KELLIE JOSWIG

A world-renowned Balinese master shadow puppeteer will deliver two public performances at the Charles Darwin University (CDU) Art Gallery on Friday, 13 and Saturday, 14 March.

I Madé Sidia’s rendering of tales from the Mahabharata and other Hindu folkloric adventures have thrilled audiences around the globe and will serve as a fitting culmination of the popular “Taksu: The Art of Bali – Recent Gifts to CDU Art Collection”, hosted by the gallery since October 2019.

Madé is one of Bali’s most acclaimed shadow artists and is director of the Sanggar Paripurna – a leading performing arts school in Bali, Indonesia.

In 2000 he became Director of Paripurna Art Company, Bona, in Bali’s Gianyar regency and in 2002 director of production of the Theatre Department, Arts Institute Denpasar. He has worked with hundreds of school students from around the world, teaching wayang kulit (shadow puppets) performance and the Kecak dance.

He recently worked with the Year 9 Drama Students from Perth, Western Australia’s John Curtin College of the Arts, teaching wayang puppetry, kayonan dances, Kecak dance, and traditional makeup and costuming. After only seven weeks of practice, the students performed Madé’s choreography.

“Madé Sidia’sperformances will provide a rare opportunity for the Darwin community to glimpse the mystical side of Balinese Hinduism and the skill and dexterity of a true master of his art,” CDU Art Gallery exhibition curator Kellie Joswig said.

“The Taksu exhibition has been a very special project for us that involved a complex set-up and artworks that have never been on display in the Top End.

“We are delighted and very grateful to the donors of these works for providing the CDU Art Collection and Art Gallery with the opportunity to preserve and display such significant and stunning artworks.”

I Madé Sidia’s performances are free and open to the public on Friday, March 13 at 6pm and Saturday, March 14 at 11am (this performance will be followed by a puppet-making workshop).

Venue: CDU Art Gallery, Building Orange 12, Level 1, University Drive South on Casuarina campus