From the project "Piggy bank", Seoul 2016

“Kim Jong-un & Pig Head” is a work that is inspired by one of the remarkable traditional ceremonies in Korea called Gosa. It refers to a shamanistic ritual intended to prevent misfortune and bring good luck by placing the pig heads on the table along with many different kinds of dishes. Those pig heads are mostly purchased by people who are launching their own business, starting a new project, moving into a new house or buying a new car… The visitors stick cash into the mouths and ears of the pig’s head, then they kneel down and bow to the table. When the ritual is over, the pig head gets sliced and eaten.

The artist's work was shaped by the frequency and the sacredness of the pig in Korean culture compared to its total absence and reticence in Moroccan culture. She explored its symbolism and meaning. 

In Korea, animals and inanimate objects as well as people can be sanctified, and particularly the president of North Korea, Kim Jong-un. Through her installation, the artist drew an analogy between the pig and Kim Jong Un; placed next to one another as a piggy bank, which could be a tribute or rather a spite of mockery.

Kim Jong-un & Pig Head, 2016

Sculptures, Plaster and South Korean won

26 cm x 21 cm x 33 cm, 32 cm x 31 cm x 35 cm