The Golden Monkey Project
About
In 2026, I’ll journey to the mountain forests of southwest China to observe and paint the Golden Snub-Nosed Monkey (金丝猴). Back in my Melbourne studio, these field studies will become a new body of work — an exhibition celebrating this extraordinary animal, to open during the
Year of the Monkey in 2028.
Range Map for Golden Snub-Nosed Monkeys
The Golden Snub-nosed Monkey / 金丝猴(Rhinopithecus roxellana) is one of China’s most striking and endangered primates, found only in the mist-covered mountain forests of Sichuan, Hubei, and Shaanxi. Distinguished by its vivid golden-orange fur and blue face, it lives in tight social groups that endure harsh alpine winters. Culturally symbolic in Chinese folklore, this species’ survival depends on ongoing forest conservation and protection efforts across its fragmented, high-altitude habitat.
Golden snub-nosed monkeys, Sichuan
Photo Wang LiQiang
My Golden Monkey Project is a field-based art and conservation initiative inspired by the remote mountain forests of southwestern China. I’ll be travelling through Sichuan and Hubei to observe and paint the golden snub-nosed monkey (金鼻猴). Through time spent with them in their native habitat, I aim to translate the vitality of these encounters into large-scale oil paintings and intimate portraits that speak to both the beauty and fragility of this remarkable animal.
The project explores how art can inspire empathy and protection for what remains wild. The resulting body of work will culminate in a major exhibition opening in Melbourne during the Year of the Monkey (2028), before travelling to China — a creative and cultural exchange inviting audiences to reflect on our shared connection with nature, and the profound role art can play in shaping its future.
An artistic journey into one of the world's most evocative landscapes-where the Golden Monkey still reigns.
