2025 Korea Art Festival to Be Held September 1-30
Recommended "Must-See Exhibitions" for the Second Half of the Year
With about a month left until the 2025 Korea Art Festival, a list of 48 "must-see exhibitions" that visitors should not miss has been unveiled.
This selection focuses on major exhibitions scheduled to be held in the second half of the year at key public and private museums and galleries across Korea. Organized by the Arts Management Support Center, seven art journalists selected exhibitions expected to showcase the trends and diversity of Korean art. The panel of recommenders included Kim Daljin, Editor-in-Chief of Seoul Art Guide; Shim Ji-eon, Editor-in-Chief of Monthly Art; Lee Hyun, Editor-in-Chief of Art in Culture; Jung Ilju, Editor-in-Chief of Public Art; Noh Hyungseok, reporter at The Hankyoreh; Sung Sooyoung, reporter at Korea Economic Daily; and Moon Soyoung, reporter at Korea JoongAng Daily.
The solo exhibition of Eebul at the Leeum Museum of Art received unanimous recommendations from all seven journalists. This survey exhibition explores the entire life and artistic world of Eebul, a contemporary Korean artist with global influence. The exhibition delves deeply into Eebul's ongoing exploration of the relationship between humans and technology, utopian modernity, and humanity's progressive aspirations and failures. Co-organized by the Leeum Museum of Art and the M+ Museum in Hong Kong, the exhibition will run from September 4, 2025, to January 4, 2026.
The exhibition of Kim Changyeul at the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Seoul, also received numerous recommendations. This is the first survey exhibition since the artist's passing in 2021, drawing significant attention. The exhibition highlights Kim's lifelong dedication to the theme of water droplets, which he pursued after his solo exhibition in 1973. The exhibition will be held from August 22 to December 21, 2025.
The conceptual artist Gala Porras-Kim's exhibition at Kukje Gallery is also attracting interest. The exhibition explores Gala Porras-Kim's artistic focus on the journey of incomplete records, such as information lost as ancient artifacts make their way to the present day. The exhibition is scheduled to open on September 2, 2025.
"Storage Story" at the Seoul Museum of Art's Photography Museum, which opened in May as Korea's first public museum dedicated to photography, interprets the museum's construction process from the perspectives of sensory layers and the polyphony of media. Six artists have crafted an engaging narrative about the creation of the Photography Museum by exploring the construction site and materials, collected artifacts and documents from the building process, and the local historical, cultural, and geographical context. The ongoing exhibition will continue until October 12, 2025.
Other highly recommended exhibitions include "Jang Younghae Heavy Industries vs Hong Jinhwon" at the Buk-Seoul Museum of Art, "Lee Kangso (working title)" at the Daegu Art Museum, an invitational exhibition of mid-career artists at the Arko Art Center, "Black," an exhibition linked to the Jeonnam International Ink Biennale, Kim Minjung's solo exhibition "Timeless" at Gallery Hyundai, and Lee Jinju's solo exhibition at Arario Gallery.
Exhibition information is available in Korean, English, Chinese, and Japanese on the official Korea Art Festival website under the recommended exhibitions section.
Kim Jangho, head of the Arts Management Support Center, said, "There are beautiful museums and hidden gem-like artists and works all across Korea," adding, "When the cool autumn arrives, I hope you take a lighthearted trip to a museum, like going on a picnic after a long time."
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