DepartmentTextiles-Asia

Wayang Topeng Face Mask Depicting the Character, Semar

NameFacial Covering

Maker Ki Rudy Wiratama Partohardono

CultureJavanese

Date2020-2021

(not assigned)Java, Indonesia, Oceania

MediumSynthetic fabric, foam

DimensionsMeasured flat: 5 1/8 × 13/16 × 11 7/16 in. (13 × 2 × 29 cm)

Credit LineMuseum purchase, Museum of International Folk Art,

Object numberA.2022.25.1

DescriptionBlack mask with white and red lower face printed on it, mask has white backing. Wayang Topeng Face Mask Depicting the Character, Semar, Ki Rudy Wiratama Partohardono (designer). Ki Rudy Wiratama Partohardono is a dhalang puppeteer of wayang kulit
(shadow puppets) and teaches Javanese literature at Universitas Gadjah Mada
in Yogyakarta. In the summer of 2020, he collaborated with friends in the
commercial printing sector and designed this humorous face mask, which
depicts the comedic, fatherly wayang character, Semar. Since the design was
for a face mask, he drew from the wayang topeng (mask) tradition, using a
photograph of the bottom portion of the character’s face. Partohardono posted
a selfie donning his Semar mask to Facebook and inspired other dhalang to
make and post similar wayang face masks.