A leading figure in Indonesia’s ceramic art scene, Abdul J. Nugroho explores imperfection as beauty and roots as symbols of strength. Blending clay, narrative, and experimental technique, his work reflects the resilience and humanity embedded in everyday life — where earth, memory, and imagination converge.

Abdul J. Nugroho (b. Indonesia) is regarded as one of the notable voices in Indonesia’s contemporary ceramic art movement. A graduate of the Indonesian Institute of the Arts (ISI) Yogyakarta, he approaches clay as both matter and metaphor — a living medium shaped by imperfection, memory, and transformation.
His practice embraces rawness and irregularity as a form of truth, merging research and intuition to uncover new expressive potentials in ceramics.
In his sculptural works, the motif of roots recurs as a symbol of grounding and continuity — a meditation on origin, resilience, and the unseen forces that sustain life. Small narrative elements often surface within his compositions: textures, vessels, and organic forms drawn from daily life and human endurance.
Actively involved in residencies such as Asana Bina Seni and Tanijiwo, and collectives like Bakar Tanah Lab, Abdul explores the philosophical and material possibilities of clay through both experimentation and collaboration. His process combines ceramic investigation with oil-based scratch techniques, constructing tactile reflections on strength, humility, and belonging — each piece a dialogue between earth and hand.