Seoul opens its first public museum devoted to new media art

An aerial view of the Seo-Seoul Museum of Art (Seo SeMA) in Seoul's Geumcheon District / Courtesy of SeMA

In western Seoul, a brand-new home for new media has opened its doors. The Seo-Seoul Museum of Art (Seo SeMA) is the city’s first public museum devoted entirely to the genre.

Its debut Thursday completes the network of eight branches and art platforms operated by the Seoul Museum of Art across the capital.

Exhibitions and collections here center on works that incorporate moving image and sound, alongside performance, conceptual art, internet art and software-based practices.

“What we call new media goes beyond cutting-edge technology and computer-based tools. It is experimental art that uses a wide range of media to explore the beings around us — the material and immaterial, the human and the nonhuman,” said Park Na-woon, inaugural director of Seo SeMA, at a press conference at the museum. “In that sense, we envision this as an institution for new media art in its broadest definition.”

She added that, as the first public art museum in Seoul’s southwestern region, the institution also focuses on lowering barriers to expand cultural access for local residents.

The building, designed by architect Kim Chan-joong of THE_SYSTEM LAB, pairs transparency with textured metal. The ground floor is wrapped in glass walls, while the upper facade is clad in hammered stainless steel, its dimpled metallic surface scattering light.

A scene from Hwang Soo-hyun's performance "World" / Newsis

Three presentations inaugurated Seo SeMA.

“SeMA Performance: Breathing” considers breath both as the movement of air and a condition for sustaining life. Through performance-based pieces by 27 artists and collectives, the exhibition reflects on the traces of human action circulating through the air we share.

“Mneme Topos” unfolds in the institution’s in-between spaces — the lobby, courtyard and loading dock shutters — tracing memories embedded in the site. The show turns to the building’s decade-long construction process and the impressions it has left on local residents.

"Quivering Air" by GRAYCODE and jiiiiin is presented as part of the museum's inaugurating performance. Newsis

Outdoors on the lawn, “SeMA Project V_Yaloo” presents “Shin In-ho Landing.” The project centers on a fictional 86-year-old K-pop idol, whose looks are modeled on the artist’s grandmother. Reimagined as a pirate invading a data bank, her presence blends family history and digital mythology.

Coming in May, “The Transparent |Adolescent| Machine of Western Seoul” will offer a first glimpse into the museum’s collection, unveiling over 10 large-scale works. Among them is “Argos” by Kim Yun-chul, who represented the Korean Pavilion at the 2022 Venice Biennale. The installation functions as a giant muon detector; each time a particle from cosmic radiation is detected in the air, it responds with a flash of light.