Don't Talk to Me Until I've Showered

DON'T TALK TO ME UNTIL I'VE SHOWERED

A solo showcase by Momin Choi @ check-in SIDE SPACE Busan

Dates: 21 - 24 May 2026

The Hartz Project is pleased to present Don't Talk to Me Until I've Showered, a solo showcase by Korean artist Momin Choi at check-in SIDE SPACE Busan 2026. Marking the artist’s second project with the gallery, this show features a curated selection of works that explore the underlying tensions of urban life. Through his practice, Choi captures the color of everyday helplessness, articulating the quiet psychological density of modern routines.

Momin Choi was born in 1985, and is currently based in Seoul. His work delves into psychological landscapes and layered interiorities, interweaving personal memory with broader cultural symbols. Drawing from disciplines such as philosophy, anthropology, humanities, and psychology, Choi incorporates a wide range of visual references—from classical painting to scenes of everyday life—to cultivate a distinctly personal painterly language.

He earned his MA in Painting from the Royal College of Art (2024), and both MFA (2018) and BFA (2016) in Painting from Korea National University of Arts.

Choi has held solo exhibitions including Two Hands (2025) and A Submerged House (2022) at Drawing Room, Seoul; A Bizarre Life (2021) at out_sight; and Plant Theatre (2019) at ONE AND J. GALLERY. His work has also been shown in group exhibitions across the UK, Italy, Hong Kong and South Korea, such as Lost and Found (The Hartz Project, Hong Kong, 2026), Thoughts in The Silent Night (Hew Hood Gallery, London, 2024), Self (Plain Gallery, Milan, 2024), and Memory beneath the ego, Fantasy above the ego (Seoul National University, 2023).

Choi is a recipient of multiple grants and awards, including the Young Artist Support Program by Seoul Museum of Art (2021). He has participated in artist residencies at White Block (2021–2022) and Kumho Art Studio (2018–2019). His paintings continue to engage themes of dislocation, memory, and perception through an evolving visual language grounded in introspective inquiry.