Former Cold War bunker in Seoul hosts art exhibition on peace and nature
A promotional poster for the upcoming "Afterimages of Peace" art exhibition in northeastern Seoul / Courtesy of Seoul Metropolitan Government
At a former Cold War military outpost in northern Seoul, a new public art exhibition is set to open in a tranquil garden, inviting visitors to reflect on how traces of division and conflict can transform into spaces of peace and ecological renewal.
The Seoul Metropolitan Government said Tuesday that the exhibition “Afterimages of Peace” will run from Saturday through Dec. 13 at Seoul Iris Garden in Dobong District, a park near Mount Dobong in the northeastern part of the capital.
The show is the first part of a public art project linking the garden with the nearby Peace Culture Bunker. The bunker is a former anti-tank defense facility, built around 1970 on a route North Korean tanks used to invade Seoul during the 1950-53 Korean War. It reopened as a cultural venue in 2017.
The exhibition features six works by two teams of emerging artists and four student teams from Seoul National University, Seoul National University of Science and Technology, Hanyang University and Hongik University. The works explore the relationship between forests and nature, and between people and the environment.
One is a set of bird shelters made from industrial ducts, highlighting how birds that nest in pipes are often driven out. Another is a group of sculptures that visitors can play like musical instruments, and a third reinterprets the traditional Korean folding screen using rice straw panels.
An opening ceremony will be held at 3 p.m. Saturday, alongside programs including artist-led tours, knitting workshops and a treasure hunt. Some programs require advance booking through the city’s public service reservation system.
Forest tours and hands-on activities will continue throughout the exhibition, and a second exhibition is scheduled to open at the Peace Culture Bunker next spring.
“This project links the rich history and nature of the Peace Culture Bunker and Seoul Iris Garden through public art, offering a shared journey with citizens to uncover new meaning,” said Choi In-kyu, who leads the Design Policy Bureau at the Seoul Metropolitan Government. “We invite the public to discover new artistic visions through the exhibition and build a closer connection to public art by joining these interactive community programs.”
This article was published with the assistance of generative AI and edited by The Korea Times.