Monkey is one of the great Chinese classical novels, written by scholar Wu Ch'êng-ên in the sixteenth century - the source material refers to folk-tales that are even older. An immense cycle of legends accumulated for hundreds of years around the "journey to the West" - that is, towards the Indies- of the monk Tripitaka, a character who apparently really existed. The story begins with the birth of a monkey from a stone egg: it is Sun Wukong, who will soon become the Monkey King. In general, Tripitaka represents the common man, anxiously floundering among the difficulties of life, while - in the words of English sinologist Arthur Waley - Monkey represents "the restless instability of the genius." Piglet, another character, symbolizes physical appetites, brute force, and a kind of dull patience. Sandy, the third ally, is a more obscure presence. Some commentators say it represents ch'êng, which is usually translated as "sincerity", sometimes rendered as "integrity of the heart." Monkey, together with the other two companions, will redeem himself of his wrongdoing by helping Tripitaka in his arduous journey. It is a unique book, one that suggests the unsettling approximation of beauty and absurdity, depth and nonsense. I've been carrying it around for years, reading everlasting. Folklore, allegory, religion, history, anti-bureaucratic satire and pure poetry... these are the pervasive elements unleashed throughout the book, which for some reason, I seem to be reminded of entering this exhibition.

*Francesca Lacatena, abstract from the conversation with the artists