Public Design Featuring Art Transforms Various Locations in Jung-gu into Galleries

Six Artists Donate Talent to Transform Construction Site Barriers into a Single 'Art Piece'
Artworks Applied to Containers and Five Art Benches at Son Gijeong Sports Park Tennis Courts
Additional Artworks Added to KEPCO Ground Equipment Boxes in Hwanghak-dong and Bukchang-dong to Create Art Galleries

As March approaches and spring draws near, Jung-gu District in Seoul (Mayor Kim Gil-seong) is installing ‘public design facilities enhanced with artworks’ throughout the city center, bringing a fresh vibe to the urban environment.

The entire city becomes a single gallery, offering residents and pedestrians an enjoyable ‘walking experience.’

The district recently created the Construction Site Hoarding Design Guidelines (ver.4). Once merely physical barriers temporarily installed during construction to block noise and dust, these hoardings have now transformed into ‘artworks’ that shape the city’s image and improve its aesthetics.

Although the construction site hoarding design has been ongoing since its first implementation in 2014, this time it stands out by featuring high-quality works created through ‘talent donations from artists.’ Under the theme ‘Jung-gu Gallery Encountered on the Street,’ artists Kim Kyung-min, Kwon Chi-gyu, Park So-hyun, Kimi Jak, Drawing Mary, and Choi Eun-jung collaborated. Since the hoardings vary in size at each construction site, the artists restructured their works and provided them as high-resolution files for easy application.

This year, a contest open to local residents and artists is also planned. This will not only allow more diverse artworks to be displayed on the hoardings but also hold deep significance as the local community unites to improve the city’s aesthetics together.

Moreover, the tennis courts at Son Ki-jeong Sports Park recently received a makeover. The Sports and Tourism Department decorated newly installed containers within the tennis courts with tennis-related artworks by artist Kimi Jak, resulting in a livelier and brighter tennis park.

In Hwanghak-dong Furniture Street and Bukchang-dong Food Street, street art galleries have been created, combining functionality and aesthetics. The Korea Electric Power Corporation’s above-ground equipment boxes placed on the streets were used as canvases for artworks. Through this clever idea, the previously graffiti-covered equipment boxes were reborn as 54 pieces of art. This project also involved five developmentally disabled artists (Song Ji-soo, Jung Min-woo, Choi Byung-chul, Hong Young-hoon, Nam Kwang-sik) from the Jung-gu Disabled Welfare Center, who contributed their talents voluntarily.

Last September, local company Solago Development Co., Ltd. donated art benches worth a total of 100 million KRW. These benches have been installed in five frequently used parks, becoming ‘resting spots’ within the city and receiving positive responses from residents.

Kim Gil-seong, Mayor of Jung-gu, stated, “We will carefully attend to even the smallest details that are easy to overlook and add art wherever the eye falls. By incorporating design into the once barren urban landscape, we will enhance the city’s aesthetics, safety, and inclusiveness, thereby strengthening its competitiveness.”