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Exhibition of Shadow Puppets from Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand at the British Museum

Exhibition of Shadow Puppets from Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand at the British Museum
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Shadow puppet theatre is found in many societies. Puppets, normally carved from animal hide and painted on both sides, are placed between a light source and a white cloth screen, with audiences watching the performance from both sides. This art form has historically been a significant part of the artistic, spiritual, social and political lives of many Southeast Asians, and has retained its appeal even in recent decades, when television, film and the internet have become increasingly available.

Hanuman and His Relatives. image: Indah Gilang Pusparani
Hanuman and His Relatives. image: Indah Gilang Pusparani



Shadow theatre performances are often associated with life-changing and ritual events, and puppets can be viewed as sacred objects. In shadow theatre, old and new stories are presented to audiences with puppets representing the universe from deities to demons, traders to royalty. Clowns provide humour through verbal and visual jokes and make the stories topical to local spectators.

Shadow Puppets from Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand at the British Museum. image: Indah Gilang Pusparani
Shadow Puppets from Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand at the British Museum. image: Indah Gilang Pusparani



The exhibition draws on the Museum’s unique collection of Southeast Asian shadow puppets. See Javanese puppets from around 1800 collected by Sir Stamford Raffles – the earliest systematic collection of puppets in the world. The show also features puppets from Kelantan in Malaysia made by two innovative puppeteers in the mid-20th century, Balinese puppets gifted to Queen Elizabeth II, and a set of modern Thai shadow puppets from the 1960s and 70s. Through these objects, see how shadow puppet theatre is a living art form that still responds to the times.

Source: The British Museum

Indah Gilang Pusparani

Indah is a researcher at Badan Perencanaan Pembangunan Penelitian dan Pengembangan Daerah Kota Cirebon (Regional Development Planning and Research Agency of Cirebon Municipality). She covers More international relations, tourism, and startups in Southeast Asia region and beyond. Indah graduated from MSc Development Administration and Planning from University College London, United Kingdom in 2015. She finished bachelor degree from International Relations from University of Indonesia in 2014, with two exchange programs in Political Science at National University of Singapore and New Media in Journalism at Ball State University, USA. She was awarded Diplomacy Award at Harvard World Model United Nations and named as Indonesian Gifted Researcher by Australian National University. She is Researcher at Regional Planning Board in Cirebon, West Java. She previously worked as Editor in Bening Communication, the Commonwealth Parliament Association UK, and diplomacy consulting firm Best Delegate LLC in USA. Less
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