What is Chang Eun-woo showing at Seoul City Hall and what does it focus on?

Chang Eun-woo is presenting Traces of Seoul, a solo exhibition at Sky Plaza Gallery. It focuses on narrow alleyways, neighborhood streets and everyday urban scenes that are slowly disappearing under redevelopment.

Why does Chang Eun-woo use hanji in Traces of Seoul?

Chang uses cutting and layering of hanji, traditional Korean handmade paper, to show the transience of urban spaces. The technique is used to express memories, human connection and the passage of time embedded in architecture.

What can visitors do at the Seoul City Hall exhibition besides viewing the artwork?

Visitors can join a hands-on community workshop to create fabric screens with their own interpretations of Seoul scenery. The sessions will teach moving perspective, an East Asian painting method that combines multiple viewpoints into one composition.

Seoul City Hall exhibition explores fleeting memory of urban landscapes

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Summary

Seoul City Hall is hosting the solo exhibition Traces of Seoul by artist Chang Eun-woo at Sky Plaza Gallery from Aug. 13 through Nov. 2. The show looks at fading urban alleyways and neighborhood streets through layered hanji paper works. Visitors can also join workshops on Oct. 14 and Oct. 21 to make fabric screens using the moving perspective technique.

Key Facts

Chang Eun-woo was selected as one of three winners from 130 submissions for the 2026 Sky Plaza Gallery schedule.
Sky Plaza Gallery has run an annual artist selection program since 2014 on the eighth floor of Seoul City Hall.
The interactive workshops will take place on Oct. 14 and Oct. 21 at 3:30 p.m. and will last 60 minutes.
Each workshop is limited to eight participants and costs 5,000 won, including materials.

By Jhoo Dong-chan

Published Aug 13, 2026 3:25 pm KST

Artist Chang Eun-woo's work, 'Alley of Memory' / Courtesy of Seoul Metropolitan Government — Artist Chang Eun-woo's work, "Alley of Memory" / Courtesy of Seoul Metropolitan Government

Seoul is hosting a compelling new art exhibition that examines the lingering memories and subtle traces left behind by residents in a rapidly evolving metropolitan landscape.

“Traces of Seoul,” a solo exhibition by artist Chang Eun-woo, runs from Aug. 13 through Nov. 2 at the Sky Plaza Gallery, located on the eighth floor of Seoul City Hall. Overlooking the bustling expanse of Seoul Plaza, the gallery space has presented an annual artist selection program since 2014, offering local residents and international visitors free access to contemporary visual arts embedded within the heart of local government.

Selected as one of just three winning proposals out of 130 competitive submissions for the 2026 Sky Plaza Gallery schedule, Chang’s showcase shines a gentle light on Seoul’s narrow alleyways, neighborhood streets and everyday urban scenes. These spaces, often overlooked due to their quiet familiarity, represent a side of the city that is gradually disappearing under modern redevelopment.

To capture this transience, Chang uses a distinctive artistic technique of cutting and layering "hanji" — traditional Korean handmade paper — to create the images. Through this uniquely Korean medium, the artist portrays the accumulation of memories, human connection and the passage of time embedded within physical architecture. Chang’s unique approach to urban preservation has earned widespread recognition, including the Danwon Art Festival Artist Award and honors from E-Land Cultural Foundation and IBK.

In addition to viewing the artwork, visitors can participate in a hands-on community workshop to craft personal fabric screens featuring their own artistic interpretations of Seoul’s scenery. The workshops will teach the traditional East Asian painting method of "moving perspective," which allows creators to blend multiple vantage points into a single composition.

The interactive sessions will take place on Oct. 14 and Oct. 21 at 3:30 p.m. Each 60-minute workshop accommodates eight participants. The cost is 5,000 won ($3.50) per person, inclusive of all materials.

This article was published with the assistance of generative AI and edited by The Korea Times.

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