Hanna Moon & Joyce Ng: English as a Second Language

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.

Moffy with earrings, 2018 © Hanna Moon

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

Face Value for Numéro China, 2018 © Joyce Ng
‘Seven Sisters: Framed’, 1 Granary, No.4, 2016 © Joyce Ng
Maginé on the Spectrum, Super Yaya Spring/Summer 2018 © Joyce Ng
In Her Five Elements, 2018 © Joyce Ng/Somerset House
J’aime Dakar, September 2016 © Joyce Ng
River for ‘Boom Boom’, Re-edition issue 2, 2015 © Hanna Moon
‘Untitled’, Modern Matter, Fall/Winter 2017 © Hanna Moon
Gao for ‘Cherry Baby’, Dazed Fall 2017 © Hanna Moon
‘Moffy’, A Nice Magazine, Issue 2, 2015 © Hanna Moon
Heejin in Seamen’s Hall, 2018 © Hanna Moon/Somerset House
A selection of works by Hanna Moon on display as part of English as a Second Language © Tim Bowditch
A selection of works by Joyce Ng on display as part of English as a Second Language © Tim Bowditch
A selection of works by Joyce Ng on display as part of English as a Second Language © Tim Bowditch
Luna Edmond J. Safra Fountain Court at Dance Umbrellas Everything that Rises Must Dance by Joyce Ng © Tim Bowditch
A selection of archive works by Hanna Moon and Joyce Ng on view at Somerset House © Tim Bowditch
Diane Smyth

Diane Smyth is the editor of BJP, returning for a second stint on staff in 2023 - after 15 years on the team until 2019. As a freelancer, she has written for The Guardian, FT Weekend Magazine, Creative Review, Aperture, FOAM, Aesthetica and Apollo. She has also curated exhibitions for institutions such as The Photographers Gallery and Lianzhou Foto Festival. You can follow her on instagram @dismy