Untitled (Human Mask) is set in a city ruined after the 2011 Fukushima nuclear accident. In this ghost town where no trace of humans can be found, a monkey wearing a mask of a human face is the only thing that can be seen. The artist shot this video after viewing a YouTube video of a real monkey waiter delivering wet towels and drinks to guests at a traditional Japanese restaurant. The video gave him a strange feeling between pity and horror. Becoming fascinated by the ambiguous relationship between humans and animals, the artist cast one of these waiter monkeys for his video. Left all alone in a shabby restaurant, and wearing a wig and an expressionless human mask made of a smooth material, the monkey repeats the action of waiting on guests out of habit. By setting up the artificial scenario of a “monkey waiter” left all alone in a city ruined by disaster, the artist compels us to reexamine the ethical issues regarding humans’ presumption of superiority over nature and their exploitation of animals for their own needs.
