Stuff of Nightmares: Chained Up Monkeys Wear Frightening Doll Masks

In some parts of Indonesia, macaque monkeys known as  “topeng monyet” are trained by handlers for street performances in hopes of earning small change.

The monkeys are chained to a cage in “monkey village,” where they are trained to take part in street performances, which usually involve the animals wearing masks, such as dolls’ heads, and acting out human activities like shopping or riding bicycles.

Finnish photographer and visual artist Perttu Saksa’s series A Kind of You explores this world and uses the monkeys as his subjects.

The images feature chained up monkeys wearing filthy clothing and creepy doll masks that remind us of our slight irrational fear of dolls that we had as kids.

In a way, it’s as if Saksa is giving us a glimpse into the cruelty and corruption involved with the age old tradition.

Animals Doing People Things