Seoul’s MMCA: Beautiful Design and Art Art Art!

It’s not as easy to say as MOMA and sounds more like you’re thinking and then making a sudden burst of sound, but it’s here: The Seoul Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, or MMCA (국립현대미술관 서울관)!

The building, or buildings that make up the complex, sits on the eastern side of Gyeongbukgung Palace near the popular Bukchon Hanok Village and Insadong district. The entrance looks more like an old school with brick walls and old windows with iron separating the panes of glass but leads to various buildings that span Korea’s history from the traditional red and green Hanok in the exterior to the more modern building in the center.

When people say they’re going to the Seoul art museum, this is probably the one they’re talking about, though there are numerous art museums in the city.

The MMCA is a fantastic art museums in Seoul and you should visit again and again:

• How To Get There
• What You Should Know
• The Museum’s Architecture & Design
• What You’ll See

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How To Get There

Address: 165 Sogyeok-dong Jongno-gu, Seoul (서울특별시 종로구 소격동 165)

By Subway: Anguk Station, exit 1 OR Gwanghwamun Station, exit 2 OR Gyeongbukgung Station, exit 6.

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What You Should Know

Hours: Sunday – Thursday: 10:00am ~ 6:00pm; Friday – Saturday: 10:00am ~ 9:00pm

Admission: W4,000 All exhibitions are free on the last Wednesday of the month.

Discover Seoul Pass: If have the Discover Seoul Pass which is specifically designed for tourists looking to see all of the sights downtown, note that this museum is a spot that you can gain FREE admission to with the pass. You can get a Discover Seoul Pass here.

Website: http://www.mmca.go.kr/

Note: There are four branches of the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art in Korea. This post is about the branch in downtown Seoul just east of Gyeongbokgung Palace. There is also a branch in Gwacheon, which was opened in 1986, a branch in Deoksugung Palace, which was opened in 1998, and a third branch in Cheongju, which opened in 2017. If you’re looking for a specific exhibition or installation, be sure to note which specific branch you need to go to as it might not be this one.

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The Museum’s Architecture & Design

According to an interview with the architect, Mihn Hyun-jun, before the museum even began there were “four years of navigating zoning laws, historical preservation societies, and residential regulations that required walking paths throughout the museum grounds to be integrated into the design.”

The “design intends for passerby to be naturally, magnetically pulled toward MMCA Seoul, regardless of originating direction.” You can enter from the exterior when you’re coming from Bukchon Hanok Village but you can also find a front entrance if you’re coming from Gyeongbokgung Palace.

Once inside the museum, there aren’t arrows directing paths as the galleries were meant to be flexible allowing people to walk through one way or the other, forward or backward. There are numerous windows that allow visitors to always be aware of where they are within the museum, unlike many museums that make the visitor feel cut off from the outside world.

The museum complex includes two historical buildings in its layout, the Jonchinbu, or the Royal Office of Genealogy, a Joseon Kingdon era structure and the old Defense Security Command building that was built by the Japanese during the colonial era to be a hospital. These buildings along with the others make the museum itself a piece of art for the viewer to enjoy.

When the museum first opened, it was with a bang and the beautiful Home Within Home Within Home Within Home: a traditional Korean house within a western style house within the Seoul Box within the Seoul branch within Seoul by Do Ho Suh.

Another interesting exhibition was The Aleph Project that uses Complex Network Theory to cover a wide range of collaborations and allows visitors to have active participation in the work.

Another site-specific installation is U-Ram Choe’s Opertus Lunula Umbra, a slow moving mechanical creature that hangs from a ceiling on the basement level. The museum, outside and inside, are definitely worth a visit for people young and old, families and couples.

There are a wide range of exhibitions to see and all of them interesting and while there be sure to grab a calendar of events as a goal of the museum is to get people involved with the art on a consistent basis, so there are numerous lectures, activities and more for visitors to partake in.

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What You’ll See

The museum is really a beautifully maintained site with both indoor and outdoor areas to roam around. The open concept where there is no right or wrong direction to go in may seem strange at first, but you’ll easily begin to navigate to see each area. Walk up steps, follow signs to areas you haven’t seen, and make sure to walk outside too.

Tea House O’Sulloc

O’Sulloc is the premier tea brand made here which means this is the perfect spot to take a rest and grab a drink. The cafe provides a look out into the MMCA garden and the streets of surrounding Samcheong-dong. I consider O’Sulloc tea to be one of the best gifts or souvenirs from Korea so even if you don’t have time to sit, go check out what they’re selling. The teas are delicious and everyone who gets one will be happy.

Cafe Grano

This is an Italian restaurant with fresh salads, pasta, and panini. The restaurant is located on the first floor of the exhibition building next to the lobby and is perfect if you didn’t plan anywhere to get a bite.

Multi-Project Hall

The first basement floor of the exhibition building also features a cultural art space for performance art, education, and other projects as well as a space for film and video projects.

The museum is a lovely stop when you’re downtown and want to add some artistic works into your life. There are numerous art museums around the city, but this is definitely one of the best ones. Don’t miss it if you like art and are visiting Seoul, Korea.

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