The Oceanographic Museum in Monaco is hosting a unique exhibition dedicated to the Mediterranean Sea (till 20 May 2012). “Méditerranée” brings together contemporary art and science and will feature a monumental installation by the celebrated Sino-French artist Huang Yong Ping. There will also be films, interviews and a ballet of the Aurelia medusae to illustrate the rich biodiversity of the Sea. On entering the exhibition, the visitor is greeted by an especially created installation by Huang Yong Ping. A founding member of the Xiamen Dada group in China during the mid-1980s, Huang Yong Ping has garnered an international reputation as an avant-garde provocateur. His diverse practice explores ideas related to society, its destiny, cultures, and the impact of globalization on identity. The artist combines Oriental and Western philosophies and adapts mythologies, giving them modern day references, to draw attention to the troubling and alarming events of our time.

His large scale installation for the Oceanographic Museum is inspired by the sea and refers to maritime disasters caused by man. “Wu Zei” is a gigantic hybrid animal – an octopus and a cuttlefish. The 25 metre monster invades and takes possession of the entire ceiling of the Museum’s prestigious Salon d’Honneur and encircles the pillars with its eight tentacles. The monster sits in position and waits to entrap the smaller aquatic animals, representatives of the life of the Sea.
A sculpture of Albert 1st is the only other occupant of the gallery. Standing calm and collected, the Prince appears to be unalarmed by the menacing danger that looms over him. The hybrid animal, “Wu Zei”, refers to “monstrum” which in Latin means an extraordinary being capable of predicting events and outcomes. Huang Yong Ping’s cephalopod is inspired by scientific prodigies and by the mythological monsters of Ovid (“Metamorphoses”,VII, 62), Pline L’Ancien (Natural History), and Lucrèce (De Rerum Natura), later imagined by Victor Hugo (“Les travailleurs de la mer”,1866) and Jules Verne (Vingt mille lieues sous les mers, 1869-70) as a vast octopus - a beast which, with a red body and eight powerful tentacles, evokes the image of a red devil (“Devilfish”).

By calling his installation “Wu Zei”, Huang Yong Ping creates ambiguity. The title “Wu Zei” is the Chinese name for a cuttlefish yet Huang Yong Ping’s work is a hybrid beast. “Wu” is also the character for the colour black and “Zei” the symbol for spoiling, corrupting or betraying. Huang Yong Ping plays with language and semiology juxtaposing cuttlefish ink to oil spill and corruption to regeneration. The scientific part of the exhibition is made up of four important sections that highlight the critical issues impacting the Mediterranean Sea. They are the proliferation of the jellyfish, ocean acidification, alien species, and the overfishing of the red tuna. Each of these subjects is illustrated through an impressive array of objects from the Museum’s stunning collection, films and interviews.

Using its 100 years of know-how, the Museum puts on a dramatic ballet of the Aurelia medusae in an especially made aquarium to highlight the dangers of proliferation. The increasing urbanization of the coast, overfishing, exploitation of the natural resources, proliferation of invasive species, maritime transport and pollution of different kinds such as toxic waste are daily dangers facing the Mediterranean Sea and can lead to biodiversity impoverishment, with irredeemable cultural, economic and ecological consequences. “Méditerranée” is accompanied by an illustrated book, published by Les Editions Rocher, in partnership with the Oceanographic Museum. In addition, the Museum has organised a programme of conferences and workshops for schools and the wider public.