MMCA Seoul unveils its first permanent collection exhibition

From Kim Whan-ki to Kim Soo-ja: Korea’s artistic legacy on full display

In the “Abstraction” section that opens the permanent exhibition at the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Seoul, three works are featured: Kim Whan-ki’s pointillist painting Echo of Mountain 19-II-73#307 (1973) is flanked by Choi Wook-kyung’s Unfinished Story (1977) on the left and Lee Seong-ja’s Ancient Song of a Millennium (1961) on the right. Both Echo of Mountain and Ancient Song of a Millennium are part of the Lee Kun-hee Collection. /National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art

The National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Seoul, is drawing a surge of visitors in their 20s and 30s with its inaugural permanent exhibition. Titled “Highlights of Korean Contemporary Art,” the exhibition marks a significant milestone in the museum’s development, showcasing its evolution into a fully-fledged art institution. The show features 86 significant works spanning the 1960s to the 2010s, drawn from the museum’s permanent collection. A total of 83 artists are represented, including Kim Soo-ja, Kim Whan-ki, Moon Kyung-won & Jeon Joon-ho, Park Seo-bo, Park Yi-sou, Suh Do-ho, Sung Neung-kyung, Shin Hak-chul, Yang Hae-gue, Yoo Young-kuk, Lee Bul, Lee Seung-taek, and Lee Ufan.

Organized into six thematic sections—abstraction, experimentation, figuration, hybridity, conceptualism, and documentary—the exhibition opens with Kim Whan-ki’s “Echo of Mountain 19-II-73#307” (1973), a pointillist piece that immediately commands attention. Flanking the work are Choi Wook-kyung’s “Unfinished Story” (1977) and Lee Seong-ja’s “Ancient Song of a Millennium” (1961).

Visitors view the permanent exhibition at the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Seoul. /National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art

Kim Soo-ja, Bottari Truck – Migrateurs (2007). Single-channel video, color, silent, 9 minutes 17 seconds. /National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art

Among the most visited sections is “Space of Hybridity: Pluralism and Globalization,” which examines developments in Korean contemporary art since the 1990s. Works by Nam June Paik, Kang Ik-joong, Kim Soo-ja, and Suh Do-ho are presented in a dialogic layout of installations and video pieces. Notable works include Paik’s “Junk Wall” (1995), originally shown at his solo exhibition at the Kunstmuseum Wolfsburg in Germany, and Kim Soo-ja’s “Bottari Truck – Migrateurs” (2007). Both are on public view for the first time since entering the museum’s collection. Another centerpiece is Kang Ik-joong’s “Samramansang” (1984–2014), an expansive composition of more than 8,500 miniature paintings, each 3 inches square, spanning a 13-meter wall.

Kang Ik-joong’s Samramansang, on view at the permanent exhibition at the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Seoul. /Yonhap News

On the opening day, May 1, a 31-year-old visitor surnamed Seo said, “I initially came for the Ron Mueck exhibition, but the title ‘Highlights of Korean Contemporary Art’ caught my eye. I was amazed by the breadth of genres and the spectacle of the show. I had only been familiar with artists like Kim Whan-ki and Lee Ufan, but this gave me a broader view of more recent trends. I definitely plan to return.”

A visitor photographs Ha In-doo’s Mandala (left) and Lee Ufan’s From Line at the permanent exhibition of the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Seoul. / Newsis

The exhibition also drew a significant number of international visitors, many of whom were observed viewing the works with focused attention—an indication of the rising global interest in Korean contemporary art. Bae Myung-ji, the exhibition curator, said, “With this being our first permanent exhibition, we structured it to convey the passage of time in Korean contemporary art. We also considered how audiences from different generations and backgrounds could engage with the overarching context.”

Chae Yong-shin, Portraits of Heo Yu and Yoo In-myeong (1924–1925). On view at the permanent exhibition at the Gwacheon branch of the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art. /National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art

A corresponding permanent exhibition opened at the museum’s Gwacheon branch. Titled “Korean Modern and Contemporary Art,” it offers a comprehensive overview of Korea’s 20th-century art history, from the Korean Empire to the Korean War. Divided into two parts, the first section opened on May 1, featuring 145 works by 70 artists, including Chae Yong-shin, Koo Bon-woong, Lim Gun-hong, Oh Ji-ho, Park Rae-hyun, Kim Ki-chang, Lee Ung-no, and Lee Jung-seop. The display includes oil paintings by first-generation Western-style painters such as Kim Eun-ho, Na Hye-sok, Do Sang-bong, and Lee Jong-woo, alongside depictions of the Korean War’s devastation. Part two will open on June 26.

Exhibition view of the permanent show at the Gwacheon branch of the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art. /National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art

The museum’s expanded capacity to mount large-scale permanent collection exhibitions is largely attributed to the donation of the Lee Kun-hee Collection. Kim In-hye, head curator at the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, noted, “To host a permanent exhibition, you need a strong collection with enough works for rotation. That was something we previously lacked. We’ve since made significant strides, and the Lee Kun-hee donation was instrumental in making that possible.”

Museum director Kim Sung-hee added, “A museum’s collection is its foundation, and its permanent exhibition is its public face. This show is especially meaningful because we are now able to present 100 years of modern and contemporary Korean art—and its growing recognition in the global art world—entirely through our own holdings.”