One of the most perplexing questions for museums—and their audiences—during the pandemic is whether there is a difference between “to see” and “to view.” Historically, we “see” exhibitions; visit museums and galleries; connect with artists in their studios. Today, we’re more likely to view them: virtual tours, live-streamed lectures, and events, images, and reviews.
If ever there were a show that invites seeing, Jiha Moon: Chasing Spirits, is it. Curated by Tina Ruggieri for UAB’s Abroms-Engel Institute for the Visual Arts, this mini-retrospective offers visitors—virtually, for now—the opportunity to delve into Moon’s sublime multimedia practice. Multifaceted, multilayered, and multigenerational, Moon’s works mesh personal with popular culture, the fantastical with the familiar and the forgotten.
Across two spaces in a single gallery, Moon guides visitors through explorations of history, humor, and memory. Through iconography and repetition, Moon constructs interconnections within and between her paintings, ceramics, and works on paper.