“Nine Tailed Tall Tales: Trickster, Mongrel, Beast” Installation view at Space K ©Space K
Zadie Xa’s (b. 1983) first solo exhibition in Korea, Nine Tailed Tall Tales: Trickster, Mongrel, Beast, will be on view at Space K from July 13 to October 12.
Zadie Xa is Korean-Canadian artist whose work focuses on hybrid identity and otherness. To do so, she draws on traditional Korean shamanism, which is led by women, referencing traditional tales such as Princess Bari and Grandmother Mago.
In this exhibition, the exhibition spaces are divided into three rooms, each set up in a different dimension. The 33 works on display feature characters from traditional tales. The artist recontextualizes marginalized beings such as nine-tailed foxes, crows, and other animals by bringing them to the fore. In the sculpture displayed in the first space, an old woman dressed in colorful costumes rides a decorated beast. Inspired by traditional folklore where old women are not viewed negatively, she reimagines older women through figures such as Grandmother Mago.
Through Zadie Xa’s work, the exhibition examines Korean folklore as a way of dealing with otherness and hybridity.
