Existing comment:
Monkeys Grasp for the Moon
by Xu Bing (b 1955)
2004
Purchase -- The Family of Madame Chiang Kai-shek
The Chinese saying "Monkeys grasp for the moon" is based on a folktale about monkeys who try to capture the moon's reflection in a pool of water. Linking arms and tails to form a chain, they reach down from a tree branch to touch the moon's form as it shimmers on the water's surface. To their dismay, the moon vanishes at the very moment they grasp it. The moral of the story: Those things we work hardest to achieve may prove to be naught but illusion.
Monkeys Grasp for the Moon is an installation of word shapes, each one a representation of the word "monkey" rendered in twenty-one languages and writing systems, including Chinese, Japanese, English, Thai, and Braille. The words resemble monkeys, stretched at beginning and end to form long tails and arms that link together. Designed specifically for the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, the monkeys in this unique installation reach from the skylight above to the floor far below, where the final monkey hangs poised above a reflecting pool, hoping to catch the moon. |