Jin Ah Jo (Melbourne, from Korea)
For the battle of Monkey, Rat and Dragon / Para la batalla de Mono, Rata y Dragón

	Function	to give good fortune
	Activation	to wear a sign that matches your Chinese zodiac sign
	Materials	silver 925, acrylic, paper and nylon
	Engage	Email for details

Jin ah Jo was born in Korea, and gained her first formal training in jewellery at the Korea Gemmology institute in 1997-98. She moved to Australia and in 2000 studied art and design at Box Hill TAFE. She then did a degree in jewellery at Monash University, under Marian Hosking, where she completed a Masters. She has been assistant to Susan Cohn and the Australian correspondent for the Korean Craft magazine.

For the battle of Monkey, Rat and Dragon

Jin ah Jo has produced a series of charms based on Korean mudang, which consist of red symbols on yellow paper. They include Chinese characters for characters for luck, fortune, longevity, and fertility. These mundang are usually carried secretly on the body.

Here is a scene from a festival Tano festival in Kangnung where a shaman personally draws a Chinese character for the good fortune of visitors:

The specific charms made by Jin ah Jo are for those who are born on the years of the Monkey, Rat and Dragon.

Links

• Jin ah Jo about her work
• Alison Reid “Jin ah Jo- metal, fire, spirit, discord” Craft Culture 2010
• Her blog

[photofade]