16 French-speaking artists to open exhibitions in Busan, Seoul on Korea's rapidly changing landscape
A still from “The Old, The New and The Other” by Sebastien Simon / Courtesy of Sebastien Simon
By Bereket Alemayehu
A collective of French-speaking artists called Nuances is presenting a group exhibition in Busan from Thursday to Aug. 30, bringing together filmmakers, photographers and visual artists who examine how Korean cities and landscapes experience a continual cycle of demolition, redevelopment and transformation.
The exhibition, titled “ARCHÉOLOGIE DU PRÉSENT” (Archaeology of the Present), seeks to create a new form of contemporary archaeology where today’s disappearing spaces become tomorrow’s memories.
Drawing on the dual influence of French and Korean cultures, the collective offers a sensitive and original perspective on contemporary Korean society through the richness of its contrasts and its rapid transformations. The group includes mostly French artists, but its identity extends beyond nationality. Among the participating artists are a Belgian and two Korean artists who lived in France for many years and are fluent in French.
Celia Brisot's watercolor painting "Souvenir de Gurye" (2025) / Courtesy of Celia Brisot
Filmmaker Sebastien Simon, one of the organizers and participating artists, told The Korea Times that their group was formed after a French artist showcase at the Ulsan International Art Fair in 2025, where seven artists first came together through the support of the Alliance Francaise in Busan.
“Following the event, we decided to continue our collaboration and develop a larger collective project,” he said.
Simon, who has lived in Korea for 14 years, is a filmmaking professor at Dongseo University International College, where he teaches filmmaking to international students. He is also a programmer for the Busan International Short Film Festival.
French filmmaker Sebastien Simon / Courtesy of Sebastien Simon
The inspiration behind the exhibition comes from Korea’s fast-changing urban environment. As "involuntary archaeologists," the Nuances artists bring together their distinct artistic sensibilities to document these urban and societal transformations through photography, drawing, film, installation, music and performance.
Unlike traditional archaeology, which studies ancient civilizations and historical ruins, the artists explore the remains of the present, through places that disappear almost as soon as they are created.
“We are not actual archaeologists, but many of us were interested in how Korean landscapes and cities are being demolished and reconstructed, demolished and reconstructed again and again.”
A still image from "Être humain" (Being Human) by French filmmaker Nils Bouvyer / Courtesy of Nils Bouvyer
For the artists, this constant transformation creates a strange relationship with time. It's said that the artists are examining the emotional, historical, social and visual layers hidden within those changes.
“The change is constantly happening. It is nonstop,” Simon said. “Anything we feel strongly about, or anything someone captures in a photograph, almost feels like researching ruins — modern ruins.”
The concept also resonates personally with many residents in Korea who experience redevelopment firsthand. Beyond his role as curator and organizer, Simon is also presenting his own documentary 3D film work at the exhibition, titled “The Old, The New and The Other.”
His film focuses on the transformation of Busan's Haeundae Beach, particularly the impact of large-scale development projects, including new high-rise towers and the Haeundae Blueline Park tourist railway. The documentary, created using 3D filmmaking techniques, examines how urban development has reshaped the landscape and affected the lives of local residents.
Rather than documenting the construction process itself, the film explores the consequences after completion. “It is more about how the towers have completed the gentrification of Haeundae Beach,” he explained.
"Vous Etes Ici (You Are Here) 2026 Spacetime Capsule" by Stephane Mot / Courtesy of Stephane Mot
Through their diverse artistic practices, the members of the collective are asking a simple but profound question: What remains when everything around us keeps changing?
The exhibition invites visitors to explore the contemporary Korean landscape as though excavating an ancient archaeological site, revealing the multiple historical, social and cultural layers that coexist while simultaneously disappearing. Korea, a global laboratory of accelerated modernity, offers an exceptional field of observation where millennia-old traditions and hypermodernity continuously confront and intertwine with one another.
The exhibition is at the France Art Space in the Goeun Museum of Photography Annex in Busan's Haeundae District.
The group also plans to present the exhibition beyond Busan, bringing it to Seoul's KOTE Oct. 1-14, to reach an even broader public.
Follow @nuancesartistes on Instagram for more information.
Bereket Alemayehu is an Ethiopian photo artist, social activist and writer based in Seoul. He’s also the co-founder of Hanokers, a refugee-led social initiative, and a freelance contributor for Pressenza Press Agency.