Must-See Exhibitions in Seoul this May
Installation view of Lee Ufan’s solo exhibition in Kukje Gallery, Seoul. Courtesy of Kukje Gallery, Seoul.
Warmer days in Seoul invite us to one of the best seasons for exhibition-hopping across museums and galleries. This May selection includes highly anticipated exhibitions such as Lee Ufan's solo show at Kukje Gallery, the artist's first exhibition after 12 years. Adding to the list, the Seoul Museum of Art is hosting, in collaboration with the Whitney Museum of Art, the very first exhibition of Edward Hopper in Korea. Highlights also include Heidi Bucher’s retrospective at the Art Sonje Center and the group show The New, New at the recently opened Peres Project.
Edward Hopper: From City to Coast
at Seoul Museum of Art, Seoul
Apr 20 – Aug 20, 2023
Curated by SeMA and the Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, From City to Coast is the first solo exhibition on Edward Hopper in Korea. Hopper, a leading figure in modern art, captured the sentiments and landscapes of 20th-century America in his works. The exhibition includes 270 pieces, including drawings, prints, oil paintings, watercolors, and materials from the Sanborn-Hopper Archive. The presentation is divided into eight sections, providing an overview of the artist's life and artistic universe.
Edward Hopper, Second Story Sunlight, 1960. Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; purchase with funds from the Friends of the Whitney Museum of American Art 60.54. ⓒ 2023 Heirs of Josephine Hopper/Licensed by SACK, Seoul
General Admission
17.000 won.
Ticket Information
Opening Hours
Tue-Fri: 10 AM - 8 PM
Sat-Sun: 10 AM -7 PM
Heidi Bucher: Spaces are Shells, are Skins
at Art Sonje Center, Seoul
Mar 28 – Jun 25, 2023
Spaces are Shells, are Skins is a retrospective exhibition featuring various architectural and spatial installations, drawings, textiles, and performance art pieces that prioritize the liberation of the body and resist hierarchical structures. Bucher, a prominent artist of the international neo-avant-garde, was trained in fashion and textiles and explored the moving body as an integral part of her practice.
Installation view of Heidi Bucher: Spaces are Shells, are Skins at Art Sonje Center, Seoul. Courtesy of Art Sonje Center, Seoul.
General Admission
10.000 won.
Ticket Information
Opening Hours
Tue-Sun: 12 PM-7 PM
Game Society
at MMCA, Seoul
May 12 — Sep 10, 2023
Game Society delves into the impact of video games on contemporary art, visual culture, and society. It examines how society and video games have become strongly synchronized. The exhibition features 9 video games and over 30 artworks by contemporary artists influenced by video game aesthetics. The games on display include Korean video games and select loans from the Museum of Modern Art, New York (MoMA) and the Smithsonian American Art Museum (SAAM).
Cory Arcangel and Paper Rad, Super Mario Movie, 2005. ⓒ Cory Arcangel and Paper Rad,.
General Admission
2.000 won.
Ticket Information
Opening Hours
Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, and Sunday: 10 AM - 6 PM
Wednesday, Saturday: 10 AM - 9 PM
Hysteria: Contemporary Realism Painting
at Ilmin Museum of Art, Seoul
Apr 14 — Jun 25, 2023
Hysteria: Contemporary Realism Painting highlights the works of 13 Korean artists. The exhibition explores the concept of realism in painting, which involves representing the world through objective and empirical observation. The artists featured in the exhibition include Choi Gene Uk, Yeesookyung, Chung Suejin, Roh Choonghyun, Noh Sangho, Son Hyunseon, Lee Jaeseok, Lim Nosik, Jung Soojung, Ham Sungju, Kim Minhee, Cho Hyori, and Kim Hyewon.
Installation view of Hysteria: Contemporary Realism Painting at Ilmin Museum of Art, Seoull. Courtesy of Ilmin Museum of Art, Seoul.
General Admission
7.000 won.
Ticket Information
Opening Hours
Tue – Sun: 11 AM – 7 PM
Lee Ufan
at Kukje Gallery, Seoul
Apr 4 — May 28, 2023
The solo exhibition is the second with Kukje Gallery and the first the artist has presented in 12 years. The show includes six sculptures and four drawings that range from the 1980s to new works. The body of sculptures displayed is an extension of Lee’s Relatum series that began in 1968, as he became a leading figure in the Mono-ha (もの派) avant-garde movement.
Installation view of Lee Ufan’s solo exhibition in Kukje Gallery, Seoul. Courtesy of Kukje Gallery, Seoul.
General Admission
Free (with previous reservation)
Ticket Reservation
Opening Hours
Mon-Sat: 10 AM - 6 PM
Sun: 10 AM - 5 PM
CALDER
at Kukje Gallery, Seoul
Apr 4 — May 28, 2023
Calder presents the works of the acclaimed artist, including his iconic mobiles, bronzes, and works on paper. Using experimental material and abstract forms, Calder explored how sculpture activates the space, and the echo of his oeuvre continues to resonate until this day. The exhibition presents works spanning from the 1940s to the 1970 and focuses on how gesture and intuition underlie the artist’s mastery of movement.
Alexander Calder, Guava, 1955. Courtesy of the artist and Kukje Gallery, Seoul.
General Admission
Free (with previous reservation)
Ticket Reservation
Opening Hours
Mon-Sat: 10 AM - 6 PM
Sun: 10 AM - 5 PM
The New, New
at Peres Projects, Seoul
Apr 28 — Jun 11, 2023
The exhibition marks the inaguration of the new space in Seoul, prentin a group show by seven artists including Rafa Silvares, Emily Ludwig Shaffer, George Rouy, Anton Munar, Jeremy, Paolo Salvador, and Austin Lee. Working from their personal experiences and multicultural backgrounds, artists included in this exhibition explore figuration in relation to space, time and the digital world.
Installation view of The New, New at Peres Projects, Seoul. Courtesy of Peres Projects, Berlin, Seoul and Milan
General Admission
Free
Opening Hours
Tue–Friday: 10 AM – 7 PM
Sat–Sun: 11 AM– 7 PM
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