Born in 1960 in Jakarta, Heri Dono studied at the Institut Seni Indonesia but dropped out of school to study wayang kulit (shadow puppet). He uses the traditional art form wayang kulit (shadow puppet) and adapts it as his contemporary medium of expression in his art. In addition, the influence this traditional art form can also be seen in Heri’s installations, performance arts as well as his paintings.Here, Heri conceives his own epic tale wayang legenda and creates his own characters using cardboards instead of leather like the traditional puppets. These puppets are characters from the wayang legenda that was first performed in 1988. The employment of humour is central to his work following the Indonesian dance and theatre tradition. Through the use of humour, clown characters or jokers are important characters for criticising and making fun of high society and are central to the drama. In this manner, Heri Dono’s plays as in his paintings and installations are social statements that he conveyed through the use of humour.
