Forest, Sea, and Destructive Heroes
Disturbing Narratives in Javanese Shadow Puppet Theatre
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Join scholars and practitioners as they explore the living traditions of Javanese wayang kulit (shadow puppet theatre) and gamelan music. Learn more about Ki Aneng Kiswantoro’s innovative approach to wayang cinema, and discover how traditional shadow puppet theatre performances continue to illuminate contemporary concerns – transforming age-old tales into powerful reflections on the present.
This conversation sets the stage for the wayang kulit performances taking place on 10 October 2025 at NUS and 11 October 2025 at ACM, as part of Pesta Bayangan: Festival of Shadows, Festival of Imagination.
About the speakers
Ki Aneng Kiswantoro is a puppeteer, musician, and composer known for his innovative approach to wayang kulit. Alongside the classical repertoire, he has revived rare forms such as wacinwa – which blends Javanese traditions with narratives drawn from Chinese tales – and created new forms, such as wayang cinema. He holds a master’s degree in Javanese puppetry from the Indonesian Institute of the Arts, where he now lectures. He has performed and taught in Indonesia, Singapore, Mainland China, Taiwan, Portugal, Australia, and the US.
Ki Fani Rickyansyah is an award-winning puppeteer, musician, and arts entrepreneur from Yogyakarta, Indonesia. He has performed at festivals in Indonesia and abroad, including the Asia Pacific Traditional Arts Festival (2015) and Yangtze River Festival (2019). He teaches at the Indonesian Institute of the Arts in Yogyakarta, where he earned his master’s degree in creative performance.
Preciosa de Joya is a scholar of Southeast Asian Studies and Philosophy and a lecturer at the College of Interdisciplinary and Experiential Learning, Singapore University of Social Sciences. Her current research focuses on Java, and she teaches courses that explore storytelling as a mode of knowledge-making, including a field-based programme in Yogyakarta that engages with local storytelling traditions. She is also a musician and a member of the NUS Singa Nglaras Gamelan Ensemble.
Jan Mrázek is a scholar of Southeast Asian art and a long-time practitioner of wayang kulit and gamelan music. He is the author of Wayang & Its Doubles: Javanese Puppet Theatre, Television and the Internet (NUS Press 2019) and has published widely on Javanese performance. He is an associate professor in the Department of Southeast Asian Studies, NUS, and the founding director of the NUS Singa Nglaras Gamelan Ensemble.
About the moderator
Noorashikin binte Zulkifli is Deputy Director (Curatorial, Education, and Interpretation) and Principal Curator for Islamic Art at Asian Civilisations Museum (ACM) and Peranakan Museum. She developed the Islamic Art gallery at ACM which opened in 2018 and worked on these exhibitions – Let’s Play! The Art and Design of Asian Games (2025), Body and Spirit: The Human Body in Thought and Practice (2022), and ‘Ilm: Science and Imagination in the Islamic World (2016). She was also part of the curatorial team for the revamp of the Peranakan Museum. Her extensive experience includes curatorial and programming roles at the Malay Heritage Centre in Kampong Gelam, Singapore’s historic Muslim quarter and port town, Singapore Art Museum, and NUS Museum. Noora holds an MA in Interactive Media from Goldsmiths College, University of London and her research interests revolve around Islamic Southeast Asia.
