The Work of Jiha Moon

Today I'd like to share with you the art of a friend of mine, Jiha Moon. Jiha lives in the metro Washington, DC, and it is likely that you have seen her work at galleries throughout the area. I absolutely love her work, although this style of painting is something I typically don't get excited about. I love the color, the content, the forms and the fantasy-like feel of each work. I believe that although I've never been to South Korea, through Jiha's paintings I can learn more about her homeland. And though there is no way I can identify with what she has gone through moving to a new, foreign country, I can appreciate her situation through her art. It's fascinating to see the world that Jiha creates in her paintings. I cannot know for certain, but if the U.S. were merged with South Korea, I imagine that Jiha's paintings are exactly what it would look like.

Below I've copied Jiha's artist statement. It sums up her work quite nicely.

In my recent work I try to visually express the complex relationships between the east and west, between nature and technology, and between the mental and physical worlds. The narrative motifs of these mindscapes come from my background as a Korean and through my cultural experience in the United States.

Borrowed images from the histories of Art, nature, and culture are important elements in my work. I often use the shapes or icons that are symbolic and intersect in different cultures. I find these archetypes in sources ranging from 14-Century European master paintings, to Asian watercolor drawings, and even cartoon shows on TV. I deconstruct and replace these in new environments to create my own fiction.

I also find rich ground in the remodeling of mysterious natural phenomena, such as virulent kudzu, San Francisco sea lions, strange cave formations, and bizarre weather changes. These themes not only interest me as stories, but also because of the beautiful abstract forms I find in them.

Through my color choices I hope to suggest the bright side of narratives, although the pictures may appear threatening or heavy. I often use bright plastic and candy colors that have been influenced by products found in shopping malls, sensuous colors in TV commercials, and animation. Contrasting western, pop cultural colors against a traditional, Asian, monochromatic watercolor style is intended to bring pictorial drama to my work.

My interest in paradoxical juxtaposition and conceptual opposition extends to my painting style and working process. I apply thin layer against thick layer, translucent colors against opaque colors, and abstract, linear drawings against pictorial space. By pushing contradictory approaches at once, I pursue the dynamics of the relationship between abstraction and representation. I want to blend different worlds as densely and illusionistically as possible. I wish to stay in the boundary between these matters and search for the new beauty of abstraction.

Jiha's art gives me a peak into her as a person and I really appreciate the opportunity to learn more about her through her painting. I'm very excited about Jiha's recent success and I positively believe that we will be seeing more of her work on a national level. Through the grapevine I heard that she was recently in NYC interviewing with some galleries for representation and obviously that is great news. I'd like to wish her the best of luck!!