Masks of Bali : Talisman : 9789811852510 : 9811852510 : 26 Jan 2023 : The magisterial two volume set of books with a foreword by Joko Widodo, the President of Indonesia, is the standard work on an ancient Balinese artform that has fascinated the outside world since the early 20th century. Richly illustrated with more than onethousand images, it represents the fruit of more than four years of dedicated work by a team of experts including photographer Doddy Obenk and designer Ni Luh Ketut Sukarniasih who have diligently researched archives and collections around the world. The main texts consist of an essay by I Made Bandem, a renowned Balinese dancer and scholar, on still living dancing traditions. This is supplemented by a detailed history, written by Bruce W. Carpenter, tracing back the origins of this remarkable performance art to the pre-Hindu era. Other texts concern sacred never before photographed masks and biographies of famous mask makers and dancers. The gallery, a separate vo