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Three Monkeys (see no Evil, hear no Evil, speak no Evil)
2019
Mixed media
The three wise monkeys were found on the 17th-century carving over a door of the Tōshō-gū shrine, a shrine erected by the Japanese military government during the Edo period. The carved monkeys represent the values of an ideal peacekeeping in a society, one in which we see no evil, hear no evil, and speak no evil.
The set of three wearables from Three Monkeys (2019) emanates the positivity that surrounds thoughts of a “better” world. Dressing up and playing with one’s self-image to create a personal ideal is comparable to “dressing up” an ideal reality. Adornment and utopic thinking are both human traits that are consistently present in our history. Metal, fossils, and other natural materials balance human technologies with the natural world. But dreams and reality compromise to keep only a particle of utopic peace. These wearable ideals only fit certain heads.
see no Evil (2019) has a black acrylic piece cut to cover the eyes. A black coral bead sits firmly putting slight pressure on the center of the forehead. The white acrylic piece rests on the nape of the neck adorned by a red coral piece.
hear no Evil (2019) covers the ears. Sterling silver secures the padded cups in place while two dangling fossils bobble back and forth on the chin.
Metal in the spool of speak no Evil (2019) cocks the nose up. Beads squish the face and the leather lies at the back of the head to run down the neck. The spool nods with the head and the beads turn against the skin.