Over 40 delicately handcrafted shadow puppets are on display at St James Cavalier, Valletta as a taster to mark the celebrations of the Chinese New Year in February.
The art of shadow puppetry evolved as a unique form of theatre in Asia. India and China each claim to be the birthplace of shadow puppets. Both cultures developed a rich tradition of vibrant puppetry that, in turn, influenced puppets in many other Asian countries.
In China, shadow puppet theatre was a form of popular entertainment in busy night markets, where crowds of merchants, peasants and travellers would gather to see performances based on myths, local legends and religious parables.
The puppets themselves are intricately carved and vividly painted with a style that evolved from the traditional Chinese art of paper-cutting. Each region of China has a distinct style, identified by the intricacy of the cut designs and the size of the puppets.
An interesting feature of Chinese puppetry was the colouring of the puppets. Viewers knew which characters were good or bad by the colours used - a red, white, gold, black, or blue face represented the puppet's state of mind and emotions.
A figure might be displayed at different times during the show with different coloured faces to exaggerate his emotions.
Made of leather and worked by means of three or four rods, Chinese puppets were used to portray the history and folklore of the people. These were classic tales about emperors, heroes, enemies, battles, women and lovers.
St James Cavalier and the China Cultural Centre are presenting this extensive display of shadow puppets in the main hall of St James. The exhibition is just a taster of a number of exciting events, which will take place in February as part of the celebrations of the Chinese New Year. These activities will include a live performance of shadow puppetry brought over from China for the occasion.
The exhibition also includes a short video recording of a shadow puppet show. The exhibition is open daily from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Entrance is free.