Hanna Moon was born in South Korea, Joyce Ng “spent her youth in the multitude of sprawling malls throughout the city of formerly-colonised Hong Kong”; both are now based in London, where they’re fast making their mark in fashion photography. They’ve joined forces for an exhibition at London’s Somerset House titled Hanna Moon & Joyce Ng: English as a Second Language, which explores their take on Western conceptions of beauty.
The exhibition includes new work commissioned by Somerset House as well as images from the photographers’ archives: Moon opted to shoot two of her favourite models – Heejin, from South Korea, and Moffy, from London, in Somerset House’s handsome Neoclassical buildings; Ng, who prefers to street-cast, chose to make images with people who work in, or were visiting, Somerset House. Also shot at Somerset House, Ng’s images were inspired by the 16th century Chinese novel Journey to the West.
The archive images on show include work taken over the last four years for magazines such as Dazed, i-D, Modern Weekly, Centrefold, Re-Edition, Me le Magazine du Monde, and Modern Matter, as well as A Nice Magazine, founded by Moon for her graduation from renown art school Central Saint Martins, London in 2014. The exhibition is curated by Shonagh Marshall, who is known for the book Posturing, written with Wallpaper* Magazine photographic director Holly Hay; the exhibition design is by Studio Veronica Ditting, which was founded by the creative director of the biannual women’s magazine The Gentlewoman.
Hanna Moon & Joyce Ng: English as a Second Language is on show until 28 April at Somerset House, Strand, London WC2R 1LA www.somersethouse.org.uk
