Mo Ganji: Golden Snub-nosed Monkey | Goldstumpfnasenaffe | Rhinopithecus roxellana | No. 088/250 from work group 8/99

Golden Snub-nosed Monkey | Goldstumpfnasenaffe | Rhinopithecus roxellana

Mo Ganji’s single line engages the Golden snub-nosed monkey — a high-altitude forest primate with a compact face and dense fur adapted to cold mountain climates — through a gesture of deliberate reduction. The continuous line offers a focused suggestion of presence, enough to evoke a being while remaining open to readings beyond the category of “monkey.” By setting aside descriptive detail, the drawing allows essence to surface before concept takes precedence.

Rhinopithecus roxellana is listed as Endangered (EN) on the IUCN Red List. Endemic to central and southwestern China, the species inhabits temperate and subalpine forests, often at elevations where winter temperatures are extreme. Its populations are fragmented into isolated groups separated by human-altered landscapes.

The main threats include habitat loss and fragmentation from logging, road construction and agricultural expansion, as well as disturbance within remaining forest areas. Because these monkeys depend on large, continuous forest ecosystems and complex social structures, fragmentation severely limits movement and genetic exchange. Climate change may further constrain suitable habitat at higher elevations.

Ganji’s single line allows the monkey to be encountered beyond colour, expression or symbolism. It opens a moment of attention to a presence shaped by altitude, season and continuity, inviting reflection on how human-defined boundaries fracture living systems — and how the belief in our separation from nature obscures the fact that we remain embedded within the same shifting environments we so profoundly reshape.