Mother of flesh, mother of cloth, mother of wire. A set of signifiers linger in the air, holding on to a mid-century experiment: The American psychologist Harry Harlow conducted a series of experiments in the 1950s, each thinking through forms of attachment and motherhood. His most infamous inquiry involved separating a newborn rhesus monkey from its mother and giving it prosthetic mothers—one made of cloth, and the other of wire. Putting on hold, for a moment, the ethically questionable outcomes of this experiment, we are prompted to contemplate the libidinal energies that shape attachment.

Drawing from the words of the artist Chloe Bass, we ask “How much of love is attention?” And what precisely captures our attention? Is it tactile sensations? The proximity we seek? In Square Street Gallery’s upcoming group exhibition “Harlow’s Monkey,” the artists E8MKBOY, Kary Kwok, Maari Sugawara, and Amy Tong critically examine attachment as currency, offering renewed positions which consider the forms of alienation prevalent today.

Opening reception: June 6, 2024, 6 - 8 pm

Gallery address: 21 Square St, Tai Ping Shan