Global Impact on the Survival of Wayang Kulit ... - Siew Lian Lim

from the traditional leather of Wayang Kulit, but they are not traditional characters from The
Ramayana and Mahabharata, but rather figures from his own comic images; these have been
displayed as 2D works in exhibitions, as I have with some of my pieces. Like much of his work,
the faces and heads are obscured or replaced by objects like rocks, the interior of a house, or a
storm cloud. These puppets are distinctly surrealistic and cartoonish. They are not meant to
portray specific characters but portray different characters in different stories. They are painted
on only one side in bright acrylic paint so that reflected colors are more distinct in shadows on
the screen and form a frame when puppets are hung on a wall. His approach towards the
integration of visual and performing art is exactly the opposite of my work and that of Heri Dono
starting 20 years before Nugroho. Both Dono and I reframe the performing art of shadow
puppetry as visual art. Nugroho's starting point is his visual art, mainly the cartoons he hangs
freely in his art exhibitions, and he reframes these as shadow puppet theater. So, his work
connects to mine in that he makes contemporary shadow puppets to present stories that resonate
with contemporary audiences.
S Lim, Gotcha! 2012 S Lim, Taming 2012 S Lim, Going Home
Where the Heart Is 2012
In my work, from repurposed refuse material, I create stationary silent shadow puppets
that move, breathe, and speak for themselves. My free standing crafted pieces and shadow
sculptures are inspired by the shadow puppetry of Southeast Asia. In the past, my figures came
from The Ramayana. My current work is a narrative progressive self portrait of my quest for the
meaning and balance of life as represented by a cowgirl taming a wild stallion. They speak of
restoring balance within by taming and training the wild stallion, wild mind. The figures speak of
restoring balance with the environment by repurposing materials that would usually be discarded
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