Shaman

Shaman by CHEON Monica Kyong-ae (1953- ) is one of the works of the “Mask, Unmask” series, which was made by filming the performers in a Hahoetal mask on a modern stage. It addresses the shamanistic consciousness hidden away in the human collective unconscious. It can be assumed that shamanism is a primeval form of the universal and religious psychology of humanity. In this work that is reflective of the artist’s view of shamanism as a primitive form of belief invoking supernatural powers so that the weak mind of man can relies on, is reenacted the activities of shamans by the performers wearing gaksi (bride) and bune (woman) masks among the Andong-Hahoetal masks. Here Cheon loudly voices the impossibility of ignoring and excluding the shamanistic tendency inherent in the human mind even in the present-day society where technology changes everything at an astonishing speed.