The Ari Peace Statue, erected in 2020 in the Moabit district of Berlin, commemorates the so-called ‘comfort women’ who were forced into sexual slavery by the Japanese military in the Asia-Pacific region during the Second World War. At the same time, the monument symbolises the courage of the survivors who broke their silence and spoke publicly about their experiences. The erection of the statue led to protests from the Japanese government and sparked a wide-ranging public debate about the remembrance of these women’s fate.
Image gallery
Elvis, Heidelberg, May 2026
Welcome to American Town, Gunsan, November 2024
For the artist Miji Ih, engaging with the Peace Statue became the starting point for an in-depth exploration of this history.
This gave rise to her work ‘Mouths: On Water and Whisky’, in which she links the experiences of the so-called ‘comfort women’ with the realities of life for women living near US military bases in Japan, South Korea and Germany.
Memory, exploitation and women’s life stories
From 4 November 2026 to 13 January 2027, Fotografiska Berlin will present Miji Ih’s most comprehensive solo exhibition to date. At its heart are ambiguous scenes whose connections only gradually become apparent, coming together to form a multi-layered narrative.
In her ongoing trilogy ‘Mouth’, the visual artist combines photography with archive material, sound and video. In doing so, she turns her attention to the profound marks left on women’s lives by state and military systems of exploitation, as well as by social stigmatisation. The focus is particularly on experiences of flight, migration and the attempt to build a new life.
“I wanted to create a space that commemorates social stigmatisation and exclusion, the silence that has formed around them, and women’s enduring will to live despite all adversity. By turning my attention to the recurring realities in women’s lives across different times and places, I try to discover the ordinary moments in what has been left behind.” – Miji Ih
Between historical traumas and contemporary realities of life
Rather than offering a direct portrayal of historical traumas, Miji Ih examines the social and political structures that have shaped the lives of female migrant workers across generations. Particular attention is paid to the everyday challenges and survival strategies of women whose experiences often remain outside the public eye.
The life story of Bae Bong-gi forms an important starting point. During the Second World War, this Korean woman was sexually enslaved as a so-called ‘comfort woman’ and, after the war ended, lived largely unnoticed in Okinawa for decades. She is regarded as the first former ‘comfort woman’ to speak publicly about her experiences during the Japanese occupation.
Taking her story as its starting point, the exhibition leads visitors to contemporary landscapes surrounding former US military bases and entertainment districts. In doing so, it draws parallels between historical experiences and the living conditions of women today.
Photography, archive material and audiovisual narrative forms
Moving beyond traditional photographic documentation, Miji Ih develops a multi-layered artistic visual language. She combines her photographs with historical documents, texts, sound and video to create a narrative that extends throughout the space.
The interplay of different media does more than simply reveal historical traces. Rather, it creates connections that can be experienced through the senses, linking the life stories of women whose experiences of exclusion, dependency and social marginalisation recur across different generations and geographical spaces.
About the artist
Miji Ih was born in South Korea and now lives and works in Berlin. In her artistic practice, she explores the mechanisms of collective memory and the question of which experiences are made visible in the writing of social history and which remain overlooked.
Her work focuses in particular on the often-overlooked everyday experiences of women caught between migration, gendered labour and patriarchal violence.
A key impetus for her artistic development came in 2020 from the public debate surrounding the Berlin peace statue Ari. Since then, she has increasingly explored the interplay of racial and sexual discrimination, precarious living conditions and the structural marginalisation of female perspectives in the writing of history.
Her works have been presented, amongst other venues, in solo exhibitions at the Galerie im Tempelhof Museum in Berlin.
Curatorial team and collaborations
The exhibition was curated by Marie-Luise Mayer, Exhibitions Manager at Fotografiska Berlin, in collaboration with the artist.
- The exhibition was produced in partnership with IFA Berlin and Volkswagen R, and in collaboration with the photographic printing partner WhiteWall.
