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REVIEW

ASEAN Animals: Depictions of Animals in ASEAN Arts and Cultures

Since prehistoric times, humans have used animals, through hunting and farming, to obtain both material (meat, leather,etc.) and non-material (labor) resources. The practice of regarding pets as a member of the family and engaging in emotional communication with them is by no means a modern-day phenomenon. The latest special exhibition at the ASEAN Culture House, ASEAN Animals: Depictions of Animals in ASEAN Arts and Cultures, puts a spotlight not only on familiar animals that serve multiple functions in our daily environments, but also on imaginary animals known from ASEAN cultures. 

The animals that appear in the fables and legends of ASEAN countries are usually personified or deified: these images are then applied in various ways to cultural mediums, including architecture, crafts, and visual art. The naga, a water-dwelling serpent that is engraved onto the wall of the eastern corridor of Cambodia’s Angkor Wat and depictedon the railing of a bridge at Angkor Thom, originated from “Churning of the Sea of Milk,” an ancient Hindu creation myth in which it acts as a helper of the gods. In Thailand and Lao PDR, the naga appears as a seven-headed guardian of the Buddha, who is often shown seated in lotus position on acoiled-up naga. The lion, commonly called the “king of the jungle,” is depicted as a singha or chin the—which, like the Korean haetae, embodies the valor and majesty that are especially valued by ASEAN citizens—in artworks throughout Southeast Asia. The wit of ASEAN’s people is especially visible in the imaginary creatures that are a combination of real-life animals, such as the gajasingha (animal with an elephant’s trunk and lion’s body), hatsadiling (animals with an elephant’s trunk and tusks, rooster’s comb, snake’s scales, and bird’s wings), and kinnara and kinnari (half-human, half-bird).
The exhibition does not only feature artifacts from prominent Korean institutions, such as the Asia Culture Centerin Gwangju or the Hahoe Mask Museum in Andong, but also creations by contemporary artists. One example is Shadow Forest Story, a work of interactive media art by several Korean artists that blends Southeast Asian traditional shadow puppet theater with a heavy dose of creativity. Before leaving the Special Exhibition Gallery, visitors will be givena complimentary illustrated card of a representative animal of one of ASEAN’s 10 member states. There are plenty of things to see and everyone is welcome!