GEORGE TOWN, Oct 4 — Malaysia has about 15 different species of primates spread out over the peninsula and in Borneo but not much is known about the primate population in West Malaysia.
Wildlife photographer Peter Ong wanted to find out more about the primates in peninsular Malaysia but realised there was very little documentation and information to be found.
This led to a journey of discovery where he traced and photographed the 12 primate species in the peninsula, from the tip of Perlis down to Johor.
“There is a lot of focus on the primates in the Borneo states, like the orang utan, but very little is known about the primates in the peninsula, I want to showcase the biodiversity that can be found here too,” Ong said.
He started documenting the primate species he came across the only way he knows how, through his photography.
He said he wanted to feature these primates and push for them to be recognised and protected as part of Malaysia’s biodiversity.
A poster of the ‘Monkey Business’ exhibition at Hin Bus Depot. — Picture courtesy of Hin Bus Depot
“We still have the Raffles’ Banded Langur in Johor and they are critically endangered but not many people know about this,” he said.
He said the Raffles’ Banded Langur (Presbytis femoralis femoralis) can only be found in the southern part of Pahang, Johor and Singapore.
Ong started documenting the primates in 2017 after he had a chat with renowned conservationist Jane Goodall who asked him about the primate population in Malaysia. It triggered his curiosity to find out more.
The dusky leaf monkey and the white-thighed surili (right) by Peter Ong and Christine Das in Monkey Business. — Picture by Opalyn Mok.
His first project was Project Monyet in 2019 with Roots and Shoots Malaysia but he had to take a break after that due to the pandemic.
He then headed out to find more primates to photograph in 2021 and this culminated in his photo book titled “Primus” which came out last year with a foreword by Goodall.
It was during the time he was preparing for the book that artist Christine Das, also known for her conservation work, contacted him about a collaborative art exhibition featuring the primates of peninsular Malaysia.
This saw the birth of the “Monkey Business” duo exhibition by them where Ong will showcase his photographs of the 12 different species while Christine will showcase her detailed graphite drawings of these primates with hidden messages in some of them.
Christine, well known for her elephant art and advocacy for the gentle giants, said she saw a photo by Ong of a pig-tailed macaque that spoke to her on a deeper level.
“It caught my attention and drew me in, its eyes just went deep into my soul and I knew I had to draw it,” she said.
After capturing its essence on her canvas, it formed the idea of a collaboration with Ong so she contacted him to ask if he wanted to hold a duo exhibition featuring the different species of primates.
“We wanted to do this in Hin Bus Depot because it is a public space with a lot of foot traffic so it is a perfect space for advocacy work and to create more awareness about our primates,” she said.
Christine said once a long-tailed macaque ended up in her neighbourhood in Kuala Lumpur and despite collective efforts by her and her neighbourhood’s Rukun Tetangga to try to save it, the authorities came and shot it instead.
This left a deep impact on her as she realised that even Malaysian authorities tend to take Malaysia’s own primate species, especially the long-tailed macaque, for granted.
“They should be revered and given respect because they are the ones that were sacrificed in laboratories for various product tests so that the products are safe for humans,” she said.
This inspired one of the art on display at the exhibition that featured long-tailed macaques surrounded by words such as vaccine, cosmetics, pharmaceutical, medical and a banner with the Latin phrase “ut spiro patior; dum spiro spero” which means “I suffer as I breathe; while I breathe, I hope”.
The long-tailed macaque by Christine Das and Peter Ong at the ‘Monkey Business’ exhibition. — Picture by Opalyn Mok.
She said there is a need for more awareness and advocacy to protect the primate species of Malaysia and having the exhibition is a way to create more awareness.
The duo will also hold a sharing session at the opening of the exhibition at 7pm today.
The exhibition, at Hin Bus Depot, will be open to the public until October 27.
‘Monkey Business’ is a duo exhibition by photographer Peter Ong and artist Christine Das. — Photo courtesy of TP Lim