A friend i met, recommended this Museum few months ago, located nearby her house, in Ubud, Bali.  She said it is a great museum set in a Javanese traditional houses. And i loved it there.

Indonesia is rich or arts, including mask. Each area has its own characteristic. Some areas have very raw carved of mask, which are my favorite.

Setia Darma House of Masks and Puppets is located in Jalan Tegal Bingin, Mas, Ubud, Kemenuh, Gianyar, Bali. I find it a little bit hidden. Yet it is worth the effort, the museum is very quiet and set in a beautiful area and the entrance is free.

The main buildings are 3 joglo buildings, Javanese wooden traditional house. The houses were old houses transported from Java to house the masks and puppet collections. There are about 6,900 masks and puppets collections displayed here.

There are masks from various parts of Indonesia, also from overseas such as from Japan, Africa, China and Korea. From Indonesia, we can see the collections from Madura, Bali, Jember, Ponorogo, Yogyakarta, Cirebon, Wonosobo, Papua, Sumatera Island and Kalimantan. You may have been very familiar with some of the masks, but there are some that will be new to you.  For me masks from Papua are very interesting, also from Sumatera and Borneo, similar to that of Africa.

The museum has open stage overlooking rice terraces. And visitors can site and enjoy the coconut trees view from the restaurant which offers various menus.

Even though the entrance is free, you can also support the museum by giving donation.

by Wid Saija