oleh: Reza Duratin Nasira

The International Mask Festival 2018 is a festival of international-scale mask art performances featuring mask dance performances from six countries, seminars and mask exhibitions.

The International Mask Festival (IMF) was held on October 26, 2018 at the Museum Ullen Sentalu.

This festival is an annual event that has been held since 2014. The International Mask Festival is held in several cities in Indonesia with Solo as the center. The International Mask Festival is also held in Malang, Ubud and Bandung. International Mask Festival (IMF) organized by Creative Council, Ullen Sentalu Museum, Museum Panji, dan Institut Seni Budaya Indonesia.

The International Mask Festival is the brainchild of Irawati Kusumosari, Director Solo International Performing of Arts (SIPA). Pada awalnya acara ini dinamakan Indonesia International Mask Festival (IIMF).

“International Mask Festival is an activity carried out in the form of collaboration between museum managers and cultural experts who have a concern to preserve the mask culture. The purpose of this festival is to reintroduce the masks and strengthen the masks as Indonesia’s cultural heritage so that later masks can follow wayang and batik as UNESCO’s cultural heritage, “said Daniel Haryodiningrat, Director of the Ullen Sentalu Museum, (26/10).

Masks are objects that are used as a face cover, generally made of wood, paper, leaves, metal, and animal skin which are made to resemble human faces, animals, and also giants, and are usually used to accompany music from regional arts.

In addition to the mask dance performances from six countries, Ullen Sentalu’s International Mask Festival Museum also held a “Mask Stilization” seminar with Sumaryono (Lecturer at the Yogyakarta Indonesian Art Institute) as a speaker and accompanied by Daniel Hadyodiningrat. The seminar discussed part of the uniqueness of the mask, you can learn more about the Mask Festival here.

In the seminar, Sumaryono told a lot about the history and development of mask performances in Indonesia and the close links between masks and dance dramas.

Mask culture has a long history in Indonesia. Mask shows in Indonesia are usually held at traditional ceremonies, to be shown as mere entertainment. On the island of Java mask performances in Indonesia have emerged since the 6th century AD based on records of inscriptions. Whereas in Papua and Kalimantan masks have emerged as part of culture since around the 8th century.

In the seminar, Sumaryono explained that basically the mask is disguising or replacing certain character representations. Therefore, mask dancers must be able to transform their dance souls with mask characters. Individual characters can change when wearing a mask.

“There are various kinds of masks, ranging from masks that cover the face, masks that cover all parts of the head, to the makeup that increasingly blurs the original face can be called a mask. An example of a mask as a makeup can be seen from a mask dance in Papua where the face is scribbled and is part of the ritual.

Through the seminar, visitors to the International Mask Festival felt they were getting a new perspective in interpreting masks. A visitor named Ari, a student, said that previously he did not pay much attention to the mask culture.

“Because I came to the IMF, I knew more about masks. I also hope that through the IMF, there will be more people like me who begin to appreciate masks, “Ari said.

In addition to seminars and mask shows, there is a small exhibition that displays archipelago and foreign masks. Some of the famous masks on display are Raja Mala, Buto Terong and Harleyquin.

Terdapat tujuh tarian topeng yang ditampilkan dalam International Mask Festival. Diawali dengan Tari Topeng Manis (Indonesia), Tari topeng Gunung Sari (Indonesia), Tari Krakowiak (Polandia), Fan Dance (Vietnam), Tari Flamenco Oroboy (Spanyol), Tari King Ka La (Thailand), Tari Masskara Bacold (Filipina), dan diakhiri penampilan seluruh penari dengan pengunjung International Mask Festival yang menarikan Gemu Fa Mi Re (Indonesia).

  International Mask Festival 2018, Museum Ullen Sentalu, seni dan budaya, Topeng