Ilmin Museum of Art

Located in front of the cultural geographical symbol of Korea, the Gwanghwamun Square in Seoul, Ilmin Museum of Art has been conducting various exhibitions since its opening in 1996 with the belief that artistic practice enriches life. While playing a pivotal role in reading the trends of today’s art, the museum has been active as a Contemporary art institution attracting attention from both domestic and international art scenes.

Ilmin Museum of Art strives to expand the organic communication between the arts and the public by exploring the aesthetic values ​​of everyday life engraved in the times and in life. The museum explores new possibilities of culture by collaborating not only within the field of art but also with diverse fields such as design, media, and architecture to generate and break ground for acute contemporary discourses. Featuring the only documentary archive in Korea and the publication of the visual culture theory periodical Ilmin Visual Culture, are few of the distinguished accomplishments that Ilmin Museum of Art has accumulated for a long period of time.

As a Contemporary art platform, Ilmin Museum of Art practices as follows.

– Organize exhibitions reflecting current affairs, the exoteric and the zeitgeist and provide associated humanities programs such as lectures, workshops, performances that will broaden cultural experience and understanding.
– Contemplate and research on the social function and direction of culture together with artists, scholars, and experts from various fields, and encourage active engagement of the public to arrange a space for dialogue where creative communication is possible.
– Pursue new community values ​​based on continuous exchange and cooperation with other cultures and form an international arts and culture network.

In addition, the 5th and 6th floors of the Ilmin Museum of Art is where the newspaper museum, Presseum, is situated, exhibiting the hundred year history of Korean newspapers. As these two museums coexist in the same building, it serves as a base for research on culture and art that looks into the past – which formed the present – and develops a futuristic paradigm.

Ilmin Museum of Art will zealously absorb the vibrant culture of the square from its surroundings where high-rise buildings, ancient palaces and the Cheonggyecheon stream come together, and continue to play a role as a progressive culture producer in the center of Korea.