Odd Meridian presents the third edition of Asian Heritage Month at Morrow (AHMM) from now until May 24. The festival features a gallery installation, workshops, and performances. One performance is Korean-Canadian interdisciplinary artist Jaewoo Kang’s Hearts & Boots—a queer puppet performance that retells the myth of Korean goddess Mago. 

“This show is a way of honouring queer elders and creating a sense of history,” Kang shares. “I hope [the audience] laugh all the way through. I hope they feel inspired to do their own puppet show.” 

In Hearts & Boots, collaborator Romi Kim narrates the story of Mago; Kang and another collaborator Rhye McCorkindale then retell the story in their own ways with Bratz dolls. The goal is to share their version of a utopia. Vocal support is provided by Reed Jackson; dramaturgy by Erika Mitsuhashi. 

Playing with dolls 

The show’s key elements, such as singing and puppetry, reflect Kang’s exploration with spirituality. The artist recognizes how singing provides connection and a sense of elevating his lived experience.  

Hearts & Boots also incorporates one of Kang’s other loves: dolls. As a child, Kang played with Barbie dolls, cutting their hair and painting their faces. For this show, the creator opted to use Bratz dolls whose faces “really spoke” to him. 

“I love just looking at their faces,” he says. “I’ve been incorporating Bratz [dolls] into my everyday life by just bringing them everywhere, [and] when I make an altar for something, they’ll sit there.” 

Inspired by a YouTube content creator with a 1960s Barbie theatre set, Kang collaborated with his father—who is skilled in woodworking—to create a Bratz dollhouse. It is made from wood and painted like the Barbie set. 

“I’m really interested in doing something that is portable—it’s not a grand thing, but I can carry this doll theatre and do a performance anywhere,” says Kang. “That’s something I’m excited about—this piece can be so adaptable and modular.” 

The backdrop of Kang’s dollhouse is changeable, allowing the creator to tell different stories. His main focus was making the show humourous and fun. Hearts & Boots also contains moments where Kang interacts with the audience.

A lived-in spirituality 

Kang sees Hearts & Boots as developing through an “organic” process. In 2024, Kang and collaborator Kim visited Haenam, Korea for a project learning about shamanism.  There, the duo was introduced to the creation myths surrounding Mago and the idea that one doesn’t need to be a shaman to have a spiritual practice. 

“I grew up in Korea, and I was hearing different creation stories from Korea [through] different books and school systems, which were a lot more patriarchal,” he shares. “Through our research, we found that there’s a theory that the story of Mago is more of a stone-age creation theory where there was more importance of the goddess [as compared] to male gods.” 

While Kang says this theory is yet to be fully confirmed, he found this shift to thinking about the goddess inspiring. The creators also learned that many Korean communities have kept stories of Mago. 

“In Haenam, there are two stones that looked like two fingers, and the myth is that she created her dress using those two stones as a loom,” says Kang, adding there are plenty of stories surrounding Mago’s body and movements. 

The goddess, he adds, was a giant known to be aggressive and “very crude.” In these stories, Mago has also been referred to as a “grandmother” and “beautiful woman”—another point of interest for Kang. 

“When [Kim] and I were in Korea, working with that shaman, we did a lot of work around rituals and spirituality,” Kang shares, adding he had some exposure to these traditions as a child living in Busan. “It was exciting to see ritual and spirituality integrated into everyday, mundane life.”

For Kang, Mago represents a type of spirituality that is “lived in.” Rather than conventional practices of organized religion—such as going to church—Kang sees Mago’s impact as more “approachable” and “familiar.”

Finding humour 

Kang also sees Hearts & Boots as creating an “irreverent humour.” An example is the juxtaposition of a children’s storytime with adult themes and visuals. The Bratz dolls’ limited movements when trying to perform is another source of laughter. 

“There’s a lot of body humour where we bump into each other,” Kang adds that even the retelling of Mago’s creation myths through a 2000s aesthetics can incite laughter.  “We’re doing it in a way that is cutesy.” 

This aesthetics feels nostalgic for Kang. Back then, he wasn’t comfortable trying these trends, thinking they were too “flashy.” 

“I felt a little bit too shy to try them on, and now I feel like, ‘Who cares? I want to do it,’” he shares. 

Working on Hearts & Boots has made Kang a lot more relaxed in his artistic practice. Rather than searching for answers, the artist felt as though he was receiving them. In its first showing last year, Kang didn’t have time to make costumes—he ended up styling performers with whatever he had on hand. 

“That was an interesting practice on letting go of control,” reflects Kang, who loves costume design. “Learning to relax and receive the messages, rather than forcing something.” 

In the upcoming performance, Kang has designed costumes that play on what he calls “gay archetypes.” This includes a sailor-inspired costume. 

“Adding some twist to that is really interesting,” he adds. “It’s not a symbol of masculinity, but a symbol of queerness.” 

This upcoming version will include a technical aspect with water. Kang hopes Hearts & Boots encourages people to make their own doll theatres and share their own creation myths. 

Hearts & Boots is part of Sam San Se (May 14-17) which also features Keepsakes by Shion Skye Carter and elika mojtabaei. AHMM 2026 will also showcase Experimental Sacred (May 23)—a double-feature including creators/performers Kendell Yan / Maiden China and Romi Kim / Skim in “what if you and i could = us” and Kimmortal in “Sacred Noise.” Then, Movies, Matcha, Muse (May 24) will showcase seven artists, including poets, filmmakers and a drag artist. All performances are held at the Morrow (910 Richards St.). 

In Canada, May is Asian Heritage Month—an opportunity to recognize the diversity of the country’s Asian communities. This year’s theme is “Honouring Asian Canadians: Stories that Built Canada.” 

For more information on Jaewoo Kang, see https://www.instagram.com/jaewookang_main/. 

For more information on Sam San Se (Hearts & Boots and Keepsakes), see https://oddmeridian.ca/AHMM2026-Shows-SamSanSe.html. 

For more information on Asian Heritage Month, see https://www.canada.ca/en/canadian-heritage/campaigns/asian-heritage-month.html.