Indonesian Art at Material Intelligence exhibition at Sydney Craft Week Festival 2025

Each year, the Sydney Craft Festival celebrates the tactile world of design, exploring how local makers push the boundaries of their materials.

Jayanto Tan at ADC Ceng-Beng 2025 Credit: Australian Design Center with Sydney Craft Week / Jacquie Manning

Among the featured talent is Indonesian artist Jayanto Tan, invited by the non-profit Australian Design Centre to showcase his unique perspective at the festival.

Jayanto’s ceramic collection, titled No Friends But The Ghost (Ceng Beng), is very different from the transformative qualities of other ceramics being dispalyed at ADC's Object Space window gallery on William Street, from 10 October until 19 November 2025.

Ceramic collection Jayanto Tan Credit: Australian Desian Centre / Jacquie Manning

His work-in-progress, titled Ceng Beng, embraces the quiet power and solemn duty of honouring one’s elders.

Tan’s practice bridges his past and present through material exploration.

By combining earthenware clay with intricate embroidery on found fabrics, he creates a visual dialogue between his birth and his current life in Sydney.

As explained in his recent interview with SBS Indonesian, the collection serves as a vessel for his experiences and his cultural background.

Listen to SBS Indonesian every Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday at 3pm.

Follow us on Facebook and Instagram, and don't miss our podcasts.