Masked Monkey – The Evolution of Darwin’s Theory

The phrase "illegal street theater" brings to mind the idea of avant-garde street-art performances. In Indonesia, however, it has a completely different meaning, where the masked actors performing on the street are rented animals. Masked Monkey is a portrait of these street artists – trained monkeys and the humans directing them. Illegal monkey shows are extremely popular. Dressed in children’s clothing, the monkeys look like miniature people, while people are stuck in their social roles, cogs in the system, struggling like monkeys pulling on their chains. This social commentary on the subject of life in an urban jungle is a philosophical provocation that raises Darwinian questions about the differences between species. It also concerns the most basic questions of esthetics. What is art? Who or what determines whose work deserves to be called art? The film shows in a perverse way that even the most amateur of artistic works cannot exist outside an art market, whether the market is a gallery or the street. It is truly a Marxist film.

Ewa Szabłowska