ABOUT THE AUTHORS


Masks of Bali: Between Heaven and Hell is co-authored by 

acclaimed dancer-scholar, Prof. Dr. I Made Bandem, and art historian, Bruce W. Carpenter.



Prof. Dr. I Made Bandem

Prof. Dr. I Made Bandem

Born into an illustrious family of mask dancers in Singapadu, Bali, Bandem’s dancing talents were recognized early. After graduating from college in Indonesia, he would go on to get a master’s degree at UCLA and PhD in musicology at Wesleyan before returning to Indonesia where he was appointed the rector of the National Institute of the Arts in Yogyakarta and director of the Indonesian College of the Arts in Denpasar. Highly respected as an author, scholar and educator, Bandem is considered a world authority on Balinese dance and drama. In 2022 he was presented with a UNESCO award as a respresentative of Indonesia’s intangible cultural heritage.


Bruce W. Carpenter

Bruce W. Carpenter

Author and co-author of more than twenty volumes often groundbreaking publications on the arts and culture of Indonesia, Anglo-American art historian, Bruce W. Carpenter, is an acknowledged expert in his field, who has also curated several museum exhibitions and has played a key role in multiple projects. The Masks of Bali is a continuation of his determination to produce large and important books on long neglected artforms in this archipelagic nation. A long-time expatriate he lives in Sanur. Together with Bandem and others, he is working tirelessly to preserve and promote Indonesian and Balinese art.