Five shows to see during Seoul art week
There are plenty of exhibitions to see beyond the fairs
Five exhibitions and events are featured during Seoul Art Week, showcasing a diverse range of contemporary art from Korea and beyond. Martin Parr's remarkable photographic work, captured in North Korea in 1997, is the focal point of a comprehensive exhibition at the Photography Seoul Museum of Art. This marks the first major survey of Parr's work since his passing last year, with over 500 photographs and all 89 of his photobooks on display.
Fourteen series are represented in the show, including "Small World", which explores how tourism can lead to homogenization, and "The Establishment", which focuses on the structures of Britain's upper classes. Parr continued to be curious about Korea even after his death, as revealed by the curator of the exhibition, Hyunjung Son, who mentioned they discussed the possibility of Parr taking new photos in Seoul.
Another standout exhibition is the first-ever large-scale showcase of Do Ho Suh's work in Korea, titled "Rubbing/Loving Project: Seoul Home (2013-22)". This exhibition features 200 of Suh's drawings, some of which were made in his primary school days. The show also includes Rubbing/Loving Project: Seoul Home, a large-scale installation made by rubbing his childhood house onto paper surfaces.
The South Korean pavilion at the 2024 Venice Biennale, curated by Koo Jeong A, aims to explore the peninsula's diverse olfactory memories. The exhibition, titled 'OUSSS', features works that blur the lines between contemporary art, science, daily life, superstition, and cosmology. A brand new piece, [MOBIOUSSS], will be unveiled at the Leeum Museum of Art, a monumental structure that resembles a crashed spacecraft and evokes the symbol of infinity.
Busan Biennale x Frieze Film Seoul 2026 presents a series of screenings at Songeun, curated by Amal Khalaf and Evelyn Simons. Eight multimedia artists who are also participating in this edition of the Busan Biennale showcase projects that delve into youth, club culture, and sociopolitical resistance worldwide. The screenings are divided into three blocks, each focusing on different aspects of these themes.
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