The Ludology Lesson of Dr. Primate

作品賞析

Artist Huang Chien-Hua often makes animals into the protagonists of his works, compositing his photographs of them to create pictures full of dramatic tension. The inspiration for this work, The Ludology Lesson of Dr. Primate, derives from Rembrandt’s The Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Nicolaes Tulp, but uses the kind of indoor playground equipment commonly seen in Taiwan to set the scene, and combines this with photos of various primates and game objects. In the picture, the postures and expressions of each primate imply an interactive relationship with the game objects in the playground. The primates look as if they are staring at the viewers. Huang Chien-Hua believes that games, as an extension of human society, reflect the mechanisms and structures of group activities. With its theatrical framing and compositional arrangement, the work shows various forms and absurdities of media culture and interpersonal relationships in contemporary society.