University Galleries at the University of Florida (UF) is pleased to present Meaningful Object by Jiha Moon in Grinter Gallery located on UF’s campus Dec. 3, 2015 through Feb. 5, 2016. An opening reception that is free and open to the public will be held Thursday, Dec. 3, 2015 from 4-6 p.m. in the lobby of Grinter Hall. An artist talk will follow the opening reception at 7 p.m. in Fine Arts Building B, Room 103.
A multimedia artist born in Korea who now works out of Atlanta, Moon will show a number of works including paper, ceramics and prints. Blending influences from Korea, Japan, China and the Western world, Moon uses these cues to create multifaceted works. This show features a collection of works influenced by everyday objects, artifacts and cultural signifiers.
Though she started as a painter, Moon has recently expanded her interest in making objects, exploring and teasing preconceptions of what it really means to be “exotic.” For example, the fortune cookie is commonly associated with Chinese restaurants, but was invented in America where it became part of popular culture. Moon uses this and similar twists as humorous elements in her sculptural work. There are witty sides of her work that reveal America as a construct of multiple cultures co-existing and melding with one another. In the window cabinet setting of UF’s Grinter Gallery, Moon’s everyday-life influenced work will be somewhat unusual, hysterical, and will hopefully spark interesting dialogue among viewers.
Moon received her MFA from the University of Iowa, Iowa City. Her works have been acquired by Asia Society, New York, New York; High Museum of Art, Atlanta; The Mint Museum of Art, Charlotte, North Carolina; Smithsonian Institute, Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Washington, D.C.; Weatherspoon Art Museum, Greensboro, North Carolina; and the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Richmond, Virginia. She has had solo exhibitions at The Mint Museum of Art, and the Cheekwood Museum of Art, Nashville, Tennessee; and Rhodes College, Clough-Hanson Gallery, Memphis, Tennessee. She has been included in shows at the Atlanta Contemporary Art Center, Atlanta, Georgia; Asia Society, New York, New York; The Drawing Center, New York, New York; White Columns, New York, New York; Smith College Museum of Art, Northampton, Massachusetts; and the Weatherspoon Art Museum, Greensboro, North Carolina. She has been selected for international residencies at Art Omi, Acadia Summer Art Program, the Headlands Center for the Arts. In 2010, she had residencies at the Fabric Workshop and Museum, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and The MacDowell Colony, Peterborough, New Hampshire. Her one-year project with the Fabric Workshop and Museum was showcased in the spring of 2011 at the museum in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She is recipient of prestigious Joan Mitchell Foundation’s Painter and Sculptors award for 2011. More information can be found at http://jihamoon.com.
Assistant Professor of UF’s School of Art and Art History Lisa Iglesias organized this exhibition and artist talk. Moon's visit is sponsored by UF’s Center for the Humanities and the Public Sphere with support from the Yavitz Fund. Moon’s visit is co-sponsored by the Marston Fund and Asian Pacific Islander American Affairs. Contextual text by Valton Charles Jones III will accompany the exhibition.
About University Galleries
University Galleries is comprised of three art galleries at the University of Florida (UF) in Gainesville, Florida, and is an integral part of the programs and curricula of the School of Art + Art History.
University Gallery, located in Fine Arts B at the intersection of SW 13th Street and SW 4th Avenue, provides high-quality, thought-provoking exhibitions changing every two to 12 weeks that engage the university and wider community in stimulating dialogue facilitated by contemporary visual language and culture. For the past 12 years the University Gallery has collaborated with myriad UF colleges, community and regional entities in creating a trans-disciplinary venue for the visual arts. Exhibitions feature internationally-recognized artists, an annual faculty exhibition, a juried student art show and two MFA graduating thesis project shows. The 3,000-square-foot space is a lively, exciting venue that is utilized for many events throughout the academic year. University Gallery is open Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays: 10 a.m.–5 p.m.; Thursdays: 10 a.m.–7 p.m.; and Saturdays: 12 p.m.–4 p.m. The gallery is closed Mondays, Sundays and holidays.
Gary R. Libby Gallery is an 850-square-foot space that presents monthly exhibitions of student-curated exhibitions featuring student and alumni artworks. The Gary R. Libby Gallery is located adjacent to the lobby of the School of Art + Art History’s Fine Arts C. The gallery is open Monday through Friday 10 a.m.–5 p.m. and is closed weekends and holidays.
Grinter Gallery is located in the lobby area of Grinter Hall. Established by an endowment from Linton and Constance Grinter, its primary mission is to present international and multicultural artwork through student curated exhibitions. Grinter Gallery is open Monday through Friday: 8 a.m.–5 p.m. and is closed weekends and holidays.
Parking Information
Daytime parking is available in reserved spaces between Fine Arts C (FAC) and Inner Road. From SW 13th Street, enter campus on Museum Drive. Turn right on Newell Drive, then right on Inner Road. Turn left into the parking lot behind FAC. The first three spaces on the left are reserved for gallery use. Parking permits are issued to gallery visitors in the University Gallery.
For more information, please contact the University Gallery at (352) 273-3000 or visit our website at www.arts.ufl.edu/galleries.
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Media Contact
Leah Spellman, APR
Public Relations and Marketing Manager
University of Florida College of the Arts
Office: 352.273.1489 | Cell: 904.419.3346
lspellman@arts.ufl.edu
