Alternative Space LOOP

Alternative Space LOOP
LOOP opened its doors in 1999 in the Hongdae area of Seoul as Korea’s first ‘alternative space,’ with the firm belief that contemporary arts and culture have inherent, fundamental roles within an open civil society. To further solidarity, access, and sharing in art, LOOP has supported and promoted experimental artists who have built up particular aesthetics and practices that address contemporary social issues; shared current international artistic movements with the public via exchanges with artists from diverse locations; and focused on the point(s) at which the social, cultural, and artistic issues proposed by artists intersect and meet with the audience.

In 2019 Alternative Space LOOP celebrates its 20th anniversary and its new beginning as a nonprofit organization, in further commitment to its pursuit of art that is neither for private valuation nor for the elite few. The organization is made up of nine board members, all active cultural and artistic figures in Korea, and eighty general members. LOOP will henceforth function as an arts organization that is community- and public-oriented, and that engages with real social issues rather than pursue cultural authority through artistic processes and practices.

As Korea’s first-generation alternative space, LOOP remains dedicated to building alternative life philosophies and aesthetics in neoliberal times. LOOP refuses the co-opting of arts organizations by a powerful minority for political or economical purpose. LOOP will continue to create its own system of organization that protects art’s autonomy and imaginative power. LOOP’s activities are not profit-driven but community-oriented, and are therefore free and open to everyone.