Jennie Jieun Lee, David Permén: Jag dansar på hajens vingar

In 1801, Marie Laveau, historically known as the iconic Voodoo Queen of New Orleans, Louisiana is born. A free woman of color, she practices herbalism and community activism, and is something of a cross-class healer and confidant.

In 1881, Laveau’s remains are entombed in Saint Louis Cemetery No.1. The same year, her tomb becomes a well sought destination and a ritual emerges: mark “X” on the tomb, make a wish, knock three times and leave a small offering to the queen to grant your wish from the grave. Those whose wishes are granted return and circle their “X”.

In 1973, Jennie Jieun Lee is born in Seoul, Korea. At the age of 4 her family immigrates to New York, USA.

In 1979, David Vargas Taylon is born in Lima, Peru. Three and a half months later, he is adopted by Swedish parents and moves to Sweden. He then becomes David Permén.

In the summer of 1994, Jennie Jieun Lee visits Marie Laveau’s tomb, what comes to be a pivotal moment for her.

In the summer of 1996, at the age of sixteen, David Permén together with his adoptive family return to Peru for one moth. During this visit he meets his biological mother. 

In 2020, Jennie Jieun Lee spends time learning how to farm flowers as a direct reaction to the feeling of impending doom rising all around.

And in 2022, the work Marie, a sculptural installation-cum-recreation of Marie Laveau’s tomb, is made where visitors are encouraged to mark the tomb, make a wish, and leave an offering.

In 2024, David Permén works on a series of sculptures that examine the complexities and mysteries of individual experience and alienation. Later that year, he applies for his Peruvian citizenship.

In spring of 2025, these individual paths intertwine and converge forming a larger web that in turn mirrors the fate of so many shared and lived experiences. Balancing those paths is to dance on the wings of a shark.