Xixho (2018)

Canadian-born Zadie Xa explores her own identity and her outsider’s perspective of South-Korean culture through film and performance, textiles and painting. Korean shamanic practice, the experience of the Asian diaspora and contemporary street fashion all feature in her work. The choice of costume pieces, a mask (Xixho) and cloak (91 Chyzanthemumz 4 Imsook), relate to the performance work that is at the heart of her practice.

91 Chyzanthemumz 4 Imsook is intricately hand-sewn and stitches together familiar motifs such as yin-yang symbols, knives, lucky numbers and monolid eyes. Xa uses these exaggerated symbols both to engage with Eurocentric perceptions of Asian identity and to create alternative, fantastical narratives.

Craft has a long and important history in the South West of England, providing a fascinating context for Xa’s works within the Museum’s collection. Xixho and 91 Chyzanthemumz 4 Imsook were presented at Frieze London 2018 by Union Pacific and purchased at the Fair for The Box, Plymouth.

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