Busan Museum of Modern Art Unveils Key Operational Directions and Exhibition Lineup for This Year

'Locality', 'Gwanzong', and 'Digital Environment' Themes Explored in Depth Exhibition

11 Exhibitions Including Global Media Artist Nam June Paik Retrospective

Realizing 'Eco-Friendly Museum' Through Social Value Management (ESG) Implementati

Busan Museum of Modern Art, marking its 6th anniversary this year, has unveiled its institutional operation innovation direction and exhibition lineup to strengthen its identity as a leading regional museum and to leap forward as an international art museum.

A vertical garden created on the outskirts of Busan Museum of Modern Art.

First, the museum plans to establish a network within the art world, including domestic and international museums, and to lay the foundation of this emerging museum by hosting a total of 11 exhibitions that reinterpret social phenomena and regional characteristics through contemporary art in a public-friendly manner, presenting new discourses.

In February, a large-scale curated exhibition titled "This Is Not Busan: Tactical Practices" will be held, gathering various curators and artists active mainly in Busan to reflect on the issues and practices derived from the concept of ‘locality’ and to explore the meaning of locality in the contemporary era.

Following this, in March, an international curated exhibition titled "Skillful Attention Seekers" will be held, categorizing various layers of ‘attention seekers’ appearing in contemporary art and exploring the history of attention from the past to the present.

After the Busan Biennale (August to October), three curated exhibitions will be held simultaneously in November. First, a large-scale retrospective of world-renowned media artist Nam June Paik titled "My Festival Has No Rough Edges" will be presented. This special exhibition is co-hosted with the Nam June Paik Art Center and is expected to contribute to the spread and development of Korean museum culture through continuous material and human exchanges between public museums.

Next, to share social concerns and reflections on the environment and ecosystem of future society, the annual exhibition "Busan MOCA Platform," which began last year, will be held under the title "2024 Busan MOCA Platform Sorry Dave, But I Can't" this year, addressing the sustainability of future environments through the fusion of digital intelligence technology and the substantial connection and interaction between humans and the environment.

Additionally, the museum plans to expand cultural enjoyment opportunities and create a comprehensive cultural space to provide high-quality visitor services through exhibitions and educational programs targeting all social classes.

The final exhibition held in November, "Ten Eyes," which can be enjoyed together by both disabled and non-disabled visitors, attempts to decentralize the mainstream visual-centric senses and contributes to enhancing the museum’s public nature by expanding opportunities for diverse audiences to engage with contemporary art.

Moreover, the museum will actively expand public-friendly educational and cultural programs considering the characteristics of different life stages. A new art-related "Career Experience Program" for youth will be introduced this year, along with the children’s educational cultural program "Kkomjirak," which helps understand the diverse artistic worlds of artists, the senior-targeted educational program "Sabujak Sabujak," which encourages social participation through art, and open educational programs that anyone can participate in, including those that strengthen the expertise and capabilities of museum professionals.

In the second half of the year, the museum aims to establish itself as a leading institution of advanced convergence culture and arts by expanding digital platforms so that citizens can enjoy exhibitions anytime and anywhere beyond spatial boundaries, thereby enhancing communication.

Furthermore, to improve visitor services and convenience, the museum plans to reorganize the information desk, cafeteria, and museum shop, and install a coatroom and lockers. Along with this, following the rooftop observatory built in 2023, a rooftop restaurant will be created to allow visitors to enjoy the beautiful scenery of Eulsukdo.

This year, the museum will firmly establish its identity and lay the foundation for practicing social value management (ESG) to realize an "eco-friendly museum."

Based on the rhizome’s non-hierarchical connection structure symbolizing horizontally spreading roots, a new M.I. symbolizing the variability and fluidity of contemporary art will be applied both indoors and outdoors to unify the design system and strengthen communication with visitors.

To implement an "eco-friendly museum" through social value management (ESG), starting in March, an outdoor project linked to exhibitions titled "Re: Bird-Bird-Chair" will be conducted in outdoor spaces and the lobby, producing practical furniture using recycled plastic modules to enhance coexistence with nature and sustainability.

From April, the museum will hold the "Deokji Deokji Sticker" exhibition in collaboration with domestic and international graphic designers. Some of the stickers produced in the exhibition will be available for purchase at the revamped museum shop along with art products developed from eco-friendly materials, which is expected to improve the museum’s brand marketing and recognition.

Finally, aiming to collect about 1,000 artworks by 2028, the museum’s 10th anniversary, it plans to deepen academic research functions for collection policies including media artwork acquisition, preservation, and utilization.

Currently holding 315 pieces, the museum will establish plans to expand the collection and activate the permanent exhibition "Collection Island," which opened in September 2023, to strengthen the linkage system of core museum activities centered on collection management, research, exhibitions, education, scholarship, and publishing. This year, "Collection Island" will feature works by collection artists Marc Lee, STUDIO1750, Baek Hyun-joo, and DIS.

Additionally, the museum plans to publish the "Busan Museum of Modern Art Archive 2018?2023," summarizing the museum’s operations and project outcomes over the past five years.

Kang Seung-wan, director of Busan Museum of Modern Art, said, "As we mark the 6th anniversary of the museum’s opening this year, we ask for the public’s great interest and participation in the exhibitions and various cultural and educational programs prepared for everyone to enjoy," adding, "We will operate the museum steadily to leap forward as an international contemporary art museum representing Busan."