An onslaught of bananas, dragons, dumplings, and masks greats guests as they walk into the Stanley Museum of Art.
Painted by artist and University of Iowa alum Jiha Moon and visible from Gibson Square, the expansive new mural, “One An Other” will be on display for the next two years.
The artist’s work often explores the fluid identities and global movement of people and their cultures through gestural paintings, mixed media, and ceramic sculpture. Her paintings have been shown at the High Museum of Art in Atlanta and the Mint Museum in Charlotte.
Moon completed the piece in the museum’s atrium while the facility was closed for a recent two-week stretch.
Her Stanley mural is her first public art installation.
“There’s a lot of play in her work, but it balances with the seriousness that she is addressing,” said Diana Tuite, Stanley’s visiting senior curator of modern and contemporary art and the exhibition curator.
Building fantasies in art
“One An Other” is the culmination of five years work. It evolved from an initial plan of a butterfly garden to ceramic masks, breaking free of traditional mural expectations.