"THE MONKEY SAMBASO DANCER" Possibly 1824

Editor: This is "The Monkey Sambaso Dancer" by Teisai Hokuba, I find the depiction of women and the monkey strangely unsettling. What's your take on it? Curator: Well, let's consider the social context. The depiction of the monkey performing for women, within the confines of what appears to be a domestic space, can be interpreted as a critique of the expectations placed on women. It questions who controls the narrative and who is being performed for. Do you see how the women's gaze is not directly at the monkey? Editor: I do. Almost as if they are objects themselves. So, the performance is perhaps a reflection of their own constrained roles? Curator: Precisely. It's a poignant commentary on gender and power dynamics within that society, and, in a way, still echoes today. Editor: Wow, that really changes my perspective. I'll never see monkeys the same way!