Kiki and I didn’t set out to find a satirical Balinese “tourist” mask (which appears 30 seconds into the video below) in the workshop of I Wayan Muka & Mang Mega Mask Product in Ubud.
In fact, I might not have stopped by this Balinese craft workshop at all, were it not for Kiki’s interest in the cultural history of performance masks — a fascination that traces back to her time in drama school in England more than 20 years ago.
It was while visiting Ubud’s fantastic Setia Darma House of Mask and Puppets museum that we saw the handiwork of I Wayan Muka, a renowned third generation Balinese mask-maker, and learned that his son, I Komang Bagus Mega, was continuing the tradition in his father’s shop.
As with many indigenous artisanal traditions around the world, some of these masks are made for sacred ritual purposes, while other masks (including, presumably, the “tourist” mask) are decorative items made for the tourist trade.
Both are remarkable to behold — and it was fascinating to watch I Komang Bagus Mega effortlessly channel various characters as he tried on his masks.
Note: “Dispatches” are short vignettes, profiles, and mini-essays written and posted from the road, often in tandem with my Instagram account. I don’t host a “comments” section, but I’m happy to hear your thoughts via my Contact page.
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