Wow, September has been such an eventful month! The last we left off was probably on our Independence Weekend Trip and a glimpse of my life through the lens. However, behind the screen, a lot more has been going on that I cannot believe was all happening this month. At this point, I’m just trying play catch up so I can catch you up with all the things that I’ve experienced thus far. So, for context, this post is about an exhibition Agung and I visited 3 weeks ago—yes, that’s how backlogged I am (lol). We were on an exhibition roll for a while, so this was one of those moments. It’s a rather small one, but hope you enjoy anyway!
Wow, September has been such an eventful month! The last we left off was probably on our Independence Weekend Trip and a glimpse of my life through the lens. However, behind the screen, a lot more has been going on that I cannot believe was all happening this month. At this point, I’m just trying play catch up so I can catch you up with all the things that I’ve experienced thus far. So, for context, this post is about an exhibition Agung and I visited 3 weeks ago—yes, that’s how backlogged I am (lol). We were on an exhibition roll for a while, so this was one of those moments. It’s a rather small one, but hope you enjoy anyway!
Works of the Puppet Master
Before we went on our Solo trip, we had planned to visit Musim Seni Salihara event at Galeri Salihara. The event consists of an array of dance performances, discussions and one exhibition. The exhibition is the one that intrigued us the most—called Kelana Boneka.
Since the event itself would last until early September, we decided to just go after our trip. For the exhibition alone, each ticket costed IDR 35k—for which we had to see if we’ve still got a budget for later on. We didn’t really know much about the puppet theatre scene in Indonesia—or anywhere else, really—but we knew Papermoon Theatre was going to be there, so that got us pretty excited.
The exhibition itself was much smaller than we expected. It was held in one circular room that was arranged in such an elaborate way. There were around 7-8 artists who showcased their puppets here, a lot of which were inspired by the traditional wayang. They also come in various shapes and sizes, including the star of the show: the life-size Abak from Papermoon Theatre.
Other than that, we also saw some amazing modern interpretation of the traditional wayang. This theatre on the left is initiated by a madrassa group—if I remember correctly—and is giving me serious Midsommar vibes. The writings on the bottom, by the way, is written in Arabic.
Before we went on our Solo trip, we had planned to visit Musim Seni Salihara event at Galeri Salihara. The event consists of an array of dance performances, discussions and one exhibition. The exhibition is the one that intrigued us the most—called Kelana Boneka.
Since the event itself would last until early September, we decided to just go after our trip. For the exhibition alone, each ticket costed IDR 35k—for which we had to see if we’ve still got a budget for later on. We didn’t really know much about the puppet theatre scene in Indonesia—or anywhere else, really—but we knew Papermoon Theatre was going to be there, so that got us pretty excited.
The exhibition itself was much smaller than we expected. It was held in one circular room that was arranged in such an elaborate way. There were around 7-8 artists who showcased their puppets here, a lot of which were inspired by the traditional wayang. They also come in various shapes and sizes, including the star of the show: the life-size Abak from Papermoon Theatre.
Other than that, we also saw some amazing modern interpretation of the traditional wayang. This theatre on the left is initiated by a madrassa group—if I remember correctly—and is giving me serious Midsommar vibes. The writings on the bottom, by the way, is written in Arabic.
The Centre Becomes the Art
Not only the exhibition itself, I was personally excited to finally visit Salihara Arts Centre for the first time. I’ve wanted to come here for years, but never really knew of the perfect occasion—or company—to do so. Agung also has always wanted to take me here. Who knows why we hadn’t gone all these years. What got me most excited about this place is the architecture. At first I knew it as the work of the amazing Andra Matin whose works I’ve always admired, but apparently it is a hodgepodge of structures designed by various architects. Teater Salihara (or Salihara Black Box) is designed by Adi Purnomo, Galeri Salihara is designed by Marco Kusumawijaya, the office buildings are designed by Andra Matin, and Anjung Salihara (the multi-purpose three-storied building) is designed by Danny Wicaksono. The structure may be pretty small, but its intricacy makes it feel spacious and magical.
On top of the beautifully structured architecture, various murals can be found in several corners of Salihara Arts Centre. The most iconic one—at least to us anyway—is the 4-meter mural by Eko Nugroho at the little garden at the back. The centre itself is actually a hub of various branches of art, although most well-known in performance art. There are theatres and multi-purpose studios, including music studios and dance studios available for use here. A number of dance and theatre companies often rehearse and perform here. Salihara also tends to hold talks and discussion events around the topic of art, culture and history.
Hand-me-down t-shirt + cap + pants // Goethe Institut tote bag // Nappa Milano loafers // photos of me by Agung
A Few of Our Favourite Puppets
Of no particular order, mind you.
The Centre Becomes the Art
Not only the exhibition itself, I was personally excited to finally visit Salihara Arts Centre for the first time. I’ve wanted to come here for years, but never really knew of the perfect occasion—or company—to do so. Agung also has always wanted to take me here. Who knows why we hadn’t gone all these years. What got me most excited about this place is the architecture. At first I knew it as the work of the amazing Andra Matin whose works I’ve always admired, but apparently it is a hodgepodge of structures designed by various architects. Teater Salihara (or Salihara Black Box) is designed by Adi Purnomo, Galeri Salihara is designed by Marco Kusumawijaya, the office buildings are designed by Andra Matin, and Anjung Salihara (the multi-purpose three-storied building) is designed by Danny Wicaksono. The structure may be pretty small, but its intricacy makes it feel spacious and magical.
On top of the beautifully structured architecture, various murals can be found in several corners of Salihara Arts Centre. The most iconic one—at least to us anyway—is the 4-meter mural by Eko Nugroho at the little garden at the back. The centre itself is actually a hub of various branches of art, although most well-known in performance art. There are theatres and multi-purpose studios, including music studios and dance studios available for use here. A number of dance and theatre companies often rehearse and perform here. Salihara also tends to hold talks and discussion events around the topic of art, culture and history.
Hand-me-down t-shirt + cap + pants // Goethe Institut tote bag // Nappa Milano loafers // photos of me by Agung
A Few of Our Favourite Puppets
Of no particular order, mind you.
Fave#2: Den Kisot
Goenawan Mohamad & Endo Suanda
It’s so interesting to see this array of European-looking puppets, amongst the otherwise traditionally local puppets. Den Kisot is a puppet play inspired by “Don Quijote de la mancha” karya Miguel de Cervantes. Goenawan Mohamad serves as the playwright, while Endo Suanda directed the production. It has been performed in various Indonesian cities, including Jakarta, Bandung, Ternate, Tidore, Solo and Yogyakarta—with the support of the Spanish Embassy.
While I find the name very funny—it’s like the localised version of Don Quixote—the puppets themselves are so well-crafted. You can see how intricately carved the hair is. They remind me of the puppet performance from The Lonely Goatherd in The Sound of Music.
Fave#1: Boneka Koran
Sena Didi Mime
Here is a funny-looking couple of puppets, sitting on a bench reading a newspaper like it’s a map. There’s something so quaint and raw about the way they are portrayed and dressed. This puppet is actually an update of the Koran number by Sena A. Utoyo, the creator of the Sena Didi Mime theatre company. The current generation of the troupe transformed the scene that is usually played by human actors into a puppet show. It was first performed in 2017 in Jakarta.
Sena Didi Mime itself is a pantomime theatre company created in the 1980s by Sena A. Utoyo and Didi Petet—the latter was a well-known actor both in theatre and the big screen. The troupe has since passed on to later generations, which is currently being led by Yayu Unru, who created this puppet show.
Fave#2: Den Kisot
Goenawan Mohamad & Endo Suanda
It’s so interesting to see this array of European-looking puppets, amongst the otherwise traditionally local puppets. Den Kisot is a puppet play inspired by “Don Quijote de la mancha” karya Miguel de Cervantes. Goenawan Mohamad serves as the playwright, while Endo Suanda directed the production. It has been performed in various Indonesian cities, including Jakarta, Bandung, Ternate, Tidore, Solo and Yogyakarta—with the support of the Spanish Embassy.
While I find the name very funny—it’s like the localised version of Don Quixote—the puppets themselves are so well-crafted. You can see how intricately carved the hair is. They remind me of the puppet performance from The Lonely Goatherd in The Sound of Music.
Fave#1: Boneka Koran
Sena Didi Mime
Here is a funny-looking couple of puppets, sitting on a bench reading a newspaper like it’s a map. There’s something so quaint and raw about the way they are portrayed and dressed. This puppet is actually an update of the Koran number by Sena A. Utoyo, the creator of the Sena Didi Mime theatre company. The current generation of the troupe transformed the scene that is usually played by human actors into a puppet show. It was first performed in 2017 in Jakarta.
Sena Didi Mime itself is a pantomime theatre company created in the 1980s by Sena A. Utoyo and Didi Petet—the latter was a well-known actor both in theatre and the big screen. The troupe has since passed on to later generations, which is currently being led by Yayu Unru, who created this puppet show.
Fave#3: Abak
Papermoon Theatre
Ever since I discovered Papermoon Theatre a while ago, I’ve been in love with their puppets. I would have loved to go see them perform someday. Their puppets just have such a character that cannot be emulated by other puppeteer or artists. Made mostly out of rattan—if I’m not mistaken—and pantyhose, Papermoon Theatre’s puppets offer such a raw look of a humanoid being. They remind me of Cerulia and The House somewhat.
Out of all the puppets they showcased at this exhibition, Abak is no doubt the most impressive. This 3-meter construction of a puppet looks so friendly yet so lonely as it looms over us—not scary at all. Apparently, to operate him requires two people—one to move his legs, one for his arms.
Fave#4: Popculture Wayang
Ki Enthus Susmono
One of the more traditional wayangs that we love is this out-of-the-box rendition by a world-class dalang (wayang storyteller), Ki Enthus Susmono. He had a few wayang in this series, where he took some popculture characters and turned them into traditional wayangs. Some of the characters include Batman, Harry Potter, and Teletubbies—which you can actually see on the left here.
Agung and I aren’t really from the art performance scene, so we weren’t familiar with him—and several other artists in this exhibition, for that matter. He has apparently gone global—to The Netherlands and Germany, at least. Not only that, he also happened to be the regent of Tegal. He has, sadly, passed away.
Fave#3: Abak
Papermoon Theatre
Ever since I discovered Papermoon Theatre a while ago, I’ve been in love with their puppets. I would have loved to go see them perform someday. Their puppets just have such a character that cannot be emulated by other puppeteer or artists. Made mostly out of rattan—if I’m not mistaken—and pantyhose, Papermoon Theatre’s puppets offer such a raw look of a humanoid being. They remind me of Cerulia and The House somewhat.
Out of all the puppets they showcased at this exhibition, Abak is no doubt the most impressive. This 3-meter construction of a puppet looks so friendly yet so lonely as it looms over us—not scary at all. Apparently, to operate him requires two people—one to move his legs, one for his arms.
Fave#4: Popculture Wayang
Ki Enthus Susmono
One of the more traditional wayangs that we love is this out-of-the-box rendition by a world-class dalang (wayang storyteller), Ki Enthus Susmono. He had a few wayang in this series, where he took some popculture characters and turned them into traditional wayangs. Some of the characters include Batman, Harry Potter, and Teletubbies—which you can actually see on the left here.
Agung and I aren’t really from the art performance scene, so we weren’t familiar with him—and several other artists in this exhibition, for that matter. He has apparently gone global—to The Netherlands and Germany, at least. Not only that, he also happened to be the regent of Tegal. He has, sadly, passed away.
While the exhibition was small and pretty compact, we really enjoyed our time there. This was a world that intrigued us, but we’re not really involved in it, to be honest. There were a lot of names that we didn’t recognise because they were new to us, but that’s half the fun, honestly. A name that we didn’t mention above but popped up numerous times in the exhibition—and, honestly, we found him interesting—is Heri Dono. His work Kuda Binal is an honorary mention of our favourites. It’s just so memorable and we kind of wish we could see the performance in person—which would have been impossible because it was performed before I was even born.
What kind of exciting cultural event have you visited lately?
While the exhibition was small and pretty compact, we really enjoyed our time there. This was a world that intrigued us, but we’re not really involved in it, to be honest. There were a lot of names that we didn’t recognise because they were new to us, but that’s half the fun, honestly. A name that we didn’t mention above but popped up numerous times in the exhibition—and, honestly, we found him interesting—is Heri Dono. His work Kuda Binal is an honorary mention of our favourites. It’s just so memorable and we kind of wish we could see the performance in person—which would have been impossible because it was performed before I was even born.
What kind of exciting cultural event have you visited lately?