Gimpo Media Art Center Welcomes 130,000 Visitors in Its First Year
Building a Future-Oriented Talent Platform from AI to Coding
Mayor Kim Byungsoo: "Four Pillars of Exhibition, Education, Creation, and Collaboration... Enhancing Cultural Competitiveness"
The Gimpo Media Art Center, established by Gimpo City in Gyeonggi Province, has welcomed over 130,000 visitors in just over a year since its opening, solidifying its position as a leading hub for media art culture in the western metropolitan area.
Gimpo City and Gimpo Cultural Foundation held the 'Media Festa,' a convergence media experience event, on the 29th to celebrate the 1st anniversary of the opening of the Gimpo Media Art Center. Photo shows the visible radio broadcast at the Gimpo Media Art Center. Provided by Gimpo City
According to Gimpo City on November 30, the Gimpo Media Art Center was able to achieve such remarkable results within a year because it serves as a platform where education, production, and exhibition can all take place in one location, going beyond the functions of a simple educational or exhibition space. In addition, strategic collaborations with both domestic and international organizations-including the Cultural Heritage Administration, Gyeonggi Province, Korea Creative Content Agency, Asia Culture Center Foundation, and Gyeonggi Content Agency-were key to its early success.
On November 29, Gimpo City and the Gimpo Cultural Foundation held the ‘Media Festa’ to mark the first anniversary of the Gimpo Media Art Center’s opening, sharing the achievements of the past year with citizens. Through this event, the Gimpo Media Art Center demonstrated its role as a platform nurturing future-oriented talent, from artificial intelligence to coding, preparing the next generation for the future.
Over the past year, the Gimpo Media Art Center has offered customized programs for all age groups, from infants to seniors, leading to the production of a total of 188 pieces of content. The center also collaborated with local artists and citizens to create and showcase 3D media art modeling. At the same time, it expanded its reach by producing content with renowned media artists and field experts, as well as by engaging in AI film content production.
Citizens participating in the Media Festa commented, “I thought the works were made by professionals. It’s amazing that such high-quality results could be achieved,” “I am proud that the work I created is exhibited here for other citizens to see,” and “It’s fascinating to be able to learn AI and coding in such an enjoyable way. I am grateful that a place like this exists in Gimpo.”
Other highlights included the opening of an interactive media art exhibition along the Han River in Gimpo, a live broadcast of the citizen-produced podcast program ‘Visible Radio,’ a special lecture by AI expert and neuroscientist Professor Kim Daesik, and an exhibition of works produced through media art education. Citizens also enjoyed a variety of media art programs from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., including MR (Mixed Reality) sketch interaction, AI caricatures, popular animation dubbing, chroma key compositing, and busking performances at different times throughout the day.
Meanwhile, within just one year of opening, the Gimpo Media Art Center has held seven media art exhibitions, attracting a total of 45,407 visitors. Notably, after hosting special exhibitions of masterpieces by Henri Matisse and Gustav Klimt, 95.6% of attendees expressed their intention to revisit, indicating that the center successfully established strong recognition early on.
Gimpo City and the Gimpo Cultural Foundation held the 'Media Festa,' a convergent media experience event, on the 29th to celebrate the 1st anniversary of the opening of the Gimpo Media Art Center. The photo shows children enjoying the interactive media art exhibition 'World on Water.' Provided by Gimpo City
Strategic partnerships with domestic and international organizations also enabled the center to host media art content exhibitions without additional budget. As a result, 8,540 people visited the special exhibition ‘Golden Eternity, Melody of Colors,’ 7,536 attended the Cultural Heritage Administration collaboration ‘Strolling Through Traditional Gardens,’ 3,527 visited the special exhibition commemorating the 80th anniversary of Liberation, ‘Echoes Beyond Time,’ and 18,481 attended the Asia Culture Center Foundation collaboration ‘We Become Each Other.’
Positioning itself as ‘Media Center 2.0,’ the Gimpo Media Art Center goes beyond video screenings to integrate culture and art with media technologies such as AI and coding. Since its opening, the center has drawn attention from numerous organizations-including Seoul Metropolitan Government, Gochang County, Tongyeong City, and various education offices-who have visited for benchmarking purposes.
Mayor Kim Byungsoo stated, “Gimpo is evolving into a city where citizens feel pride, not only through changes in transportation and education but also through cultural transformation in daily life. In just one year, the Gimpo Media Art Center has established itself as a citizen-centered public cultural platform integrating media and art, strengthening Gimpo’s cultural competitiveness through its four pillars: exhibition, education, creation, and collaboration. We will continue to secure competitiveness by developing differentiated AI-based content and nurturing the next generation of creative talent. The city will make ongoing efforts to ensure that all citizens can enjoy daily culture through media.”
Lee Gyehyeon, CEO of the Gimpo Cultural Foundation, commented on the achievements, saying, “The Gimpo Media Art Center plays a central role in helping citizens understand and use media in a healthy way amid a rapidly changing media environment. We will continue to do our best to ensure that all generations can enjoy culture without media gaps.”
Gimpo City and the Gimpo Cultural Foundation held the ‘Media Festa,’ a convergence media experience event, on the 29th to celebrate the 1st anniversary of the opening of the Gimpo Media Art Center. The photo shows a busking performance. Photo by Gimpo City
The Gimpo Media Art Center, which aims to bridge media gaps across all ages, generations, and regions, was established at the end of 2022 after being selected for the Gyeonggi Regional Video Media Center support project. With 1.5 billion won from Gyeonggi Province and 1.5 billion won from Gimpo City, a total of 3 billion won was invested in the project. The center consists of eight spaces: the Media Art Hall, Media Wall, and Media Gallery for immersive media art exhibitions; the Video Studio, Radio Studio, Education Room, and Editing Room for media education; and the Community Room, which together have been restructured as spaces for citizens to enjoy culture and relaxation. The center officially opened in December last year.
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