Mo Ganji: Black Snub-nosed Monkey | Schwarzer Stumpfnasenaffe | Rhinopithecus bieti | No. 037/250 from work group 8/99

Black Snub-nosed Monkey | Schwarzer Stumpfnasenaffe | Rhinopithecus bieti

Mo Ganji’s single line approaches the black snub-nosed monkey as a motion toward essence. The continuous line invites the viewer to encounter a presence before any conceptual label. A form that could be understood as “monkey,” but could also be something else entirely. By removing all but the necessary gesture, the drawing opens a space where the being appears as a distilled idea rather than a catalogue of traits.

Rhinopithecus bieti is listed as Endangered (EN) on the IUCN Red List. Endemic to the high-altitude forests of Yunnan and the Tibetan Plateau, the species persists in only a handful of fragmented groups. Despite strengthened protection in recent years, its overall numbers remain low, confined to remote coniferous habitats and vulnerable to disturbance.

The main threats include historical logging, continued pressure on forest resources, habitat alteration from development, and the potential effects of climate change on the lichens that form its primary diet. Fragmentation limits movement and gene flow, increasing the risk for already small subpopulations.

Ganji’s minimal line offers a moment of quiet recognition. By reducing the form to a single, deliberate line, the drawing reminds us that what we call a “species” is ultimately a human concept imposed on a living presence — and that seeing the essence beneath such labels may be the first step toward understanding what is at stake in its loss.