International Mask Festival 2020 is Held Virtually

Solo, 15/06/2020 – International Mask Festival (IMF) is an annual international event that carries the concept of mask performances and mask craft exhibitions. Under the auspices of SIPA Community, the IMF is held annually in Solo, Central Java.

This event was first coined by Dra. Irawati Kusumorasri by the name of IIMF (Indonesia International Mask Festival), in 2014. However, the past few years, IIMF changed its name to IMF as it is known by the people until this day.

Seeing the world situation being hit by Covid-19, IMF 2020 began to switch from a performance to a virtual event through the empowerment of new media. Changes and massive adjustments that accompany this transition, become a challenge both for organizers and for artists involved in IMF 2020. However, the commitment to continue to present quality art events has always been the main spirit of this virtual event implementation.

Carrying the theme “Face Mask of Global Society”, IMF 2020 is present by attracting artists from within and outside the country to give a performance on June 19-20 2020 at 17.00-21.00 WIB through the Youtube, Instagram and Facebook SIPA Festival platforms.

The theme was chosen to refer to the mask as one of the suppliers of important values ​​in human life, especially in Indonesia. As known as masks are artifacts of art known to humans since prehistoric times. With his age that transcends borders, the art of mask has been able to be placed into a great and sacred work.

Armed with the role of masks as self-protection for the people, the IMF brought masks together with their functions and forms to show a new era of the world. In the seventh year, the administration of the IMF will virtually introduce a mask to the people of the digital world.

The event was present as a form of portrayal of the classical development to contemporary masks through a new media. Through the dream to foster a sense of love for the art of masks, the presence of the IMF is expected to provide education about the appreciation of art for the community, as well as a means of preserving the value of art which is the nation’s character.

For two days, IMF 2020 presented mask performances from various regions differently than usual. Artists from various cities and provinces in Indonesia such as Solo, Semarang, Pati, Malang, Cirebon, Banyumas, Ponorogo, Yogyakarta, Pamekasan, Sukabumi, Bali, Central Kalimantan, and NTB will participate in IMF 2020.

In addition, foreign delegations from Malaysia, Zambia, Bhutan, France, Korea, Belgium, Ecuador, and Japan also livened up the IMF 2020 virtual event. At this event, a documentary video of mask makers from cross-cultural communities will also be shown. Opened to the public, the spirit of the mask art presented at this event is expected to be distributed to the public, in line with the intention of organizing the IMF 2020 itself.

By , Alisa Noory