Park Han-sol reports on Korea's financial regulators, along with fintech and insurance. She previously wrote about the art world, from biennales and exhibitions to fairs and auctions, with a focus on Seoul and the figures shaping the scene. Before joining The Korea Times, she spent a year at ABC News' Seoul bureau, contributing to coverage of major Asia-Pacific events.
Apps, celebrity-narrated audio guides, designer scents attract young art lovers to exhibitions
Visitors to the Museum SAN, nestled atop a lush mountain in Wonju, Gangwon Province, view the original sketches, blueprints and models exhibited at Japanese star architect Tadao Ando's traveling retrospective, “Youth.” Courtesy of MAG PR & Image
By Park Han-sol
By Park Han-sol
A visibly growing number of young art enthusiasts in recent years, coupled with the rising perception of exhibitions as immersive, experience-centered spaces, are bringing changes to the viewing trend of audiences to museums.
In the past, blockbuster exhibitions teemed with large group tours ― provided by the museums or independent travel agencies ― with guides using microphones to provide commentaries about the displayed art pieces.
Nowadays, however, these excursions have become much more private ― and quiet ― as more visitors choose to focus on their individual experiences with the artworks using audio guides or smartphone apps offered by the museums.
Such a change in the viewing trend is evident in two major shows that are attracting a large number of audiences: “Edward Hopper: From City to Coast” at the Seoul Museum of Art (SeMA) and “Tadao Ando: Youth” at Museum SAN in Gangwon Province.
“Youth,” which has welcomed over 100,000 visitors since its opening in April, has confirmed that its online audio guide has been accessed at least 70,000 times ― an 11-fold increase compared to the previous show put forth by the museum. SeMA similarly noted that over 64,000 audio guide devices have been rented out as of July 23 for the exhibition, “From City to Coast,” which has had more than 220,000 visitors so far.
Visitors to the Seoul Museum of Art (SeMA) in central Seoul stand in front of Edward Hopper's “Soir Bleu” (1914) on display at the American realist master's first-ever retrospective in Korea. Newsis
Choi So-ra, an office worker in her 20s who frequents exhibitions across Seoul, pointed out that traditionally guided group tours often made it difficult to appreciate the artworks up close for the desired amount of time due to the crowds and time limit.
“With apps or online audio guides, I can still enjoy the stories about the show while spending as much time as I want to in front of each piece. If I missed anything, I can always go back,” she added. “I think the convenience of being able to use personal devices like smartphones and headphones also appeals more to the younger generation who are already familiar with mobile streaming services.”
“Since most of the audio guides available nowadays can be accessed via mobile apps or links, they do easily align with the needs of young visitors,” Lee Seung-ah, curator of SeMA's Hopper show, told The Korea Times. “Additionally, individualized audio tours can increase visitors' level of immersion, as they prevent visual distractions that may occur with print guidebooks or captions.”
“It seems that the younger generation values having their own tailored experiences when it comes to art shows,” Choi Yong-june, chief curator at Museum SAN, noted. “When exploring the exhibits, they tend to appreciate being given the liberty to enjoy the art pieces at their own pace and take photos, (and audio tours suit such needs.)”
“Squid Game” star Lee Jung-jae records a narration for the audio guide for the immersive group show, “Sublime,” currently mounted at Museum Wave in Seoul's Seongbuk District. Courtesy of Museum Wave
As young art lovers increasingly favor using audio guides during their museum visits, more exhibition organizers are bringing in celebrities to record the narration to grab the attention of visitors.
For SeMA's “From City to Coast,” actor Yoo Ji-tae is featured as an “audio docent” to provide information and context behind 25 of Hopper's paintings, out of more than 270 pieces and archive materials, on view. Museum SAN's “Youth” invites actor Jung Kyung-ho to narrate the descriptions of artworks for both the sighted and the visually impaired.
Other ongoing shows equipped with star-narrated audio guides across Korea include: Museum Wave's group exhibition “Sublime” with “Squid Game” star Lee Jung-jae, Hangaram Art Museum's “Raoul Dufy: Colorful Symphony” with actor Park Bo-gum and the Theatre des Lumieres' multimedia show “Dali: The Endless Enigma” with actor Lee Chung-ah.
Curators say the participation of popular celebrities in audio guides plays a huge role in promoting exhibitions ― an important quality for museums that usually have limited marketing budgets.
“Fans would share with each other what their favorite stars have been up to and enjoy visiting places that these personalities were a part of as a way to be closer to them. Even for the general public, the presence of well-known celebrities naturally has an impact on the exhibition's publicity,” said Choi of Museum SAN.
“Hearing a familiar voice can also make the viewing experience more comfortable. It can play a role in lowering the threshold of (contemporary) art exhibitions for people.”
When it comes to the criteria for selecting personalities for the project, the focus is placed on finding someone whose voice complements the overall atmosphere and tone of the exhibit.
“We prefer an individual who can engagingly convey the emotions and sensations associated with the pieces as if speaking in the voice of an artist, rather than mechanically delivering what is written in the script,” he noted.
One other important factor that can be taken into account, according to SeMA's Lee, is whether the star has shown consistent interest in the visual art scene. Yoo has long been known as an art lover and also participated in the recording of the audio guide for the 2015 Mark Rothko retrospective that attracted over 250,000 visitors.
Installation view of the recently-wrapped up “BLISS POOL,” Bolivian-American artist Donna Huanca's first solo exhibition in Korea at Space K Seoul / Newsis
In addition to celebrity-narrated audio guides, some exhibitors introduce another intriguing component to further enhance the viewers' sensory immersion: fragrance that has been specially designed to accompany the artworks on display.
“BLISS POOL,” Donna Huanca's first solo exhibition in Korea at Space K Seoul that wrapped up in June, featured a mystical scent created by the Bolivian-American artist herself with palo santo wood and burnt hair.
Similarly, for “Kiki Smith ― Free Fall,” the first public museum retrospective in Asia that delved into the American artist's surreal, evocative oeuvre, SeMA filled its space with a scent produced through a collaboration between Smith, a perfumer and curator. The aroma, which was a blend of amber, ho wood, geraniums and vetiver root to symbolize the show's main theme, was also sold as room sprays during the exhibition.
“By awakening the olfactory senses, the museum aimed to offer visitors a viewing experience that goes beyond the visual elements ― a chance to perceive the exhibition in a new way. This enables them to retain particular memories and impressions of the show and the space for a much longer time,” noted Lee Bo-bae, the curator behind Smith's SeMA exhibition.