New Stanley mural painted by U of I alum promotes community, fantasy

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.

"The mural idea of a flower garden didn't excite me. However, looking at my painting made me realize I had already begun exploring still life. This realization was a wake-up call. I didn't need to look for something new outside; I had already started this journey," Moon said. "I decided to create a fantastical still life, incorporating traditional Korean vessels, my own sculptures, and mythical creatures I had been creating. The masks became spirit animals and flowers, with stems and leaves drawn around them, creating a seamless composition."

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A tapestry of identity and community

Bananas, tigers, dragons, dumplings, 3D masks, and fortune cookies dance across the lobby wall. The piece is about embracing the complexities and interruptions of life and how they are reflected back. It notes that these interruptions are not hindrances but essential parts of life that contribute to growth.

Moon's mural doesn't directly reflect any of the pieces from Stanley's collection but instead elicits themes of community. "One An Other" addresses the dynamic between "self" and "other," focusing on how people perceive and relate to each other, using wordplay to evoke the transformation and depth present in the artwork.

The new mural is part of the Thresholds series which showcases Iowa artists as they enter the facility. Previously, the museum featured a geometric abstract mural by Odili Donald Odita , inspired by Jackson Pollock's 1943 "Mural."

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Soaking up inspiration

Moon likens herself to a sponge, soaking up various influences. She focused on oil and figurative painting before earning her MFA from the University of Iowa in 2002. It was only later that she started to explore materials in new ways, evolving into a mixed-media artist. This shift allowed her to integrate a wide range of influences — from the iconography of modern social media to traditional folklore and the faces she encounters in everyday life. She even grabs inspiration from faces she sees in the grocery store.

"Over the past five years, I've used these symbols in different pieces, breaking them down," Moon said. "It's like being a director making my own movie and calling on my favorite actors. This excites me because I can include everything­—the greeting cat, watermelons, masks, traditional Korean vases, heart emojis, brush strokes, and fortune cookies. They all support my work.”

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Moon's mural is meant to invoke curiosity and familiarity, inspiring guests to come back and view it again.

"I hope people visit this work more than once. Although technology connects us, it can also distract and shorten our attention spans," Moon said. ". Museums help us slow down and appreciate art in this way. Painting is inherently slow, and spending time with it and revisiting it is essential. I encourage you to return to the museum and discover something new each time."

The Stanley Museum of Art is free and open to the public Friday and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and Sunday from 12 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Jessica Rish is an entertainment, dining and business reporter for the Iowa City Press-Citizen. She can be reached at JRish@press-citizen.com or on X, formerly known as Twitter, @rishjessica_

This article originally appeared on Iowa City Press-Citizen: New Stanley mural painted by U of I alum promotes community, fantasy