Wender·Vista
Surabaya
shown on ceramic, 12-inch tileIndonesia
on the north coast of East Java, where the Madura Strait begins.

Surabaya

— — the port that named itself after a fight.

— Where it lives

Not only on a wall.

A small tile on the nightstand catching the morning. A larger one above the fire. Yours, wherever you spend the slow hours.
— On the nightstand, a 6-inch on a walnut stand
— Among the books, a 6-inch leaning into the spines
— Beside the kettle, a 12-inch propped
— Down a quiet hall, an 18-inch floating off the wall
— Above the fire, the 24-inch in a walnut surround
— a note from the studio

“The second city of Indonesia, set on the flat delta of the Kalimas where it meets the Madura Strait. The old quarter still holds Dutch warehouses and Chinese shophouses along the river. Northeast of the centre the long arc of the Suramadu Bridge crosses to Madura. In Ampel the call to prayer carries over narrow lanes lined with date sellers, and the harbour at Tanjung Perak runs all night. The name itself comes from a shark and a crocodile, the city's old emblem. from the studio

from the studio
Surabaya
— bring it home

Surabaya, on ceramic.

Each tile is finished by hand in our Knoxville studio. Artwork is slowly infused into the ceramic surface under high heat and pressure, and rests beneath a thin glossy finish. The colour lives in the surface, not on top of it.

What kind of piece?
One tile — square or rectangle.
How big?
the popular one — counter, shelf, nightstand
6 × 6 in · 15 cm · 1.6 lb
Surface finish
A clear glossy finish — the artwork reads as if under resin. Ideal for show-pieces and framed wall art.
How it sits
A hidden cleat — sits ¼″ proud of the wall.
$58
Hand-finished and shipped from our studio at the foot of the Smokies. On your wall in about ten days.
— size
6 × 6 in
15 cm
— weighs
1.6 lb
solid in the hand
— surface
ceramic, hand-finished
art rests beneath a thin glossy finish
— from
Knoxville, TN
our family studio, at the foot of the Smokies
— start a Coaster Set

Pick any four 4-inch tiles — National Parks you've been to, a Smokies set, the four seasons of one place. $ for a set of , cork-backed, ready to live on the table.

— about Surabaya

The place, in three passes.

A little of what's known, in case you fall down the rabbit hole — or want to go see it yourself.
— the place

Surabaya is the capital of East Java province and the second-largest city in Indonesia, with a metropolitan population above 9 million across the Gerbangkertosusila region. The city stands at the mouth of the Kalimas River on the southern shore of the Madura Strait, opposite the island of Madura. Tanjung Perak, on the northern edge of the city, is the country's second-busiest seaport after Tanjung Priok in Jakarta. The 5,438-metre Suramadu Bridge, opened in 2009, connects Surabaya to Madura and is the longest bridge in Indonesia. The local emblem shows a shark and a crocodile, the two creatures the city's name is traditionally said to honour.

— the year

On November 10, 1945, Surabaya was the site of the largest single battle of the Indonesian National Revolution. Several weeks after the death of British Brigadier A. W. S. Mallaby on October 30, British and British-Indian forces under Major-General Mansergh entered the city with armour and aircraft, and met three weeks of street fighting from the local pemuda and TKR militia. Thousands of Indonesians were killed and much of the old city was destroyed. The date is now observed across the country as Hari Pahlawan, Heroes' Day, and the city carries the epithet Kota Pahlawan, the City of Heroes.

— the visit

International flights arrive at Juanda Airport, 20 kilometres south of the city centre. The Arab quarter around Ampel, built around the tomb of Sunan Ampel, one of the nine Wali Songo who brought Islam to Java, holds the oldest neighbourhood mosque, completed in 1421. The House of Sampoerna, a former Dutch orphanage turned 1932 cigarette factory, is now a museum on Taman Sampoerna in the old town. Mount Bromo, in the Tengger massif, is a three- to four-hour drive southeast and is the most-visited day trip from the city. The dry season runs roughly from May through October.

— where
Indonesia · Surabaya, East Java
— position
-7.2575° S · 112.7521° E
— the neighborhood

What's nearby.

A handful of named places within an hour's walk or short drive. Some we've already painted; some we will.
9 km NE
Suramadu Bridge
bridge
4 km N
Ampel
Arab quarter
85 km SE
Mount Bromo
volcano
N
Surabaya
Suramadu Bridge
Ampel
Mount Bromo
— common questions

What people ask.

A few questions we get about Surabaya — and about bringing the piece home.
— about the place

Surabaya is on the north coast of East Java, on the southern shore of the Madura Strait. It is the capital of East Java province and the second-largest city in Indonesia, opposite the island of Madura.

For its resistance during the Battle of Surabaya in November 1945, the largest single battle of the Indonesian National Revolution. November 10 is now observed across the country as Hari Pahlawan, Heroes' Day.

The traditional folk etymology takes it from sura, a shark, and baya, a crocodile, the two creatures shown on the city's emblem. The pair is also a long-standing image in local Javanese legend.

The Suramadu Bridge runs 5,438 metres across the Madura Strait from Surabaya to the island of Madura. It opened in 2009 and is the longest bridge in Indonesia.

The old Arab and Muslim quarter north of the centre, built around the tomb of Sunan Ampel, one of the nine Wali Songo who spread Islam in Java. The neighbourhood mosque, completed in 1421, is one of the oldest in the country.

By car or van about 85 kilometres southeast to the Tengger massif, three to four hours each way. Most travellers leave Surabaya before midnight to reach a viewpoint above the caldera for sunrise.

— about the piece in your home

Yes. It has carried well for customers from Surabaya, for Indonesian families abroad, and for veterans of the city's Dutch-era trade. A Small with a handwritten note from the studio suits a hallway or office.

The warm tropical palette sits comfortably in Indo-modern, tropical-modern, and warm-traditional Southeast Asian interiors. It works with teak, rattan, batik textiles, and cream or clay walls.

Yes. The piece reads well alongside the current tropical-modern movement, which combines natural fibres and botanical motifs with clean architectural lines. It pairs well with brass and dark hardwood.

A Large tile suits a console or a narrow entry wall. Above a three-seat sofa a 4-tile Mural is usually the right scale; for a longer wall a 9-tile Mural carries the room.

Yes, with the Dura Satin or Matte finish. Both resist moisture and scratching, which makes them well suited to humid rooms, backsplashes, and shower walls.

A soft microfibre cloth, dry or with a little water. The colour is slowly infused into the ceramic surface under high heat and pressure, so ordinary cleaning will not lift it.

Yes. Every WenderVista piece is original to the studio in Knoxville, Tennessee. Reid Wender curates the atlas, and each tile is hand-finished in-house.

— if this one stayed with you

A few you might also love.

Hand-picked by the eye that found Sorapis. Same air, same kind of quiet.