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Nyoman Setiawan

"At the age of 15 I began learning to carve masks under the guidance of my father, a master mask-maker who was then already 65 years old. I began to apply myself seriously to mask-making at 20 years of age, using pule wood and experimenting with goatskin.

"My village happens to be the home of Sanggar Tari Topeng Regeg, a famous dance troupe. These dancers are in high demand, performing traditional dances such as the arja, tari topeng, and sendratari for religious ceremonies around Bali. Truthfully, my desire to make traditional masks is founded in my amazement at the beauty of these masks used by our famous dance troupe. I am also actively involved as a founding member of the kecak dance troupe in my village.

"I create more than 100 kinds of masks, mainly for sacred religious purposes but also for popular use. My modern designs, in particular, have become quite popular abroad. I hope that people the world over will appreciate the artistic value and hard work of my creations – and my ideas."