South Korea opens its first museum dedicated to photography South Korea opens its first museum dedicated to photography

South Korea has opened its first public institution dedicated to photography, the Photography Seoul Museum of Art (Photo SeMA).

A new branch of the Seoul Museum of Art, the new museum is located in Dobong-gu in the northeastern part of the capital, spanning four floors above ground and two below.

The museum has acquired more than 20,000 works and archival materials created by key figures of Korean photographic history between the 1920s and 1990s.

Photo SeMA opened with two inaugural exhibitions, The Radiance: Beginnings of Korean Art Photography and Storage Story.

The former features the works of five artists – Jung Haechang, Lim Suk Je, Lee Hyungrok, Cho Hyundu, and Park Youngsook – and traces the evolution of the medium from its introduction in Korea through the late 20th century. The latter saw the museum  commission six contemporary artists – Dongsin Seo, Won Seoung Won, Jihyun Jung, Joo Yongseong, Melmel Chung, Oh Jooyoung  – to create new works that reflect on the founding process of the museum.

Through their pieces, visitors can explore the institution’s identity through photography as both a documentary tool and a medium of expression.

Choi Eunju, general director of the Seoul Museum of Art, said of the new opening, “Together with Buk-Seoul Museum of Art, we hope that Photography Seoul Museum of Art will become a new cultural anchor in the northeastern region of Seoul.

“By exploring photography as one of the most accessible yet critically positioned mediums in both the history of art and contemporary practice, we aim to establish this institution as Korea’s leading museum of photography and a prominent presence in Asia and beyond.”

SeMA has a number of different buildings scattered across the capital, including the Art Archives, Nam June Paik Memorial House and the main branch in Jeong-dong.

More information: sema.seoul.go.kr

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