Bus Stop Boarding Area → 'Exhibition Space for Works by 60 Young Artists'

Seocho-gu to Operate 'Seoripul Bus Stop Gallery' Until Year-End
Providing Space for Young Artists to Pursue Their Dreams
Cultural Space in the City for Residents

The artwork "Children Crossing the Stone Bridge" by a young artist installed at the village bus stop boarding area. (Photo by Seocho District Office)

Bus stop shelters at various village bus stops throughout Seocho-gu, Seoul, are being transformed into beautiful exhibition spaces showcasing artworks by young artists, reborn as beautiful galleries in everyday life. Seocho-gu announced on the 29th that it has installed and started operating the ‘Seoripul Bus Stop Gallery’ at 20 village bus stop shelters in mid-April.

The ‘Seoripul Bus Stop Gallery’ is a project starting its second year this year following last year, planning to exhibit works by a total of 60 young artists on the advertising panels of village bus stop shelters from this month. Starting with the first exhibition this month, the gallery will operate in three phases until the end of the year.

The purpose is to provide young artists with exhibition spaces to realize their dreams and to offer residents waiting for buses a cultural space in the city where they can appreciate artworks in their daily lives.

This project is part of the ‘Seocho-gu Youth Gallery Project’ that Seocho-gu has been promoting. Since 2019, the district has connected young artists with local cafes to exhibit and sell their works in cafes.

Since last year, the project has expanded to outdoor locations, operating the ‘Seoripul Bus Stop Gallery’ at village bus stops and the ‘Seoripul Distribution Box Gallery’ on electrical distribution boxes on sidewalks. All artworks are selected through portfolio reviews by a panel of experts evaluating artistic quality and other criteria.

Through these efforts, from 2019 to this year, a total of 858 works by 290 young artists have been exhibited, with artists selling 39 pieces and earning approximately 23 million KRW in revenue. Notably, in the youth artist recruitment held this January, about 160 young artists applied, recording a competitive ratio of about 3 to 1, demonstrating high interest and response.

The 20 or so works to be exhibited this time include pieces that evoke empathy and stimulate emotions, such as ‘Children Crossing the Stone Bridge,’ capturing pure moments with rural nature, and ‘City Forest,’ depicting a world drifting away in search of freedom from a weary daily life.

Jeon Seong-su, Mayor of Seocho-gu, said, “This year’s Seoripul Bus Stop Gallery is expected to be a higher quality and more dignified exhibition,” adding, “We will actively support young artists’ exhibition activities and complete a cultural and artistic city where residents can enjoy culture and arts together in their daily lives.”