JETTE HYE JIN MORTENSEN b. 1980

Visual Artist and Filmmaker.

The partiture, or script, has become a companion in all my art projects.
Maybe they reveal systems in use, those of my own. Those learned. Perhaps.
Prelude, post-scipt, diary, document. Library. Archive. Performed.

Falling in between categories of culture, family, class and race, I realise
by firsthand experience how all aspects of a person and the framework of
a given person are improvised, negotiated, performed.
And often reduced in a public sphere. Strategies of cultural translation and
cannibalism, counter production and appropriation must avoid becoming
mere signs of action, but re-invent their potential, and seek ambivalence in
order to transform experience.

Ambiguity - to stand within and ouside at the same time, to be aware of the
seeing itself. To resist a defined hierarchy of language, aesthetics, features.
I am attracted to a space in my works, that has possibilities for ruptures between ideologies and their representations, distortions and parallel stories.
There are multible entrances into the same land. The strongest ideologies
are always hidden, until they are juxtaposed by something uncategorizable.
Revealed by a passing stranger, un-named, free but mis-intepreted.

The individualisation applied to the identity of being interculturally
adopted to Denmark seems to me to highlight how ideas play into perception
and either accept or rejection of critique. Cut off from a personal history and
re-written into a highly segregated, politically and culturally loaded idea of
the personal (adoption) history, having on one side the effect of reducing and
repressing a critique of these ideas to a personal extraordinary encounter, does
not leave room for a structual analysis. Internalised racism or at least estrangement
most likely occur. In the case of the adopted, the internal conflict of ideologies
is always present. Counter arguments are in this case powerless, since the adopted
person is lacking A) information that serves as proof for critique or reflections
upon her/his situation and the adoption system as such, being scientific research
conducted by a central institution and personal records. B) the adopted subject
is often growing up socially isolated from subjects with similar experiences
that could create an empowered singularity and a community, but rather grows
up in a split-identity, assimilated. Or if not, then seen upon as a single derivation
from a normality. Does a lack of access to written history result in a lack of right
to acknowledge lived, liminal experience?

BACKGROUND
Born 1980 in Seoul, South Korea.
She was adopted to Denmark in 1982, where she arrived New Year´s
eve to her Danish family. In 2006, she went to Korea and was reunited
with her Korean family. She identifies herself as being part of two families,
4 parents and transcultural. Have travelled and exhibited in a number of
countries all over the world.

WORK & EDUCATION BIO
Currently lives and works in Copenhagen, Denmark.
Master of Fine Arts Candidate, The Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts
Co-founder and member of the Swedish/Danish artgroup ”UFOlab” .
Member of YNKB, activistic and educational art forum, tv, festivals, events.
Initiator of ”New Songbooks” in collaboration with danish writers and composers.
Trained in classical and modern piano and singing.
Have worked professionally as a singer and backing singer in many contexts.
Have studied and assisted in animation, performance, scenography and
anthropological theatre at the Odin Theatre, and acting, stanislavskij technique
and film at The Drama and Film School in Broendbyoester.
Master Class in Storytelling and Production w/ Elliot Grove/Raindance Film Festival and documentary filmmaking at Dox Connected/The Danish Filminstitute..
Works as a freelance director, editor and producer.
Owns the filmproduction company ”BamBoo Film”, with clients such as: CSC,
Nordisk Film, DR 1, Sennheiser Nordic, Porsche, Tivoli, The Danish Government,
BBC, MTV etc.
Currently directing the feature documentary "Adopnation", supported by
The Danish Filminstitute, DOX Connected.