National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art (국립현대미술관 서울)

As we walked pass MMCA building on our way to Samcheong-dong area, my friend asked me whether I'd been visited the museum before. I told him that I only knew that it's opened recently as it's all over the news from Visit Korea, iBuzz Korea and also few postings from my Korean friends who visited MMCA on their Facebook. 

My friend brought me in to this spacious National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art 

(국립현대미술관 서울) and briefly told me the history of the building...

simple, rustic concrete boxes looks with eye-catching terracotta brick 

The current MMCA building used to served as the Defense Security Command and a Military Hospital that have been kept intact after war with extensive renovations.

In order to minimize the number of alterations, galleries were built with three basement levels underground of this three-story building. It also incorporated the original brick into the museum’s architecture, and leaving the original structures for administrative and auxiliary functions and using the multistory for the main gallery.

Hyundai Premium Card Privilege - Free Admission to MMCA

Integrating both traditional and contemporary can go to see contemporary art works and modern exhibitions. MMCA boasts better accessibility for Seoul citizens than MMCA Gwacheon (국립현대미술관 과천관) , and is far bigger than MMCA Deoksugung (국립현대미술관 덕수궁관).

MMCA Seoul is embraced in harmony with the existing cultural assets in its neighborhoods. It's conveniently located between Gwanghwamun Square, Gyeongbokgung Palace, and Samcheong-dong area and others nearby attractions about 10 minutes away on foot:
* Cheongwadae Sarangchae (청와대 사랑채), Korean presidential exhibition center.
* Samcheong-dong Cafe Street
* Bukchon Hanok Village, the most traditionally intact part of the 600-year-old capital city.
* Insadong, popular for tourists and art lovers.

* National Palace Museum of Korea (국립고궁박물관)
* Daelim Museum (대림미술관)  

Current Exhibitions in MMCA Seoul:
1. Home within Home within Home within Home within Home

I heart this installation work by Korean Artist, Mr Suh Do-ho

“Home within Home within Home within Home within Home”

OMG! Though I saw the photos so many time, but seeing it with my own eyes and stepping into this transparent life-size of Korean Hanok-style house inside Western-style house of “Home within Home within Home within Home within Home” literally made my jaw dropped~!

Mr Suh used to live in Hanok house before he went to study in US. He felt uncomfortable because of differences in the locations, and other things between his new home and his hanok house in Seoul that inspired him to recreate homes in his artworks.

Glad to be accompanied by my art curator friend with his art knowledge to feed me with the artists' information and the artworks...

including these small features that I might miss out:

 cute door intercom system with artist's name on it and door hinge

that elaborate the details of the installation.  

Can you see the Hanok House hang / float in midair? 

My photo just not capture and justify the beauty of this awesome structure!

Please check MMCA website for more photos and information.

Mr Suh held many solo shows around the world including 

in NY and London. Link to his others spectacular projects.

2. Epiphyte Chamber

“Epiphyte Chamber” by Toronto-based architect 

and installation artist Philip Beesley, created an artificial botanical garden 

that reacts to audience movements through proximity sensors. 

Epiphyte Chamber is envisioned as an archipelago of interconnected halo-like masses 

that mimic human sensations through subtle, coordinated movements.

Across each floating island, densely interwoven structures and delicate canopies made of 

thousands of lightweight digitally-fabricated components are drawn together 

in nearly-synchronized breathing and whispers. 

The contents of the exhibit illustrate the various complexifying effects 

that exist anywhere from microorganism to galaxies as can be found through 

observing stars in the sky or observing symbiotic relationships among objects. 

The exhibition illustrates how a minute change can lead to drastic variations in the future.

 (Source: Philipbeesleyarchitect)

3. Opertus Lunula Umbra (Hidden Shadow of the Moon)

Opertus Lunula Umbra (Hidden Shadow of the Moon)

by Choe U-ram

Hurry!!! Faster run away from this giant 'dream eater'!

This five meters height of colossal caterpillar creature is created by the slow movements of tens of its huge symmetrical wings, which resemble the oars of a Viking ship. 

The massive animatronic fiction designed in reference to the structures and habits of various kinds of plants, animals and insects and are constructed from an extensive variety of precision machine components, motors and electronic devices.

According to U-Ram, Opertus Lunula Umbra that has shown up at the Seoul branch is a new kind of life form that is found mostly in the vicinity of harbor cities. When the sun's rays radiate off of the moon's surface, certain light energy is generated and this radiated energy has an effect to amplify the human ability to fantasize. And this energy increases in its amount in areas surrounding water. Thus, as the amalgamation of the lunar energy, wind and human fantasy are facilitated in seashore cities, this new species are often seen in coastal cities. It is also reported that they are in various sizes and their anatomy shows the organic amalgamation of a wide range of nautical devices culled from both those sunken ships of the past and modern ones. (Source: MMCA)

4. Intervention, Misalignment 

Intervention, Misalignment by Minha Yang

His his technology-based artwork at MMCA features vertical lines, which he calls “layers,” incorporate state-of-the-art technologies such as computer software that projected onto a 7-meter structure attached to the wall as well as the floor. 

The vertical lines create ripples as viewers move around, inviting them to directly interact with the artwork. 

National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art (국립현대미술관 서울)

30 Samcheong-ro, Sogyeok-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul 110-200 

(click here for map and direction)

Related Posts:

~ Myeongdong Art Theater (명동예술극장) 
~ Insight Into Insadong
~ [Trazy] National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art 국립현대미술관 서울관