Museum Wayang reopened in January 2025 after six months of renovation – and this time, it is embracing the future. Having undergone its most ambitious transformation yet, the Jakarta institution, long dedicated to Indonesia’s traditional puppet theatre, now features interactive games, digital performances and a fully bilingual Bahasa Indonesia-English exhibition.
Housed in a neo-Renaissance colonial building from 1640, Museum Wayang sits on the edge of Fatahillah Square, a sprawling, pedestrian-only plaza at the heart of Jakarta’s Old Town and Chinatown. Just a short walk from the Kota train station, the location is as rich in history as the art form it celebrates.
Wayang, a centuries-old form of puppet drama accompanied by a live orchestra, originated in Java but traces its influences to southern India. In 2003, UNESCO recognised it as a Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity. The museum’s vast collection spans over 6,000 puppets from Indonesia and beyond, but since displaying them all at once is impossible, the exhibits rotate every three months.
Traditionally, wayang featured two-dimensional leather puppets controlled by rods to depict Hindu epics. But over time, it has evolved – both artistically and politically. During Indonesia’s independence movement, wayang was used as a tool to spread news in remote villages, long before mass media took hold.
Museum Wayang captures this evolution across two floors. At the entrance, visitors are first met by a pair of towering, 3m-tall figures, Gatotkaca and his wife Pergiwa from the Hindu epic Mahabharata – a dramatic preview of what’s inside. The first floor is dedicated to Indonesia’s regional variations, from Jakarta’s own wayang figures used in folktales (including the beloved Pitung, a Robin Hood-like folk hero) to North Sumatra’s giant puppets, once used in elaborate funeral rites.
Upstairs, the second floor takes a contemporary turn. Unconventional materials – from reed-based wayang to a Javanese clown donning a crop top – challenge tradition, while a section on global wayang features puppets from the Americas, Europe and Asia.
But it’s the digital installations that take the museum into the present (or future) – visitors can experience a virtual wayang performance, test their skills on an interactive gamelan orchestra (a traditional ensemble of Indonesian percussion instruments) or, for a final thrill, race wayang characters in a Gran Turismo-style video game.
Museum Wayang may be rooted in the past, but with its new interactive edge, it’s making sure that Indonesia’s most storied tradition remains very much alive.
27 Jalan Pintu Besar Utara, West Jakarta. Tue–Sun 9am–5pm. Entrance fee ranges from IDR 10,000 on weekdays and 15,000 on weekends.
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