Silver Monkey (2017), 91.44cm X 137.16cm, spray paint white acrylic brushwork
This is a monkey of the night. She is almost like a moon goddess, standing guard to protect the peacefully sleeping world. Silver Monkey is wide-awake but is also a dreamer. She checks all the wild dreams of the sleeping minds. She waves her tail nonchalantly because she knows the truth about everything, what comes and what goes. She is the magic of the night.
Silver Monkey sees black-and-white dreams, colours are for the day when she sleeps. The night turns every colour into white grey and black, so there she is in the same shades. Maybe the daytime monkey goddess is just grey or brown with little imagination, fighting for another day, real but not dreaming.
Silver Monkey is modelled on the Indian langur monkey whose face is black and fur is silver grey. These monkeys are fantastic acrobats. They are as graceful as dancers or circus performers. Their extra-long tails steer them in the direction they want to go. They leap long distances. It is almost as if they can fly!
This painting took only 3 days to make. Mostly because all of the work was in making white brushstrokes on the silver and black background. This is one of the very few monochrome paintings that l have made.
My mother, who is a tapestry weaver, really liked this painting. She made a beautiful tapestry based on it that is just the same size as the original. It is included here.