Jakarta’s Museum Wayang reopens with new vision for the future

"Reopened in January 2025 after six months of renovation, this Jakarta museum dedicated to traditional puppet theatre has been extensively updated with interactive games, digital performances and a fully bilingual Bahasa Indonesia–English exhibition. Housed in a neo-Renaissance colonial building dating to 1640 on the edge of Fatahillah Square and a short walk from Kota train station, it traces wayang’s origins in Java (with influences from southern India) and notes UNESCO recognition in 2003. The museum’s vast collection of over 6,000 puppets is shown on a rotating basis every three months and is displayed across two floors: visitors enter beneath towering 3 m figures Gatotkaca and Pergiwa from the Mahabharata, then explore regional traditions (including the Robin Hood–like folk hero Pitung and North Sumatra’s giant funeral puppets) on the first floor and contemporary, experimental and global wayang on the second. New digital installations let visitors experience a virtual wayang performance, test their skills on an interactive gamelan orchestra and even race wayang characters in a Gran Turismo–style game, all designed to keep this centuries-old art form relevant for modern audiences. Open Tue–Sun 9am–5pm; entrance IDR 10,000 on weekdays and IDR 15,000 on weekends." - R Lenggogeni