MINJEE HWANG KIM & RISAKO YAMANOI – Moon’s Moon
Stories shape meaning, connection, and beauty – but they can also mislead, constrain, or even harm.
We continuously craft narratives, sometimes with conviction, sometimes with hesitation. The exhibition Moon’s Moon reflects this fundamental human impulse to link unrelated events, to give meaning to randomness, and to shape our understanding of the world through storytelling. Narrative is central to perception and communication, yet it is never neutral; it is always filtered through memory, preconceptions, and intentions.
The exhibition grew out of the artists’ daily conversations: Can we speak only of what we remember? What from the past can we not recall? With each discussion arises the question: do we remember, or do we reinvent our history? How much of our past do we truly recall, and how much do we reconstruct?
On a broader scale, the exhibition explores the parallels between personal storytelling and the creation of collective myths. The rise of fake news and conspiracy theories demonstrates how narratives can be manipulated to construct alternative realities. Just as we unconsciously reshape our own histories, societies selectively mould collective memories to reinforce ideologies. The same mechanisms that enable the creation of meaning can also distort it. Storytelling can open worlds – or close them. Moon’s Moon invites reflection on this delicate balance.
Minjee Hwang Kim (b. 1991, South Korea) is a visual artist whose work focuses on painting and drawing. Through self-portraits, she explores the Buddhist concept of non-self (무아, 無我) as well as ideas of probability, randomness, and autonomy, often in dialogue with women’s art history. Her works have been exhibited in Finland and internationally and are included in several public collections, such as the Museum of Contemporary Art Kiasma and Helsinki Art Museum. Kim holds a Master of Fine Arts degree from the Academy of Fine Arts at the University of the Arts Helsinki and a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the Korea National University of Arts. Her work is supported by the Arts Promotion Centre Finland (Taike) in 2025.
Risako Yamanoi (b. 1994, Japan) is a Helsinki-based visual artist working with printmaking, installations, and publications. Her practice examines our relationship to the past, memories, and storytelling. She holds a Master of Fine Arts degree in printmaking from the Academy of Fine Arts at the University of the Arts Helsinki. Yamanoi has held several solo and group exhibitions in Finland and Japan, most recently at Maa-Tila Project Space (2025, Helsinki), Galleria G (2023, Helsinki), and Syndicate Gallery (2022, Takamatsu). Her works are included in public collections such as the Jenny and Antti Wihuri Foundation, the State Art Collection, and the HUS collections.
Translated with AI.