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I think just about everyone needs a mental health break these days, and with Covid restrictions still putting a damper on our social lives, the art museums in Seoul have been a nice momentary escape from the ongoing chaos that has rampaged through 2022. Here are the latest art shows that will be on view in Seoul through the year. I’ll continuously add more as I find them, so check back periodically to look for new additions!

Martin Margiela

Martin Margiela exhibition at Lotte Museum of Art (via LMOA)

Lotte Museum will hold an exhibition celebrating Martin Margiela, the founder of Maison Margiela. The exhibition will give a glimpse of Margiela’s life as an innovative artist and include a total of 50 works. The exhibition will last from December 24th, 2022 to March 26th, 2023 at the Lotte Museum of Art (LOTTE WORLD TOWER (7F), 300, Olympic-ro, Songpa-gu, Seoul.)

Exhibition:
Martin Margiela

Dates:
2022 December 24 to
2023 March 26

Where to Purchase Tickets:
LOTTE Museum of Art

Location:
Lotte Museum of Art, Lotte World Tower [7th Floor], 300, Olympic-ro, Songpa-gu, Seoul

Cloud Walkers

Kengo Kumar Associates, <SU:M> via Leeum Art Museum

The Cloud Walkers exhibition will be on view from September 2nd, 2022 to January 8th, 2023 at the Children’s Education and Culture Center within the Leeum Art Museum (60-16, Itaewon-ro 55-gil, Yongsan-gu, Seoul).

Climate crises, pandemics and wars are changing the way we live and radically rethinking the values ​​systems defined by the last century. In a time when both macroscopic and microscopic care are needed, we need an expanded perspective that crosses regions and countries, a new cultural solidarity, and the imagination of civilization transformation. At this time, it seems important to ask again about the role of art and Asian society, which has expanded its influence on the world order. How can we create a more thoughtful, free and sustainable future that breaks free from the intricate geopolitical framework of the past?
Leeum Museum of Art’s starts from these concerns. Here, the cloud/cloud, implying climatic, imaginary, and hyperlinked meanings, is a metaphor for the new socio-cultural environment of the 21st century, and a virtual platform that crosses geopolitical boundaries. Artists from various fields participating in the exhibition are walkers/flâneurs, workers/doers, and dreamers/visionaries who freely roam the cloud world and look at contemporary and future social issues with new and critical perspectives. . Those who balance coexistence and technological development are conducting research and practice for sustainable coexistence in a sense of responsibility for the global environment, reconstructing numerous data, unfolding strange and infinite imaginations that transcend time and space, material/immaterial , let you experience a new synesthetic world where reality/virtual intersect. We hope that through the colorful world drawn by those who are slightly ahead of the future, we can get a glimpse of the new possibilities and dynamism of Asian art.

Leeum Art Museum

Exhibition:
Cloud Walkers

Dates:
2022 September 2 to
2023 January 8

Where to Purchase Tickets:
Leeum Art Museum

Location:
Leeum Museum of Art, 60-16 Itaewon-ro 55-gil, Yongsan-gu, Seoul

Корейцы, Корё сарам: Korean Diaspora

Korean Diaspora Exhibition via ikoreanspirit.com

Many ethnic Koreans live within post-Soviet states, and to celebrate the 30th anniversary of diplomatic ties between Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan, we will be able to view 60+ photos on display, featuring portraits of the Koryo-saram, or Korean people, who have made a home there. The exhibition, “까레이치, 고려사람 Корейцы, Корё сарам”, will last from September 7th, 2022 to November 7th, 2022 at the National Folk Museum of Korea (37, Samcheong-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul).

In Russian, which has been widely used in Central Asia since the Soviet era, Koreans, Koreans, and Goryeos are all ‘kareichi’ (Корейцы). Like the English ‘Korean’, the distinction between them is ambiguous in Russian. The well-known Russian ‘Kareiski’ (Коре́йский) is the same as ‘Korean’ when translated into Korean, and is not used to refer to people. In contrast, Goryeo people refer to themselves as ‘Koryo people’ (Корё сарам). The use of the expression ‘Koryo people’ means that they recognize that they are not Koreans from Primorsky Province like their ancestors, but rather a different category of community that is distinct from Koreans in their distant homeland.
The exhibition shows, in nine sections, the traces of the daily lives of Korean compatriots who were scattered in an unfamiliar land in Central Asia amid a huge historical vortex in the last century, struggling for settlement and survival. The audience discovers a self-portrait of the Koreans who have formed an overlapping identity between the local natural environment and various cultural resources such as the Russian culture influenced by the Soviet era and the traditions of the Northeast region of the Korean Peninsula, including Hamgyeong-do, and the Uzbeks and Kazakhs.

Jongro Village (종로마을 N)

Exhibition:
까레이치, 고려사람 Корейцы, Корё сарам

Dates:
2022 September 7 to
2022 November 7

Where to Purchase Tickets:
Free

Location:
National Folk Museum of Korea, 37 Samcheong-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul

Jean Jullien: Then, There

Jean Jullien via Interpark

French graphic designer, Jean Jullien, will display his works via a massive show at Dongdaemun Plaza (DDP) in Seoul from October 1st, 2022 to November 18th, 2022.

Exhibition:
Jean Jullien: Then, There

Dates:
2022 October 1 to
2022 November 18

Where to Purchase Tickets:
Interpark

Location:
Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP), 281 Eulji-ro, Euljiro 7(chil)-ga, Jung-gu, Seoul

teamLab: Massless Suns

TeamLab: Massless Suns via TeamLab

The digital art exhibition, Massless Suns, from the famous, Japan-based art collective, teamLab, will be coming to Seoul, South Korea this September. The interactive exhibition will be on view at the Pace Gallery in Seoul from September 2nd, 2022 to October 29th, 2022.

The exhibition will spotlight the never-before-seen interactive digital installation Massless Suns and Dark Spheres (2022) along with the monitor-based digital works Waves of Light (2018), Dissipative Figures – 1000 Birds (2022), Dissipative Figures – Human (2022), and Continuous Life and Death at the Now of Eternity II (2019), all of which will be displayed in the gallery’s ground floor exhibition space equipped for experiential, immersive artworks, which was unveiled in March 2022. The interactive digital installation Resonating Microcosms – Solidified Light Color, Sunrise and Sunset (2022) will be presented in the gallery’s new outdoor sculpture courtyard, opening to the public on the occasion of Frieze Seoul.

Pace Gallery

Exhibition:
teamLab: Massless Suns

Dates:
2022 September 2 to
2022 October 29

Where to Purchase Tickets:
Free

Location:
Pace Gallery,1F, 267 Itaewon-ro, Yongsan-gu, Seoul

Adrian Ghenie

Adrian Ghenie via Pace Gallery

Adrian Ghenie is a contemporary Romanian painter, now based in Berlin, Germany. New charcoal works from Adrian Ghenie will be on view at Pace Gallery from September 2nd, 2022 to October 22nd, 2022.

This presentation will mark Ghenie’s first solo show in Asia and coincide with the inaugural edition of Frieze Seoul. Presented in the main gallery space of Pace’s Seoul arts complex, the show—spread across two floors of exhibition space—will include 28 variously sized charcoal drawings that reflect Ghenie’s experimentations in mark-making and figuration.
Ghenie, whose practice spans painting, drawing, and collage, is best known for his lush oil paintings of figures in layered, cinematic works that mine visual, political, and social histories, including those of his native Romania.

Pace Gallery

Exhibition:
Adrian Ghenie

Dates:
2022 September 3 to
2022 September 5

Where to Purchase Tickets:
N/A

Location:
Pace Gallery,1F, 267 Itaewon-ro, Yongsan-gu, Seoul

Flesh And Soul: Bacon/Ghenie

Francis Bacon (1909-1992), Two Studies for a Self-Portrait via Christie’s

In collaboration with Christie’s, seven paintings by Francis Bacon and nine by Adrian Ghenie will be on display at Boon The Shop (21 Apgujeong-ro 60-gil, Gangnam-gu, Seoul) from September 3rd, 2022 to September 5th, 2022.

After an inaugural run in Hong Kong in May, Christie’s and HomeArt are bringing Flesh And Soul: Bacon/Ghenie to Seoul. It is the first time works by Francis Bacon and Adrian Ghenie have been shown together in Korea.
The not-for-auction exhibition will run from 3 to 5 September at BOONTHESHOP in Cheongdam, and will be free and open to the public.
Worth a combined $US 440 million, the 16 artworks on show include museum-worthy specimens of some of the artists’ most iconic series.
Christie’s Asia Pacific Deputy Chairman and International Director Elaine Holt said the show highlights ‘the visceral tension and haunting energy that Bacon and Ghenie both so brilliantly capture through their manipulation of paint.’

Ocula Magazine

Exhibition:
Flesh And Soul: Bacon/Ghenie

Dates:
2022 September 3 to
2022 September 5

Where to Purchase Tickets:
Free to the public

Location:
Boon the Shop 21 Apgujeong-ro 60-gil, Gangnam-gu, Seoul

Vivian Maier

Vivian Maier exhibition via Interpark

Vivian Maier was an American street photographer whose works were discovered after her death. A photography exhibition of her works is on display at Ground Seesaw Seongsu in Seoul from August 4th, 2022 to November 13th, 2022.

Exhibition:
Vivian Maier

Dates:
2022 August 4 to
2022 November 13

Where to Purchase Tickets:
Interpark

Location:
Ground Seesaw (Seongsu), B1, Building A, 49 Achasan-ro 17-gil, Seongdong-gu, Seoul

Olimpia Zagnoli: Life is Color

Olimpia Zagnoli for the New Yorker via Sejong Art Center

The Olimpia Zagnoli exhibition will be on view at the Sejong Museum of Art (175 Sejong-daero, Jongno-gu, Seoul) from May 27th, 2022 to October 1st, 2022.

The Italian illustrator Olimpia Zagnoli is known for a number of different creative attributes. Probably most recognisable is her style, one you can spot a mile off, reminiscent of the Italian creative stars who came before her. The other factor is where these works have popped up, from the walls of galleries to the shopfronts of Uniqlo, a collection with Prada to the cover of The New Yorker or a plastic packet of tissues. But an attribute those who know, or have even briefly met Olimpia, will recognise is her ability to harness community in just a drawing. In fact, as we soon learned, it’s pretty much the basis of all her work too.

It’s Nice That

Exhibition:
Olimpia Zagnoli Special Exhibition: LIFE IS COLOR

Dates:
2022 May 27 to
2022 October 1

Where to Purchase Tickets:
Naver Booking

Location:
Sejong Museum of Art, 175 Sejong-daero, Jongno-gu, Seoul

Accidentally Wes Anderson

Accidentally Wes Anderson via Ground Seesaw

The Accidentally Wes Anderson started as a project of filmmaker, Wally Koval, on Instagram and brought together a community of photographers with a singular, Wes Anderson-like aesthetic. If you missed your chance last year, the Accidentally Wes Anderson exhibition has been extended until July 24th, 2022 at Ground Seesaw Seongsu (B1, Building A, 49 Achasan-ro 17-gil, Seongdong-gu, Seoul.)

“You know it when you see it,” says the book’s author Wally Koval of the immediately identifiable style. Brooklyn-based Koval is the founder of the Accidentally Wes Anderson project, which began “on a whim”, he tells BBC Culture, as a “personal travel bucket list” of places that he and his wife – and partner in the project – Amanda wanted to one day explore. He began to realise that all of these real places around the world had something in common – they all looked like “accidental captures” from one of Anderson’s movies.

BBC

Exhibition:
Accidentally Wes Anderson

Dates:
2021 November 27 to
2022 July 24

Where to Purchase Tickets:
Naver Booking

Location:
Ground Seesaw (Seongsu), B1, Building A, 49 Achasan-ro 17-gil, Seongdong-gu, Seoul

Henri Cartier-Bresson: The Decisive Moment

This year will mark the 70th anniversary of when the famous French photographer, Henri Cartier-Bresson, penned the book, “The Decisive Moment”, or “Images à la Sauvette,” (Images on the Run) in 1952. Special Exhibition: The Decisive Moment will be on view at the Hangaram Art Museum (2406 Nambusunhwan-ro, Seocho-gu, Seoul) from June 10th, 2022 to October 2nd, 2022.

Henri Cartier-Bresson was a pioneer of photojournalism who took pictures taken on the streets with a small film camera and turned them into art. Cartier-Bresson, who was learning painting as a child, began his photography career in the early 1930s when he encountered the photographs of photographers Eugène Atsee and Man Ray. The camera was an extension of his eyes, and his way of working was to capture authenticity based on intuition and instinct. He, who said, “I am more interested in life than photography,” opposes any artificiality, and instead of excluding directing, flash, and photo cropping, the shutter is released only when the subject is perfectly arranged in form and reveals its essence. pressed Therefore, the world of his work, which contains aesthetic perfection and everyday humanism at the same time, can be condensed into one word: ‘decisive moment’. In his works, we find a keen but warm gaze that gazes at life and the world.

Seoul Arts Center

Exhibition:
Henri Cartier-Bresson Special Exhibition: The Decisive Moment

Dates:
2022 June 10 to
2022 October 2

Where to Purchase Tickets:
Interpark

Location:
Hangaram Art Museum (Seoul Arts Center), 2406 Nambusunhwan-ro, Seocho-dong, Seocho-gu, Seoul

Gustav Klimt: Gold in Motion

Gustav Klimt digital exhibiton via Walkerhill.com

The Théâtre des Lumières, or Theater of Light, has opened at Walkerhill Hotel (177 Walkerhill-ro, Gwangjin-gu, Seoul.) The immersive digital exhibition devoted to works by Gustav Klimt will be on view from May 27th, 2022 to March 5th, 2023.

The Walkerhill Theater, the center of Korean performance culture, has been reborn as an immersive art exhibition hall, ‘Theatre of Light’. 
A new world of art embodied by immersive art exhibitions unfolds here, with a total area of ​​about 1,000 pyeong, an overwhelming grandeur of a maximum height of 21m, and a three-dimensional sense of space and depth that utilizes the architectural beauty of the grand theater.
As soon as you enter the exhibition hall, the works of masters and magnificent music unfolding through numerous beam projectors and speakers provide a perfect immersion feeling, providing a special experience of becoming one with the work.

Walkerhill Hotel

Exhibition:
Gustav Klimt, Gold in Motion

Dates:
2022 May 27 to
2023 March 5

Where to Purchase Tickets:
Naver Booking

Location:
Grand Walkerhill Hotel Seoul, 177 Walkerhill-ro, Gwangjin-gu, Seoul

Miles Aldridge: Colour Pictures

Miles Aldridge via SAC

Miles Aldridge is a British photographer best known for brightly colored and cinematic images of women. Miles Aldridge’s photography exhibition will be on display at the Hangaram Art Center (2406 Nambusunhwan-ro, Seocho-gu, Seoul) from May 4th, 2022 to August 28th, 2022.

Miles Aldridge is a British photographer. Best known for his cinematic images of women, Aldridge’s work is often brightly lit by fluorescent colors and depicts a world that is at once glamorous and surreal.

Exhibition:
Color Pictures, Miles Aldridge Photo Exhibition 2000~2022

Dates:
2022 May 26 to
2022 July 10

Where to Purchase Tickets:
Naver Booking

Location:
Hangaram Art Museum (Seoul Arts Center), 2406 Nambusunhwan-ro, Seocho-dong, Seocho-gu, Seoul

Philip Colbert: Dream of the Lobster

London-based artist, Philip Colbert, will be back in Seoul with his lobsters at The Page Gallery (Galleria Foret G205, 32-14 Seoul Forest 2-gil, Seongdong-gu, Seoul) from May 26th, 2022 to July 20th, 2022.

Following the exhibition at the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts in 2021, the artist who visited Korea for the first time in a year will present about 60 latest works produced in 2022 for this solo exhibition. 
Colbert’s artistic self, Lobster, freely moves between painting, sculpture, and metaverse, with the message that ‘anyone can do anything’ and ultimately recommends that you complete your own art world.

Naver Booking

Exhibition:
Philip Colbert: Dream of the Lobster

Dates:
2022 May 26 to
2022 July 10

Where to Purchase Tickets:
Naver Booking

Location:
The Page Gallery, Galleria Foret G205, 32-14 Seoul Forest 2-gil, Seongdong-gu, Seoul

Magic Shot

Kiki Xue Peking Opera (2016) via Pinterest

Magic Shot, a fashion photography exhibition, will be comprised of four themes — fantasy, allure, realism, and surrealism — and, among others, will include works from Nick Knight, Peter Lindbergh, and Elaine Constantine. The exhibition will be on view from June 17th, 2022 to September 25th, 2022 at Alt. 1 Gallery at Hyundai Seoul (6th floor, 108 Yeoui-daero, Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul.)

Exhibition:
Magic Shot

Dates:
2022 June 17 to
2022 September 25

Where to Purchase Tickets:
Ticketlink

Location:
Alt. 1 (Hyundai Seoul), 6th floor, 108 Yeoui-daero, Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul

Shepard Fairey: EYES OPEN – MINDS OPEN

Shepard Fairey via Lotte Museum of Art

American contemporary artist, Shepard Fairey, is probably most famous for his portraits of Obama and Andre, the Giant. A collection of his works will be on display at the Lotte Museum of Art (Lotte World Tower [7th Floor], 300, Olympic-ro, Songpa-gu, Seoul) from July 29th, 2022 to November 6th, 2022.

The LOTTE Museum of Art presents the solo exhibition of Shepard Fairey, who disseminates a positive influence through works of art that embody philosophical messages of peace, justice, and the environment, across pop culture and visual arts. The show will feature over 200 signature pieces spanning from his early to his recent works, including two new mural pieces, looking back at how the artist led street art, previously a subculture, into a more expansive art market. It will survey the entire artistic world of the artist, who, based on his distinct unbridled yet tenacious philosophy, reflects on our surroundings and society and stirs the public to take more action.

Lotte Museum of Art

Exhibition:
Shepard Fairey: EYES OPEN – MINDS OPEN

Dates:
2022 July 29 to
2022 November 6

Where to Purchase Tickets:
Lotte Museum

Location:
Lotte Museum of Art, Lotte World Tower [7th Floor], 300, Olympic-ro, Songpa-gu, Seoul

Alex Prager, Big West

Alex Prager via Lotte Museum of Art

American photographer and filmmaker, Alex Prager, who is based in Los Angeles will be showing her works from February 28th, 2022 to June 6th, 2022 at the Lotte Museum of Art (Lotte World Tower [7th Floor], 300, Olympic-ro, Songpa-gu, Seoul.) She is famous for her hyper-real, Old Hollywood aesthetic.

The LOTTE Museum of Art brings you Alex Prager (b. 1979), an artist who captures Hollywood’s colors and subtle emotions with her camera lens. This exhibition is the first time viewers will have a chance to see Prager in Korea, showcasing a comprehensive body of work of more than one hundred photographs and videos encompassing everything from her early works to her recent releases. Prager’s work is like a scene from a classic movie, possibly from being greatly inspired by mass culture and the film industry as an artist born and raised in Los Angeles. Through its distinct hues and her mysterious image working, the moment she freezes on film sparks viewers’ imaginations, portraying in detail the internal emotions embedded in that split second. With intricate mise-en-scène that articulates the inner-workings of a person, this exhibition will present unforgettable cinematic moments to viewers through which they can experience the rawest human emotions.

Lotte Museum of Art

Exhibition:
Alex Prager, Big West

Dates:
2022 February 28 to
2022 June 6

Where to Purchase Tickets:
Lotte Museum

Location:
Lotte Museum of Art, Lotte World Tower [7th Floor], 300, Olympic-ro, Songpa-gu, Seoul

A Collector’s Invitation: The First Anniversary of Lee Kun-hee’s Bequest

Poster of the Exhibition via National Museum of Korea

As far as I know, there are two exhibitions of the late Samsung Chairman’s personal collection, one at the National Museum of Korea and one at the MMCA. Eventually, they plan to consolidate all the works in their own museum, but until then they are divided between the art museums in Seoul, South Korea.

The Lee Kun-hee collection will be on view at the National Museum of Korea (137 Seobinggo-ro, Yongsan-gu, Seoul) from April 28th, 2022 to August 28th, 2022. The exhibition includes pieces from Jeongseon, Kim Whanki, Claude Monet, Lee Jung-Seop, and Park Soo-Geun.

Tickets must be reserved on Interpark, and boy, do they go quickly. I made the mistake of dilly-dallying around reserving a ticket, and I can tell you one week into the month that they were all sold out through the end of June. Luckily, they do drop on the first Monday of the month at 2 p.m. for the following month, so if you wait on June 6th (Monday) at 2 p.m., they should be available for July.

Google Translation of the National Museum of Korea Listing for the Lee Kun-hee Exhibition

The exhibit displays a total of 355 “carefully selected” pieces among the vast collection donated by the late Samsung chairman, according to the museum.  
“Among them, 308 pieces will be from 21,693 ancient artifacts donated to the National Museum of Korea, 35 pieces are from the MMCA, which received 1,488 modern and contemporary artworks and 12 pieces are from five regional museums. They received 102 modern and contemporary artworks,” said Lee Jae-ho, curator of the exhibit from the National Museum of Korea. The artifacts from the National Museum of Korea include six state-designated National Treasures and 15 Treasures.  
As the exhibit at the museum last year only displayed 45 Korean artifacts and old artworks, the current exhibit is much more grand and even includes some modern pieces.

Korea Joongang Daily

Exhibition:
A Collector’s Invitation: The First Anniversary of Lee Kun-hee’s Bequest

Dates:
2022 April 28 to
2022 August 28

Where to Purchase Tickets:
Interpark

Location:
National Museum of Korea, 137 Seobinggo-ro, Yongsan-gu, Seoul

MMCA Lee Kun-hee Collection: Masterpieces of Korean Art

MMCA Lee Kun-hee Collection: Masterpieces of Korean Art via MMCA

The other museum to receive part of late Samsung chairman, Lee kun-hee’s, collection is the Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art or MMCA (30 Samcheong-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul) in Seoul, South Korea. The exhibition was slated to end on March 13th, 2022, but it was extended again until June 6th, 2022. You can reserve your ticket via the MMCA website or purchase a ticket on-site.

The Lee Kun-hee Collection comprises 1,369 Korean artworks and 119 overseas artworks. By genre, it includes 412 paintings, 371 prints, 296 works of Hangukhwa (Korean traditional painting), 161 drawings, 136 craft pieces, and 104 sculptures. Over 320 of the works were produced before the 1950s, while around 860, or 58%, were produced by modern artists – defined as those born before 1930. The collection includes works by Kim Whanki, Park Sookeun, Lee Jungseop, Lee Ungno, Yoo Youngkuk, Kwon Jinkyu, Claude Monet, Camille Pissarro, and many more.
For this exhibition, around 50 representative works have been selected, most of them representing the modern and contemporary eras from the early to mid-20th century, which account for the main part of the Lee Kun-hee Collection. The first ones to be exhibited are masterworks created by artists beloved by Koreans, including the early 20th century works Peach Blossom Spring by Lee Sangbeom and Paradise by Baik Namsoon and the mid-20th century works Women and Jars by Kim Whanki, Bull by Lee Jungseop, and Woman Pounding Grain by Park Sookeun Yellow Road by Chun Kyungja and A Thousand Years Old House by Rhee Seundja. MMCA also plans to underscore the significance of this gift from Lee Kun-hee and his family by administering the Lee Kun-hee Collection as future cultural heritage, creating an opportunity for the Korean public to continue appreciating these artworks in the years ahead.

MMCA

Exhibition:
MMCA Lee Kun-hee Collection: Masterpieces of Korean Art

Dates:
2021 July 21 to
2022 June 6

Where to Purchase Tickets:
MMCA

Location:
Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, 30 Samcheong-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul

Master of British Contemporary Art: Michael Craig Martin

Michael Craig-Martin via SAC

This will be the world’s first and largest exhibition of original works by Irish artist, Michael Craig-Martin, including 150 pieces ranging from paintings to prints at the Hangaram Art Museum (2406 Nambusunhwan-ro, Seocho-dong, Seocho-gu, Seoul) from April 8th, 2022 to August 28th, 2022. Tickets can be purchased on Naver Booking.

Exhibition:
Master of British Contemporary Art: Michael Craig Martin

Dates:
2021 April 8 to
2022 August 28

Where to Purchase Tickets:
Naver Booking

Location:
Hangaram Art Museum (Seoul Arts Center), 2406 Nambusunhwan-ro, Seocho-dong, Seocho-gu, Seoul

Anthony Browne’s Wonderland

Anthony Browne via abwm2022.modoo.at

British children’s book illustrator, Anthony Browne, will display his works from April 28th, 2022 to August 31st, 2022 at the Hangaram Art Museum (2406 Nambusunhwan-ro, Seocho-dong, Seocho-gu, Seoul).

If you want a closer preview of Anthony Browne’s take on illustrating Alice in Wonderland, read this lovely article filled with illustrations from The Guardian, “Anthony Browne: how I re-imagined Alice in Wonderland.”

Exhibition:
Anthony Browne’s Wonderland

Dates:
2021 April 28 to
2022 August 31

Where to Purchase Tickets:
Naver Booking

Location:
Hangaram Art Museum (Seoul Arts Center), 2406 Nambusunhwan-ro, Seocho-dong, Seocho-gu, Seoul

I am Ground

“I am Ground” via The Hyundai

To commemorate the Hyundai Department Store Yeouido anniversary, there will be a free exhibition titled, “I am Ground”, on view at their Alt. 1 gallery (6th floor, 108 Yeoui-daero, Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul) from April 30th, 2022 to June 8th, 2022. Featured artists include Yoon Hyangro, Zibezi, teamNode, Choi Sungim, and Min Joonhong. You can book a ticket at Naver Reservation.

Exhibition:
I am Ground

Dates:
2021 April 30 to
2022 June 8

Where to Purchase Tickets:
Naver Booking

Location:
Alt. 1 (Hyundai Seoul), 6th floor, 108 Yeoui-daero, Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul

Masquerade

Kim Kira a, “Super Heroes_Monster Mask” via MMCA

Though not in Seoul per se, the Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art in Korea is showing a group exhibition with the very relevant theme of masks in neighboring Gwacheon. The exhibition will be on view from April 13th, 2022 to July 31st, 2022 at MMCA Gwacheon (313 Gwangmyeong-ro, Makgye-dong, Gwacheon-si, Gyeonggi-do).

The exhibition displays 41 artworks by contemporary artists, including Kwon Jinkyu, Nam Kwan, Christian Boltanski, Sung Neungkyung, Kim Jungwook, and Zach Blas. Instead of being divided into sections, the exhibition makes use of the spatial characteristics of the circular gallery to create a natural flow, allowing viewers to make direct and indirect connections between the artworks. Partitions, installation materials, and lighting from previous exhibitions have been reused as part of the MMCA’s efforts to reduce carbon emissions.

MMCA

Exhibition:
Masquerade

Dates:
2021 April 13 to
2022 July 31

Where to Purchase Tickets:
K-guide (MMCA Partner)

Location:
MMCA Gwacheon, 313 Gwangmyeong-ro, Makgye-dong, Gwacheon-si, Gyeonggi-do

Hito Steyerl: A Sea of Data

Hito Steyerl, “This is the Future” via MMCA

The works of influential media artist, Hito Steyerl, will be on view at the MMCA Seoul (30 Samcheong-ro 5-gil, Jongno-gu, Seoul) from April 29th, 2022 to September 18th, 2022.

Hito Steyerl-A Sea of Data at the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea (MMCA) is the artist’s first solo exhibition in Asia, sharing 23 of her most representative works from her early video works in the 1990s, which took the form of film essays with a documentary quality such as Germany and Identity (1994) and The Empty Centre (1998), to her most recent video works reflecting on digital technology (including the internet, virtual reality, robot engineering, and artificial intelligence) within its relationship to human beings and society. In particular, this exhibition will mark the first presentation of Animal Spirits (2022), a new work commissioned by MMCA.

MMCA

Exhibition:
Hito Steryl – A Sea of Data

Dates:
2021 April 29 to
2022 September 18

Where to Purchase Tickets:
K-guide (MMCA Partner)

Location:
Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, 30 Samcheong-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul

Aztecs

Photo via National Museum of Korea

A special exhibition, Aztecs, will be on display at the National Museum of Korea (137 Seobinggo-ro, Yongsan-gu, Seoul) from May 3rd, 2022 to August 28th, 2022.

This exhibition attempts to tell the fascinating stories of [the Aztecs’] strong will to thank their gods and sustain the world, a belief that had been obscured by the practices of human sacrifices. The exhibition explores the great artistic, intellectual, economic, and political development of the Aztecs that flourished in Mesoamerica, presenting precious collections from 11 museums in Mexico and Europe as well as newly discovered findings never shown to the public.

National Museum of Korea

Exhibition:
Aztecs

Dates:
2021 May 3 to
2022 August 28

Where to Purchase Tickets:
Interpark

Location:
National Museum of Korea, 137 Seobinggo-ro, Yongsan-gu, Seoul

Eva Armisén: Painting Life

Eva Armisen exhibition via Interpark

Works from Spanish painter, Eva Armisén, are back in South Korea and are seemingly quite popular among locals. You can view the exhibition at the Yongsan War Memorial of Korea Special Exhibition Room at the War Memorial of Korea (29 Itaewon-ro, Yongsan-gu, Seoul) from May 13th, 2022 to June 4th, 2022. Tickets are available at Interpark.

Exhibition:
Eva Armisén: Painting Life

Dates:
2021 May 13 to
2022 June 4

Where to Purchase Tickets:
Interpark

Location:
War Memorial of Korea, 29 Itaewon-ro, Yongsan-gu, Seoul

Red Room: Love Is in the Air

Red Room: Love is in the Air exhbition via Ground Seesaw

This love-themed exhibition of over 200 works features artists, Minzo King, Martina Matencio, and Stella Asia Consonni. You can visit this exhibition at Ground Seesaw Seochon (18-8, Jahamun-ro 6-gil, Jongno-gu, Seoul) from April 28th, 2022 to November 6th, 2022. Due to the nature of the content, it is only available to those 19 years of age or older. Early bird tickets can be reserved on Interpark.

Exhibition:
Red Room: Love is in the Air

Dates:
2021 April 28 to
2022 November 6

Where to Purchase Tickets:
Interpark

Location:
Ground Seesaw (Seochon), 18-8 Jahamun-ro 6-gil, Jongno-gu, Seoul

Joan Miro: Woman, Bird, Stars

Joan Miro exhibition at My Art Museum via Interpark

The works of the famous Spanish painter, sculptor, and ceramicist, Joan Miró, will be on display at My Art Museum (Textile Center Building B1, 518, Teheran-ro, Daechi 2(i)-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul) from April 29th, 2022 to July 1st. 2022. The world tour exhibition in collaboration with Fundació Joan Miró in Barcelona is coming to Seoul, South Korea after a stop in Pudong, Shanghai. Tickets are available pre-sale at Interpark.

Exhibition:
Joan Miro: Woman, Bird, Stars

Dates:
2021 April 29 to
2022 July 1

Where to Purchase Tickets:
Interpark

Location:
My Art Museum, 518 Teheran-ro, Gangnam-gu, Seoul

Poetic AI

Poetic AI exhibition via Ground Seesaw

There’s another digital art exhibition comprising of 6 parts at Ground Seesaw Myeongdong (9th floor, Avenue L – Lotte Department Store, 73, Namdaemun-ro, Jung-gu, Seoul) from April 7th, 2022 to October 6th, 2022. Reservations can be made on Interpark.

Exhibition:
Poetic AI

Dates:
2021 April 7 to
2022 October 6

Where to Purchase Tickets:
Interpark

Location:
Ground Seesaw (Myeongdong), Lotte Department Store (Avenue L), 9th Floor, 73 Namdaemun-ro, Jung-gu, Seoul

Legendary Louis Vuitton Trunks

Legendary Louis Vuitton Trunks via Interpark

Legendary Louis Vuitton Trunks The Exhibition will be on view from March 18th, 2022 to August 21st, 2022 at Insadong KOTE (7 Insadong-gil, Jongno-gu, Seoul). The world tour started in Sweden in 2018 and the Netherlands in 2016. You can purchase tickets on Interpark and Naver.

Legendary Louis Vuitton’s Trunk Exhibition is an immersive exhibition that you can experience the uniq ue trunks produced by designer Louis Vuitton since the 1850s, especially historical trunks owned by ‘Franklin D Roosevelt’, the 32nd president of US, ‘Ernest Hemingway’, who won the Nobel Prize in Literature by The Old Man and the Sea, and Hollywood actress Judy Garland, who dominated the 1960s, and Holly wood’s hottest star Sharon Stone in the 90s.

Legendary Louis Vuitton Trunks The Exhibition

Exhibition:
Legendary Louis Vuitton Trunks

Dates:
2021 March 18 to
2022 August 21

Where to Purchase Tickets:
Interpark

Location:
KOTE, 7 Insadong-gil, Jongno-gu, Seoul

The World of Tim Burton

Tim Burton exhibition at DDP, Seoul via Interpark

Tim Burton is a famous American film director, known for works like Tim Burton’s The Night Before Christmas, Corpse Bride, Edward Scissorhands, and Beetlejuice. There will be a Tim Burton exhibition at DDP (Dongdaemun Design Plaza, 281 Eulji-ro, Euljiro 7[chil]-ga, Jung-gu, Seoul) Exhibition Hall B2F in Seoul from April 30th, 2022 to September 12th, 2022. You can purchase advance tickets on Interpark.

Exhibition:
The World of Tim Burton

Dates:
2021 April 30 to
2022 September 12

Where to Purchase Tickets:
Interpark

Location:
Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP), 281 Eulji-ro, Euljiro 7(chil)-ga, Jung-gu, Seoul

Gucci Garden Archetypes

Gucci Garden Archetypes via Korea Herald

Just a heads up that there’s also another Gucci exhibition, called “Gucci Garden Archetypes.” However, when I looked at the tickets on Naver Booking, the entire month was sold out and they’re only running the show from March 4th, 2022 to March 27th, 2022.

I clicked on every day and time slot, and I was able to book one lonely ticket on a Friday but ended up canceling it as I decided I didn’t feel like rushing over after work. If you’re a big Gucci fan, I’d say try to look at the tickets from time to time in case there are any cancellations, but I wouldn’t get your hopes up.

Han Youngsoo: Once Upon the Sky

This photo exhibition by Han Youngsoo will be on view from September 9th, 2021 to March 20th, 2022 at Lotte World Tower Seoul Sky (117-123 floors, 300 Olympic-ro [Shincheon-dong], Songpa-gu, Seoul). You can purchase tickets on Interpark.

David Shrigley

David Shrigley via KMCA

David Shrigley exhibition will be on view at the K Contemporary Art Museum (KMCA 3F, 807 Seolleung-ro, Gangnam-gu, Seoul) from December 18th, 2021 to April 17th, 2022. You can purchase tickets on Interpark and Naver.

Philippe Halsman: Jumping Again

This Philippe Halsman photo exhibition will be on view at K Contemporary Art Museum (KMCA 2F, 807 Seolleung-ro, Gangnam-gu, Seoul) from December 4th, 2021 to April 3rd, 2022. Tickets are available to purchase on Interpark.

JUMP for the new me!! When you jump, the mask comes off. Whatever situation Philip Halsman faces, he finds the perfect picture he wants. Halsmann is a virtuoso with the best cinematography and is a master who showed his imagination to the fullest based on his technical perfection. When he jumps, he defies his gravity with a sudden burst of energy, causing him to lose control of his facial expression, face, and muscles in his limbs. At this moment, the mask is removed and the true self is revealed. Philippe Halsman captured that moment on camera. Through Philip Halsman’s Jumpology, we hope that you will take a moment to look at the personalities and mental states of the main characters in the photos, and to think about when we are truly in our best form. In this exhibition, you can see not only Philip Halsman’s jumping photos and portraits, but also photo sheets that have never been shown in the exhibition, as well as jumping photos of ordinary but special people who convey courage and hope.

KMCA

Kelly Beeman: Wish

Kelly Beeman: Wish Exhibition at Perrotin Gallery in Seoul, South Korea via Perrotin

US-based artist, Kelly Beeman, will display her works in a solo show at Perrotin Seoul (1F, 5 Palpan-gil, Jongno-gu, Seoul) from February 24th, 2022 to April 7th, 2022. Do keep in mind that Perrotin is closed on Saturdays and Sundays.

At the heart of Beeman’s works is a predicament between reality and fantasy, temporality and permanence in acts of escape versus the fantasy of escapism. While fashion and garment patterns play a central role in each painting, each background is a minimal landscape, as if the women exist on a theatrical stage. Each woman seems to be dreaming with desire for freedom, whether in reaction to the global shutdown or as a necessary release into selfhood and self-realization. Beeman is challenging herself to find meaning in our isolation, to form an almost mythical explanation for our need to be connected to nature, family and friends in times of uncertainty.

Perrotin

Teresa Freitas: Springtime Delight

Teresa Freitas Photo Exhibition via Naver Booking

Photographer, Teresa Freitas, will be showing her works at the Hyundai Seoul Alt. 1 Gallery (6F, 108 Yeoui-daero, Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul) from January 29th, 2022 to April 24th, 2022. Advance tickets can be purchased on Naver Booking.

Teresa Freitas is not an artist who simply takes pictures with a camera, but an artist who considers the richness of colors through an experimental process and approaches the material conceptually. Born in Lisbon and based in Portugal, she creates a fairy tale blend of nature, travel, architecture and dreams with vivid imagination. In particular, in this exhibition, the artist actively participates as a visual director, including planning, to provide an experience of walking through a pastel-tone film.

The Hyundai Seoul

Henri Matisse: Life and Joy

Étude pour la Vierge “Tête voilée”, Henri Matisse (1969) via Artsy

There’s another Henri Matisse retrospective on view at Hangaram Art Museum (Seoul Arts Center, Nambusunhwanro 2406, Seocho-gu, Seoul) that is on display from December 21st, 2021 to April 10th, 2022.

Over 200 original works including drawings, prints and art books will be shown as part of this exhibition, which is eager to illuminate the life and artistic world of Henri Matisse.

Seoul Arts Center

Ai Weiwei: Defend the Future

Ai Weiwei: Defend the Future at MMCA

Ai Weiwei’s works will be on view at the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art (MMCA) in Seoul (30 Samcheong-ro, Sogyeok-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul) from December 3rd, 2021 to April 17th, 2022.

《Ai Weiwei》is a retrospective of Ai Weiwei (b. 1957), a global installation artist, film director and an activist. It will introduce the artist’s representative works that embody his ways of thought. 〈Coronation〉(2020), a film that depicts the situation of Wuhan City following its shutdown in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic as well as 〈Omni〉(2019), a film made with VR technology will also be screened. Moreover, a site-specific project that deals with the current issues of 2021 will also be unfolded, which will be a new large-scale work that will be developed by taking into consideration the features of Museum Madang. The exhibition aims to look back on the role and impact of art within the society through the artist who has been dealing with major issues of the contemporary society (i.e. issue of democracy including surveillance and censorship in the modern society, human rights and solidarity of refugees).

MMCA

Chagall and the Bible

Marc Chagall via My Art Museum

This special bible-themed exhibition of the painter, Marc Chagall, will be on view at My Art Museum (B1, 518 Teheran-ro, Gangnam-gu, Seoul) from November 25th, 2021 to April 10th, 2022. Tickets are available on Interpark.

In November 2021, My Art Museum held a retrospective exhibition of the painter Chagall who left a mark in art history with his original materials and style, and the most important source of art creation for Chagall, the Bible. It will be held from the 25th to the 10th of April 22nd. Marc Chagall, a Russian-born painter who settled in France, spreads the message of life and love based on colorful colors and dreamy style, and is loved as one of the greatest painters of the 20th century along with Picasso and Matisse. . Unlike the previous Chagall exhibitions held several times in Korea, this exhibition includes 19 oil paintings and gouache, including and , which are in the possession of Chagall’s bereaved family with the theme of ‘the Bible’, which has not been dealt with alone. A total of 220 original works will be displayed, including masterpieces from the store, two large tapestries that are close to 4 meters tall, and the Kunstmuseum Pablo Picasso Münster collection in Germany. During the time he was drawing Bible-themed works, he developed his art world based on his love for mankind suffering from war and slaughter. This will be a time to fully appreciate the message of love for mankind that he delivers through the Bible.

My Art Museum

Kandinsky, Malevich & Russian Avant-Garde

“Improvisation” (1913) by Wassily Kandinsky via The Korea Times

This Russian avante-garde exhibition will include artists such as Wassily Kandinsky, Kazimir Malevich, Mikhail Larionov, Natalia Goncharova, Alexander Rodchenko and be on view at the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts (175, Sejong-daero, Jongo-gu, Seoul) from December 31st, 2021 to April 17th, 2022. Early bird tickets can be purchased on Interpark.

“Most of the 75 pieces to be showcased have never been seen by viewers in Korea before, except for two ― Kandinsky’s ‘Improvisation No. 217, Gray Oval’ and Malevich’s ‘Suprematism’,” Lee Hoon-suk, the show’s curator and an art historian, told The Korea Times.

The Korea Times

A Surreal Shock: Masterpieces from Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen

A Surreal Shock: Masterpieces from Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen at Hangaram Art Museum (SAC)

This exhibition includes around 180 pieces of art — including René Magritte and Salvador Dali — borrowed from the Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen (The Netherlands) and will be on view at the Hangaram Museum (2406 Nambusunhwan-ro, Seocho-dong, Seocho-gu, Seoul) from November 27th, 2021 to March 6th, 2022.

Salvador Dali: Imagination and Reality

Salvador Dali via GNC Media

The Salvador Dali exhibition will be on view at Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP) Museum, B2F Design Exhibition Hall (M1 Gate), from November 27th, 2021 to March 20th, 2022. Dongdaemun Design Plaza is located at 281 Eulji-ro, Euljiro 7(chil)-ga, Jung-gu, Seoul.

The first retrospective in Korea on the master of surrealism, Salvador Dalí is opening at DDP, presenting the Spanish artist’s oeuvre based on the collections from the Dalí Theatre-Museum in Figueres in Spain, the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía, and the Dalí (Salvador Dalí Museum) in Florida, United States.
After a long course of collaboration with the Salvador Dali Foundation, Salvador Dalí’s retrospective surveys the artist’s career and his genius talents by exploring the paintings chronologically from the artist’s early period to the last along with many interviews he conducted, film works, advertisements, fashion, and design, etc.

GNC Media

Tutankhamun: His Tomb and His Treasures

Tutankhamun Exhibition at the War Memorial of Korea via Tutankhamun.co.kr

The Tutankhamun exhibition is on view at the War Memorial of Korea (29 Itaewon-ro, Namyeong-dong, Yongsan-gu, Seoul) from June 22nd, 2021 to April 24th, 2022.

“Tutankhamun: His Tomb and His Treasures” is an exhibition at the War Memorial of Korea in Seoul’s Yongsan-gu District that displays replicas of the tomb of Egyptian pharaoh Tutankhamun and 1,300 relics. Prominent experts took part in the event with the Egyptian government’s support. Marking the centennial anniversary of the tomb’s discovery, which is considered the greatest of its kind in archaeological history, the exhibition features real-size reproductions of items found in the tomb, from the murals of tombs to golden masks. Visitors can experience the process of excavating the tomb and learn about ancient Egyptian history and culture.

Korea.net

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