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While people generally view superstition with mild amusement, it is amazing how many of us still avoid tempting fate, such as by crossing our fingers for luck, or avoiding walking under a ladder, or believing that Friday the 13th is cursed. During several artist-in-residencies in Asia, I have been fascinated with different practices, attitudes and principles to do with superstition. Beliefs are like unspoken rules in a society, and sometimes a superstitious notion can be extremely similar to an accepted code of conduct. In China, South Korea and Taiwan the symbolic meanings are so old and run so deep that it is almost impossible for an outsider to grasp the different layers of superstition. The definitions of superstition are many, but one common description is a fear of the unknown, or trust in magic or chance, or a false conception of cause and effect. It is also a notion maintained despite evidence to the contrary. The publication Reality Versus Fiction is about superstition in China, South Korea and Taiwan. Release: January 2015 |
