Chasing Monkey King/追寻美猴王
2026
Mixed-media installation
Variable dimensions, Variable duration
This work began with an accidental encounter at Open Door Senior Center in New York, where I met “Uncle Monkey.”
At first, I was simply fascinated by his brief yet theatrical displays of “monkey kung fu.” Over time, I kept returning to the center again and again, trying to approach him, document him, and piece together an image of him through scattered information.
The logs, videos, chat records, sticky notes, and fragmented traces presented here together form a weeks-long process of “chasing”.
But as the work continued to grow, it became about more than Uncle Feng alone. The people I encountered, the moments that unfolded, and the unexpected connections formed throughout the process gradually became part of the work as well. Like a tree slowly growing outward, the project continued to branch, intertwine, and hold the stories gathered along the way.
Everyone seemed to know this Monkey King. But no one really knew him.
He would appear suddenly, then disappear just as quickly. Like Sun Wukong, he could never truly be pinned down.
