제(Je): Jindgo Story, Korean Shamanism and the Art of Displacement

The author investigates the experience of feeling culturally adrift within a hybrid South Korean-Australian identity, using Korean shamanism as an aesthetic and symbolic framework for autoethnographic art practice. Core shamanic elements—ritual, water, colour, light—are explored through animation, installation, projection, and performance. Hybrid animal motifs, especially the invented Jindgo (combining the Korean Jindo dog and Australian dingo), serve as autobiographical metaphors for psychological complexity. The research is situated among artists drawing on shamanic traditions, such as Nam June Paik and Haegue Yang. Drawing on Homi Bhabha's "Third Space" and Kuan-Hsing Chen's Asia as Method, the author contends that this framework offers new perspectives on cultural hybridity, ancestral bonds, and place, aiming to deepen understanding of the complexities faced by South Korean-Australian individuals.

Study at a glance

Abstract

In this practice-led research project, I examine the experience of feeling culturally adrift within my hybrid South Korean-Australian identity, using the aesthetic and symbolic framework of Korean shamanism and autoethnographic reflection. Core elements of Korean shamanic practices, such as ritual, water, colour and light, form primary areas of material investigation in the studio, with a particular focus on the symbolic resonances of these elements. Interdisciplinary practices, such as animation, installation, projection and performance, are explored for their potential to unpack cultural hybridity. Hybrid animal motifs serve as autobiographical metaphors through which to investigate the psychological complexity of hybrid cultural identity, drawing on notions of shamanic spirit animals. A key motif is the Jindgo, a personal invention that weaves together narratives of the Korean Jindo dog with those of the Australian dingo. Storytelling, a fundamental aspect of Korean shamanism, also forms a core element in this autoethnographic study through the use and analysis of interdisciplinary visual narratives.I reflect upon not only the resulting artworks but also on my personal experiences throughout the art-making process. I locate my research within a community of practice, specifically, artists who draw on shamanic traditions and references in the creation of their work; individuals such as Naim Jun Paik, Chan Kyung Park, Haegue Yang, Do Ho Suh and Sooja Kim. Drawing on concepts such as Homi Bhabha’s culturally diasporic ‘Third Space’ and Kuan-Hsing Chen’s Asia as Method, I aim to offer new perspectives on cultural hybridity, ancestral bonds, and notions of place. In unpacking Korean shamanism as a symbolic framework for contemporary art practice, I aim to provide a deeper understanding of the complexities faced by individuals of South Korean-Australian hybrid identity as they navigate their place in contemporary Australian society, and the concept of cultural hybridity more broadly.