How this Balinese ceramicist transforms clay into art in her studio in Tegallalang's lush tropical paradise
#HUEVOICES: Meet Sekarputi (Puti) Sidhiawati.
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I am Sekarputi Sidhiawati. I work and live in Tegallalang, Bali. My friends and family call me Puti. I am a mother of two, an artist and ceramic studio owner, an art space and art residency art director, and a manager of my artist husband, Agugn. I am a vegan and feminist (bare minimum, at least, hahaha). I love to draw and enjoy deep conversations on odd hours of the day, and during sunsets.
My hometown is Jakarta, but home is myself.
I live in Tegallalang, but I’ve also lived in Jakarta and Bandung.
The one thing I miss most about my hometown is my mother, who’s a familiar and comforting space.
If I were an ice cream flavour, I’d be chocolate mint because I feel like they made it for me.
The soundtrack to my life is Duyung Berenang by Easybabasound feat.Iilya Sumanto.
As a child, I used to dream of becoming a poet. Now I am a ceramicist poet.
But, in another life, I’d be Seth Rogan or a mermaid.
The “pinch-me” moment in my career so far was today, as I am describing myself as I walk what I talk.
The WORST advice I’ve ever received was the career is over for every female artist who becomes pregnant.
The Dog Days Are Over by Florence and The Machine is a song that inspires me right now because it is so positive, optimistic, and oh so true. You cannot force the inevitable facts that, at the end of the day, you are doing it for everyone else, not just yourself.
My last three liked tracks on YouTube Music are ‘Go Outside’ (Menahan Street Band Remix) by Cults, ‘Kembang Bunga’ by Venopian Solitude, ‘Silk’ by Wolf Alice.
The last podcast that left an impression on me is Polyester Zine Podcast, because I think pop culture is important to discuss. The last movie that left an impression on me, that felt close to me, is Past Lives and Inside Out 2, as both movies are melancholic and sentimental in its depiction of self-discovery.
The creatives who inspire most are everyone who is creative, who I find so inspiring because creativity is not always only about making things, but it’s also about the grasp of the ideas which makes what they create beautiful. Though there are few who are a highlight amongst others: Frida Kahlo and Tracey Emin.
What I need to be my most creatives self is to be in my most [self with] time and space, and it could be anywhere, anytime, anyhow. As long as I have the overflowing urges to create or put it on sketches without any distractions.
My most recent well-spent splurge was MAD for makeup spotless concealer, the packaging, the brand, the steadiness yet buildable—all worth the hype.
I can never leave the house without my glasses. I am practically blind without it.
My go-to outfit of the moment is—OMG THIS IS HARD. I enjoy SUKU pyjamas every day, but sometimes it is too windy outside so I use sleeve tops with asymmetric cutout details with thick corduroy pants and jackets.
The shoes you’ll see me wearing most are sandals, I love my black Indosole slippers so much that the sole is flattening. I also love tigah wedges vegan sliders.
The scent you’ll smell on me is right now, I am so stoked to use Unke Naru chocolate mint. Yes I am that obessed with chocolate mint. It’s fresh, yet creamy, and it stays on longer. It’s a nice smell at the end of the day.
On my bedside table, you’ll find my glasses and my water tumbler, and my kindle.
You’ll always find cheddar cheese by burgreens and frozen bananas stoked in my fridge. Bananas always ripe too fast and I used it to make a bread or just mix it in with other fresh fruits to sprinkle with muesli.
My idea of self-care is not to give a f*?k about the opinions of others.
The type of vacation I crave most is to be alone for two nights in a row.
My ideal Saturday afternoon is all my work done and I can start my weekly skin care with charcoal clay mask while sipping on red wine while I journal.
My life’s mantra is I don’t need to prove sh!t [to anyone].
What is success to you?
Success is peace of mind, be kind but take no sh!t. Knowing myself and discovering myself again and again.
What advice would you share with your younger self?
Do it while you can and take it easy and never take anything for granted.
What values/legacy/perspectives has growing up/living in Southeast Asia impressed on you?
To decolonise myself is to celebrate the small things and to be a different entity amongst collective cultures as it has a cost.
What values/legacy/perspectives has growing up/living in Southeast Asia impressed on you?
I will say I was very Java-centric back then. Raised in a Javanese household in Jakarta, growing up, I was expected to be submissive and assertive while I struggled with my identity to grasp my own fulfilment of being myself.
At first, I was afraid to say my true feelings about myself and when I noticed the very validation I need is coming from myself, I progressed and started to find my purpose for being myself; to always make artwork that is honest, to always move on, to always rationalize my thinking and stay curious about life.
How do you balance preserving your cultural heritage, embracing global influences, and honouring who you are today?
I believe that human beings are forever a student of life. We need to unlearn things and find ourself in the middle of chaotic states of emotions. I believe that everything that stems from kindness and sincere motivation will always bring balance, either it maybe toning down the high notch or washing down all the bad intensions.
When did you start making your ceramics? What are the stories behind the inspiration to your pieces?
Professionally I started making my own ceramics in 2010, but just in 2014, I started my own ceramic studio in Bandung called Derau. The back story is funny because back then I wasn’t allowed to create any artwork and actively exhibit my works, so I made more accessible way to have a creative output which led me to make one-of-a-kind tableware with a story heavily influenced by women.
What are you working on now? Is there a story you’re trying to tell? If yes, what is that story?
I am now juggling between two big commission works, both still in ceramic but with a very new approach. I am also preparing for a group show in September in Jakarta, while also managing my teams, and maintaining a programme for RAD-ruang Arta Derau, my studio/art space and artist residency in Tegallalang.
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