MMCA to remain open over Lunar New Year holiday, with free exhibitions

The museum will not require vaccine certification after the government eased rules for museums

MMCA’s Cheongju location in North Chungcheong Province, established in 2018 (MMCA)

The National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea will operate all four of its locations over the Lunar New Year holiday from Monday through Wednesday, offering exhibitions free of charge. The Seoul branch will be closed on Tuesday, or Lunar New Year’s day.

The exhibitions on view are “Ai Weiwei: Defend the Future” at its Seoul branch; “To the World Through Art, Highlights of MMCA Global Art Collection from the 1980s-1990s” at the Cheongju branch; “Park Soo Keun: The Naked Tree Awaiting Spring” at the Deoksugung location; and “Wook-kyung Choi, Alice’s Cat” at the Gwacheon branch.

In commemoration of the Year of the Tiger, a total of 80 visitors to the four museums on Jan. 31 who are tigers themselves -- born in 2010, 1998, 1986, 1974, 1962 and 1950 -- will be given two free tickets to the museum they can use at a later date on a first-come-first-served basis, according to the museum.

Online reservations are required to visit the exhibitions and can be made on the museum’s official website. The Korean government eased the vaccine pass mandate on Jan.18 for museums, allowing visitors to enter without proving their vaccination status. While the number of visitors is not limited for exhibitions at the four venues, “MMCA Lee Kun-hee Collection: Masterpieces of Korean Art” only allows 60 people for each of its 8 time slots.

The museum’s four locations operate from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m, and the Seoul and Deoksugung branches will remain open until 9 p.m. over the holiday.

By Park Yuna (yunapark@heraldcorp.com)

By Park Yuna(yunapark@heraldcorp.com)