Island of Shadow

Island of Shadow is a new performance work by Indonesian-Australian artist Jumaadi, who brings experimental approaches in light and sound to wayang kulit, the traditional Indonesian art of the shadow play. This new performance, accompanying Jumaadi’s exhibition My Love is in an Island Far Away was commissioned by Mosman Art Gallery. It features the music of Gamelan composer Suwandi Widianto and weaves a poetic narrative based on historical events in the Indonesian archipelago, exploring the chaotic processes and outcomes connected to global exchange, in particular the 1667 Treaty of Breda. Using beautifully crafted shadow puppets made of paper, buffalo hide and cardboard, Jumaadi’s transformative theatrical performance explores the chaotic processes and outcomes connected to global exchange, the projection of power, and the ownership of resources from colonial times to the present.