5 Questions with Eliza Jung
Eliza Jung is a Korean-Australian arts worker and curator.
Jaedon Shin: Double Moon is showing at Heide Museum of Modern Art until 30 October 2022.
Find out more here.
NO.1
How did you first come into contact with Jaedon Shin?
In the summer before I began uni, I visited the RMIT Grad Show; it was then and there I encountered Jaedon Shin and his works for the first time. It was in that exact order—I saw Jaedon first, surrounded by his works on paper. This moment must have had a striking impact on me, as I’ve followed his career ever since. Over the last decade, I have had the privilege of witnessing Jaedon Shin’s artistic practise grow and shift.
So, when I was offered the opportunity to curate an exhibition at Heide,, the first artist I thought of was Jaedon. Not only did his unwavering commitment and dedication to his practice over the last decade both inspire and challenge me, I could see that Jaedon and I shared a mutual interest in the transitional experience of migrant communities. Along with his visual works, his personal narratives play an important role in conceiving Jaedon Shin: Double Moon. Jaedon is in his early sixties, and started making art in his late forties, enrolling in classes at RMIT. He’s shared with me so many stories from his life; from his twenties, when he worked as a social activist fighting for democracy in South Korea, to his thirties, when he grew a successful jam factory business! I wanted to bring light to his experiences, and to make space for more diversity in age, for emerging visual artists within the art scene.
NO.2
Tell us about the process of curating Double Moon.
In one of my very first meetings with Jaedon, he started the conversation, ‘In my twenties, the Soviet Union fell and the Berlin Wall came down...’ to which I responded, ‘I’m sorry, please pause—I need to take notes!’ Jaedon and I share the same native country, South Korea. As such, I initially approached this project with great confidence that we will be able to have insightful discussion without any cultural or language barriers. Yet as we began to work together, it became clear how the vast difference in lived experiences and generations posed great challenges. However, it was this challenge that made the process of curating Shin’s works the most thrilling. Sometimes our conversations felt like a history lesson, and other times it felt like I was speaking with family.I also became acutely aware of the privileges that I unknowingly took for granted as a younger immigrant. I’m what is considered a 1.5 generation immigrant, not born in Australia but arriving early enough to pass as one. As such, my experience in the arts has been quite distinct to Shin’s experiences. His dedication and care will stay with me for the rest of my curatorial journey.
NO.3
You write that Jaedon creates dream-like worlds in order to interrogate his identity. I’d love for you to speak more on this; in current discourse, identity seems to have such concrete edges, and I’m so interested in this aspect of dreaminess.
The very first exhibition title that I had proposed for the exhibition was ‘NEITHER-LAND’. I think this title in a sense narrows down the dreaminess that can be found in Jaedon’s works, especially when considering one’s identity as an immigrant in Australia.I’m always interested in the uniqueness of everyone’s transnational experience and in the case of Jaedon, it was made acutely obvious through his continual travel between Korea and Australia. Through this frequent travel Jaedon stays connected to both countries not only physically but socially and culturally. To me, his experience reflected the state of surreal existence where you belong and un-belong at the same time.
We chose the final title, ‘Double Moon’, because the recurring motif of two moons speaks of Jaedon’s feeling of duality. To borrow some of Jaedon’s words, the question of identity in Jaedon’s practice is a question of ‘dichotomy that everyone has, which is about good & evil, you & I, the self & the other, and finally knowing & not knowing.’
NO.4
I won’t be cruel and ask if you have a favourite piece in the exhibition—! But I’d love to know, is there a piece which particularly resonates with you?
At the risk of giving a boring answer- it would have to be the Double Moon! I might even go as far to say that the entire exhibition is centred around it. Double Moon is a two panel large scale canvas painting. It depicts two full moons shining in the night sky looking down on the activities that are taking place in the mountain. As a lover of stories, I often stood in front of the work wondering about the various unfolding of events taking place amongst the trees. Other times, I wondered how it feels to be the moon, overseeing all that is below.
NO.5
As the curator, what kind of responses are you hoping to evoke with this exhibition?
Honestly I want everyone to love Jaedon’s work as much as I do.I think that’s what all curators ultimately hope for. I hope that some of the audience will see his work and recognise the narrative quality within. I hope the works will speak to not only those from immigrant backgrounds, but anyone living in Australia, as I believe the question of duality, or maybe always wrestling with our identities, in a constant state of flux, is universal.
Jaedon Shin and Eliza Jung at the opening of Jaedon Shin: Double Moon, Heide Museum of Modern Art / photograph by Jon Tjhia