Mask at Purnati Center for the Arts- Bali, Indonesia

My July 2023 was spent in Bali, where I was able to train in the art of Mask work in its home country. My first exposure to the Masks was through the Mask class at the William Esper Studio, taught by Akil Apollo Davis. In this retreat, I was able to work further with Akil as well as work intimately with the creators of the Mask work, and the Mask makers. The retreat involved several hours of Mask work per day, as well as collaborating with Balinese artists for movement sessions and more. We explored Bali and were fortunate enough to personally experience Jout dances as well as a Fire Dance performance. The nature of the work is very sacred, so out of respect to the Balinese and the process we were in, I unfortunately don’t have any videos or photographs of what we were working on.

My time in Bali was unforgettable, and I’ll be returning in January of 2024 to participate in another program for actors, utilizing the Masks for further dives into creativity.