Yaki Magz - Sulawesi and Art: Dreams Coming True

Sulawesi

I don't remember when was the first time I came upon the name Sulawesi, but it was a long long time ago. The sound 'Sulawesi', just like 'Masai Mara', 'Wyoming', or 'Galapagos', has a special effect on my subconscience, triggering a mixed sense of mystery and enchantment, urging adventure. In terms of scientific exploration, maybe there is much less to discover than at the time of R. Wallace and Darwin, but for me, even following the footprints of these great explorers in these places is a wonderful experience.

Yaki
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My dream of Sulawesi adventure started to come true in Phnom Penh, where I exhibited a series of paintings of wild animals of Asia, and met Harry Hilser. When I learned that he worked for conservation in Sulawesi, I knew I had to keep his name on my list. Luckily, he liked my artwork and a mutual friendship and potential collaboration started to develop. About more than one year later, I landed in Manado for the first time, under his invitation. More than just being a welcoming host, he introduced me to the Selamatkan Yaki Programme and its lovely team who worked on Yaki conservation. And then I met the real Yaki. I always knew Macaca nigra (Yaki by local name) by the French name 'Macaque des Celebes', which at the time sounded more romantic. The animal itself also takes a bit of time to be appreciated.

Pages of my travel diary on the Sulawesi, Manado, Tangkoko chapter

Yaki and Its Artistic Challenge

You need close study to appreciate Sulawesi Black Macaque's charisma and beauty. Just a uniform black in colour, with no cute long tail and other particular features except a heart-shape red buttock, its appearance is unremarkable at first sight. No wonder why people pay less attention to it than say, the panda or the tiger. Purely unfair. It does as much good to its environment ecologically speaking as the tiger to its habitat, and maybe more than the panda to the bamboo forest of China. Indeed most fauna and flora of Sulawesi is endemic, and they form tight bonds to ensure each other's survival. The Yaki, itself also endemic to the island like the 6 other species of Sulawesi macaques, is no exception. Without it, the forest suffers. Artistically, it's a challenge to make the all black primate look interesting. But I like the challenge and push it further by often painting it on a black background, sometimes even hiding its red-buttock asset.

Why Painting Yaki
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Painting the Yaki, or the pangolin, the ferret-badger, the flat-headed cat, the sarus crane... or other least known creatures of Asia is somehow more rewarding than doing the big games of North America or Africa. Least known, least painted, the formers offer more flexibility in creativity. There are no previous work to follow, nor many references to document upon. But bigger than the challenge is the feeling of doing justice to these less popular animals, at least visually. I hope, by sharing my passion for the Yaki, many people will also see them under a different light, emphasiz- ing their forms, colours and textures in nature rather than seeing them as meat, fur, medicinal bones or other commodities to serve the selfish human species.

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About Me
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I am a wildlife artist from Vietnam. Being self- taught, I only had the confidence of quitting the advertising career to make wildlife art full time in 2014. That is another of my dreams come true. My mission is, as said earlier, to paint animals that receive less attention from the media, to bring them to the light for people, local and international, to be aware of their existence, to learn about their status, and to protect them in any way they can.

Yaki Magz Issue III