Hannam-dong
Rising as a hotspot for artwork and tradition inside the previous ten years is fashionable Hannam-dong. Not solely is that this neighbourhood well-known for its nightlife and powerful worldwide character, it additionally boasts a number of the priciest actual property in all of Korea—the official residence of President Yoon Suk Yeol is situated right here. At road stage, it’s thought-about one of many metropolis’s greatest locations for people-watching, notably on the weekends.
Leeum Museum of Artwork is the jewel of Hannam-dong’s artwork scene, with its unparalleled assortment of conventional Korean artworks and formidable line-up of latest exhibitions. Simply steps away, Tempo’s expansive Seoul location (the gallery’s largest, save for its NYC headquarters) gives three flooring of gallery area plus a teahouse/cocktail bar, whereas Lehmann Maupin, Thaddaeus Ropac and Varied Small Fires are additionally inside strolling distance, as are home sellers reminiscent of Gallery Baton, ThisWeekendRoom and Foundry Seoul. A neighbouring hillside harbours yet one more pocket of galleries alongside Gyeongnidan Road: the native mainstays P21 and Whistle have been there for years, not too long ago joined by the European energy gamers Esther Schipper, Eva Presenhuber and König Galerie.
Samcheong-dong
That is Seoul’s historic hub of arts and tradition, nestled within the shadow of two Joseon Dynasty palaces. Perched atop a small hill to the north is Bukchon Hanok Village, the place picturesque views function a backdrop for numerous pristine examples of conventional Korean structure. On the weekends, this standard vacation spot teems with vacationers sporting hanbok, conventional Korean clothes, rented on an hourly foundation.
The neighbourhood is anchored by three main up to date museums: MMCA Seoul and Artwork Sonje Heart, which helped propel the careers of Korean artwork luminaries together with Lee Bul, Do Ho Suh and Seoyoung Chung within the early 2000s, and Seoul Museum of Craft Artwork, the place historic and up to date craftworks present the evolution of Korea’s artisanal traditions.
It’s additionally the place stalwart galleries reminiscent of Kukje Gallery and Gallery Hyundai are situated in shut proximity to different long-running business areas like Hakgojae Gallery, Arario Gallery, PKM Gallery, Shilla Gallery and Gallery Chosun. Current native additions to the prolonged record of galleries embody Peres Initiatives, Kiche, WWNN, Museumhead, Baik Artwork, Barakat Up to date and the model new Futura Seoul.
Cheongdam-dong
Because the playground of town’s elite, Cheongdam-dong is the place all the most important trend homes have opened boutiques designed by main architects—Louis Vuitton (Frank Gehry), Dolce & Gabbana (Jean Nouvel), Dior (Christian de Portzamparc) and Chanel (Peter Marino) amongst them. A lot of Seoul’s greatest artwork collectors additionally name this posh neighbourhood house, which has in flip attracted main galleries to cater to the well-heeled cohort based mostly right here.
The most recent landmark is the SongEun Constructing, designed by the Swiss agency Herzog & de Meuron. Beneath its concrete façade and imposing silhouette is SongEun, one of many metropolis’s premier non-profit artwork areas, whereas the equally influential Atelier Hermès occupies the underground stage of the French model’s flagship location close to Dosan Park.
Throughout the road from Hermès, the blue-chip galleries White Dice and Perrotin have arrange store because the undisputed heavy hitters of Cheongdam-dong, with the likes of Gladstone and Massimo di Carlo following suitwith their very own bricks-and-mortar areas close by. Homegrown galleries together with One and J. Gallery, Lee Eugean Gallery and G Gallery additionally vie for the eye of Cheongdam’s prodigious collector base.
Euljiro
As soon as town’s bustling industrial centre, crammed with lots of of textile and steel workshops, Euljiro has endured sweeping modifications in recent times as gentrification and redevelopment have displaced lots of of small-scale companies. Its gritty industrial appeal, nonetheless, makes this locale a hipster haven: late-night eating places hawk fried rooster, dried fish and spicy sea snails to clients who spill out into the slim aspect streets.
The realm’s artwork areas mirror this different identification by occupying non-traditional venues that may be difficult to search out, even for locals. House Cadalogs, Euljiro OF and Jungganjijeom are probably the most experimental and placed on group reveals by rising artists. Different areas like N/A, EveryArt, YK Presents, ArtSpace Hyeong and PS Heart serve up choices for extra adventurous guests who wish to uncover the following technology of artists from Seoul’s burgeoning artwork scene.
• Frieze late openings: Euljiro (2 September), Hannam (3 September), Samcheong (4 September) and Cheongdam (5 September)
