The Moomins from Finland visit Seoul to provide comfort amid pandemic

The Moomins, a family of trolls from Finland, known for their white fur coats and large snouts, live in their house in the Moomin valley and go on adventures with friends. They learn to understand each other with empathy and overcome struggles together.

The story of the Moomins, which marks its 75th anniversary this year, is comforting people around the world who are exhausted from the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic that has forced us apart.

An exhibition “Moomin Original” -- which opened on Friday at the newly opened Ground Seesaw in Seongsu-dong, eastern Seoul -- is the largest exhibition of its kind in South Korea thus far, featuring around 250 pieces of artwork featuring the Moomins, including media artworks and 100 original sketches from the author, Tove Jansson. Visitors will be guided through 15 sections at the exhibition to explore, following the adventure of the Moomins. 

“This exhibition is quite special compared to previous ones because it shows the author’s original sketches and conveys storytelling throughout the exhibition,” Jee Sung-wook, CEO of Media & Art, the organizer of the exhibition, told the press on Thursday.

“I think the essential message of the Moomins is that the world is full of adventures, and we can coexist with people from different backgrounds by understanding eachother,” he added.

The Moomin books were written by Swedish-Finn illustrator and author Tove Jansson (1914-2001). After the story was first released in 1945, it gained huge popularity in Asia around the 1970s after the story was produced in animated films in Japan.

The exhibition will run through Nov. 14, 2021. Tickets can be purchased online and cost 15,000 won for adults and 10,000 won for kids.

By Park Yuna (yunapark@heraldcorp.com)