[Walking Through Seoul] Why Do Murals Fail to Gain Public Support?

In the summer of 2007, while living in Kagoshima, Japan, I visited Korea whenever I had the chance. I saw the mural village in Ihwa-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul, in an in-flight magazine. Although I had lived in Hyehwa-dong in the 1980s, it was a somewhat unfamiliar place. Curious, I deliberately made time to visit the mural village. On a weekday afternoon, there were hardly any passersby. I had the 'Flower Staircase' and the 'Fish Staircase,' which later became famous spots, all to myself.

It was my first time seeing murals in a Korean city. In the 1970s, the middle school corridors I attended in Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA, were adorned with colorful murals. Portraits of Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X, as well as peace symbols representing the anti-Vietnam War movement, appeared in the murals. Murals could be seen not only in schools but also on building walls throughout the city, often displaying a distinctly rebellious spirit. Thanks to that influence, murals to me were expressions of a rebellious spirit.

The murals in the alleys of Ihwa-dong were naturally regarded as an extension of that framework. In the early 1980s, Korea was under a dictatorship, but after a long struggle, democracy was achieved in 1987. Since then, Korean democracy has continued to develop, and to my eyes, the Ihwa-dong mural village, which appeared about 20 years after democratization, seemed like a symbol freely expressing freedom of expression. Although quite different from the school murals I saw as a child, they appeared similar in that the act of expression was free.

The past appearance of the flower stairs in Ihwa-dong. Photo by Robert Fauzer

However, this perception changed when I started living in Korea again in 2008. I began to take an interest in the redevelopment of old neighborhoods and often walked around various parts of Seoul with people who shared similar interests. Everywhere we went, we encountered murals. As interest in cities spread nationwide, murals appeared frequently in old alleys. The paintings were generally similar in color and theme, making it difficult to find originality. Over time, discoloration and damage caused the murals to become eyesores.

By the mid-2010s, the Ihwa-dong mural village faced problems. As it was featured on TV and became a popular filming location, the number of visitors surged. It reached a state of over-tourism, and the residents' patience wore thin. After conflicts, the once-famous 'Flower Staircase' and 'Fish Staircase' were eventually covered with gray paint. After that, tourist numbers plummeted.

Having witnessed the history of the Ihwa-dong mural village?from before its fame, through its peak popularity, to its disappointing end?I could not help but reflect on the meaning of this phenomenon. The middle school corridor murals I saw as a child freely expressed freedom of expression but never attracted such attention. However, the Ihwa-dong murals once drew many people's eyes and occupied a mainstream pinnacle, only to be obscured under gray paint due to excessive intrusion by outsiders.

The mural-covered stairs in Ihwa Village, Jongno-gu, Seoul. Photo by Jin-Hyung Kang aymsdream@

So, what should be the character and role of murals in cities, and what should the meaning of urban landscapes be? Examples from cities around the world provide reference. In some cities, murals also originated from a rebellious spirit but gained attention as symbols of the city. Boldly painted murals can be easily found in many American cities. The Philadelphia murals are famous. Starting in the 1960s with the Black civil rights movement and various other movements, murals began to be painted in areas with many Black or Hispanic residents. Funding was secured through community fundraising rather than government budgets, and locations were decided through cooperation and consultation among residents, local merchants, and public institutions. The content of the murals often featured minority leaders or themes related to the cultures of the majority of immigrants. Local micro-histories were also included. These themes strongly reflected an intention to inspire pride in the history and identity of marginalized groups. Although American society has become more diverse since then, murals embodying this spirit continue to be updated.

In 1980, with the start of trading works by Keith Haring, a famous New York street artist, the mainstream art world began to take an interest in street art, leading to street art projects worldwide. Murals were naturally part of this. Through cooperation between local governments and the mainstream art world, professional artists were commissioned to paint murals in designated spaces.

The curator of Dulwich Picture Gallery, the UK's first public art museum, commissioned six murals from a street artist in 2011. The murals received a positive response from residents, and encouraged by this, several other artists were commissioned, resulting in about 40 murals filling a large residential area, creating today's 'Dulwich Outdoor Gallery.'

After the Berlin Wall fell in November 1989, the German Art Association commissioned about 100 paintings from artists from 21 countries, creating the 'East Side Gallery.' As the works deteriorated over time, a nonprofit foundation undertook restoration in 2009. The 'Fraternal Kiss,' depicting the kiss between Leonid Brezhnev, former General Secretary of the Soviet Communist Party, and Erich Honecker, former General Secretary of the East German Communist Party, was restored through this project. The 'East Side Gallery' began as a project within the art world to celebrate German reunification but is now designated and preserved as a cultural heritage site, beloved both domestically and internationally.

The Ihwa-dong mural village had a similar start but a very different outcome. The cause is also predictable. Looking back to the beginning, although it attracted much external attention and many tourists, the rationale for the mural village did not seem clear. There was no prominent trace of residents' active participation. It was approached merely as a sightseeing spot without justification or resident consensus. The bitter result was that they could not handle the consequences. From this perspective, before attempting to create attractions with beautiful and ingenious paintings in old alleys, it is essential to carefully consider the invisible reasons why such a project should exist in that area and the consensus of the residents living there. Only then can it become a meaningful space for both residents and visitors. Of course, such considerations are not only necessary for mural villages.

Robert Fauzer, Former Professor at Seoul National University