the Asian, European and the American markets.
"The products yield a monthly income of Rp 150 million, and it is still increasing," said Rini, the marketing manager of PT Primamakmur Langgeng Lestari.
Unusual designs
The diminutive form of Honggo ceramics stands out. Weighing only 100 to 250 grams, they come in the image of fearsome heads or miniatures of curvaceous women complete with ethnic adornments like colored beads, grass belts and necklaces, or gigantic iron earrings and nose rings. Some have ponytails and carry bamboo tubes with Asmat relief carvings.
Honggo says the decorative accent of the figures should give any family or sitting room a lift over popular knick-knacks.
"The ceramic figures can be used as hanging decorations, or attached to a wall, standing on a rack, or inside a glass cabinet," pitched Honggo.
Most of his ceramics are the original earth-brown of the clay. "The color accentuates the primitive lines of the product. That's what makes it exotic," he said.
Secret mixture
Honggo protects his business very well. He refuses to divulge how his products are made. He only gave away that he uses clay from Plered and Sukabumi, West Java. No details, as to what went in the clay mixture, baking period and temperature, were revealed.
"Sorry, I have to be careful about copycats of my work. They are quite aggressive. If I told you my trade secrets, it could spell the end of my business," he said.
Ironically, near copies are now being made in Plered, the very place that rejected Honggo's first designs.
"They don't want to progress further than that. They are satisfied with being copycats. They never made sound efforts to become genuine artists," he said.
His observances of the local ceramic cottage industry fills him with dread. Honggo therefore drills the importance of being creative into his 28 handicraftsmen.
"They should be able to stand on their own and develop the special art of Indonesian ceramics. I don't want them to be satisfied with their present fee of Rp 350,000. This country has a rich variety of ethnic models and styles that are waiting to be utilized in ceramic art," he said.