KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 15 — Believe it or not, the traditional Malaysian wayang kulit performances were once how people heard the latest news and social issues.

Today, as technology advances many efforts are underway to give life to the ninth century old artform to continue to inspire and educate young Malaysians.

Gerak Bayang: The Art of Storytelling is an exhibition by Bank Negara Malaysia Museum and Art Gallery that showcases its past, present, and future.

Using works of prominent Malaysian artists and actual puppets used by Tok Dalangs (Master Puppeteer), the exhibition covers the whole culture of the Javanese artform and showcases its different interpretations.

Curator Siti Melorinda Khuzaina Sakdudin spoke to Malay Mail on the importance of preserving the wayang kulit and what it could mean to the next generation of artists.

"What makes this exhibition unique is that we combine the traditional practices of the wayang kulit and the 2D and 3D paintings and sculptures with multimedia elements,” Siti said.

"Visitors can experience its development from the traditional concepts to modern reinterpretations of its story and themes by new artists.”

Siti said that younger students who visited the gallery have enjoyed their time, playing in the shadow theatre room and other activities have allowed them to gain new experiences.

Hospitality and Museum Department Manager Gabrielle Evelyn Lee added that the exhibition held a real wayang kulit performance in the gallery for the public.

"Families who come here actually do appreciate the exhibition, some of the 50- to 60-year-olds have heard of wayang kulit but have never seen it in person before,” Lee said.

"One of the special programmes we had was a wayang kulit performance held only at night where people got to see the beauty of the wayang kulit.”

"It was a unique experience because wayang kulit was how people got to know news and the latest social issues in the kampung,” Siti added.

"Back then, there was no movie theatre or TV so after dinner people would gather around the Tok Dalang's stage and catch up on the latest events.”

Siti said that the process of getting all of the art pieces and puppets, some of them over a hundred years old, for the museum took over two years to collect.

The curator said that the hardest part was convincing the owners and private collectors to allow the gallery to ‘loan’ them their work.

The selected works also had to be authenticated by Kelantanese Tok Dalang Che Mohd Nasir Yusoff who is a lecturer at National Academy of Arts, Culture and Heritage (ASWARA).

In several meetings, Siti and Nasir worked together to highlight the storyline, characters and themes of the wayang kulit and the differences of its performances based on selected states in Malaysia.

The years of efforts have paid off according to Siti and Lee as they say that the owners of the artwork have pride that they own a part of national history.

After opening since August 19, Siti said there has been an improvement in public awareness, adding that visitors have engaged well in the exhibition.

"This is important as it (wayang kulit) is the historical heritage of Malaysia and we have the space to share this to everyone,” the curator said.

"Young and emerging artists who come here often leave inspired by the works of their seniors and want to incorporate traditional elements into their artwork as well.”

Gerak Bayang: The Art of Storytelling is running now until January 28, 2024.

For information on upcoming exhibitions from Bank Negara Malaysia Museum and Art Gallery, visit their Instagram.