Indonesian puppetmaster (dalang) and innovator of Javanese wayang kulit purwa (shadow theatre). Born Sunarto to an impoverished family in Central Java, he showed interest in the arts from an early age. Unlike most dalang of his era, who were born into families of puppeteers, he was self-taught. Still, he acknowledged Ki Ngabei Wignyosoetarno, of Surakarta, and Ki Poedjosoemarto, of Klaten, as influences (Ki is an epithet of respect accorded to a senior dalang). Perhaps his position as an outsider made him more flexible in moulding the wayang kulit purwa shadow theatre to the needs of post-colonial Indonesia.

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