Exhibition Features Interactive Images Responding to Visitors' Movements... 'Electric Shock'

At Seoul Museum of Art Bukseoul Branch Until March 22 Next Year
'Electric Shock' Exhibition

An exhibition has been organized to explore the close yet complex relationship between technology and the environment today, with 'electricity' as the medium. The exhibition features a variety of technologies, including mixed reality (MR) installations that respond in real time to visitors' movements, artificial intelligence (AI) that generates images and videos autonomously, and projection techniques that completely transform the atmosphere of a space.

Exhibition view of 'Electric Shock'. Provided by Seoul Museum of Art Bukseoul.

The Seoul Museum of Art announced on December 3 that it will host the exhibition 'Electric Shock', centered on the theme of 'electricity', at the Bukseoul branch until March 22 next year. The exhibition draws attention to the reality that electricity is not merely an energy source, but a tool of power that determines survival. It takes an in-depth look at the social and environmental issues surrounding electricity, and seeks to reveal the ecological fissures hidden behind technology through the circuit of 'electricity'.

This exhibition features a total of nine works, including four new pieces and five existing works, presented by media artist groups Gyogakdeul, Kim Woojin, Park Yena, Song Yehwan, and the company eobchae. The exhibition is divided into two parts, offering a multidimensional perspective on the issues of technology and the environment from both present and future viewpoints.

Part 1, 'Electricity, Always by Our Side', addresses the technological and environmental challenges we face today, posing fundamental questions about our attitudes and anthropocentric thinking. Part 2, 'Electricity Supply Interrupted', imagines an extreme scenario in which electricity is cut off, visualizing potential disasters of the future and presenting experimental works that seek to overturn conventional thinking.

Associated programs have also been prepared to expand the exhibition. On December 12, a roundtable titled 'Gamjeon-sa', organized in collaboration with the School of Convergence Liberal Arts at Seoul National University of Science and Technology, will be held, where experts in electrical engineering, power generation, and science fiction will explore the multifaceted significance of 'electricity' today. In February next year, a 'Talk with the Artists' will invite participating artists to discuss the essential conditions, limitations, and possibilities of electricity in media art.

Choi Eunju, Director of the Seoul Museum of Art, stated, "This exhibition is a special project that begins with the museum's 2025 exhibition agenda, 'Planet', and encompasses the 2026 institutional and exhibition themes of 'Creation' and 'Technology'. I hope it serves as an opportunity to reflect on the important issues of technology and the environment, and to share questions about the future of our planet."