The Water Puppets of Vietnam, Wooden man sitting on a horse, facing West

2013, oil on canvas, 127 x 102 cm

The Water Puppets of Vietnam
Central Walter Puppet Theatre
Unknown maker
Directed by Doy Phu Nguyen
1988

Vietnamese water puppets are wooden marionette-style puppets used to tell stories of Vietnam folklore, with the performance accompanied by traditional live music. The Water Puppets of Vietnam was performed on the lake in the Botanic Gardens to enchanted and sold-out crowds during the 1988 Adelaide Festival.

Yvonne East: Art + Object is an exhibition of artwork that East originally created after being inspired by the fabrics, textures and stories of objects held by the Performing Arts Collection at Adelaide Festival Centre. In 2020 for the very first time the original “muse” objects are on display side by side with East’s artworks.