Exhibition view of Collection, Scenes of an Era, 1970s section, ARKO Art Center, Seoul, 2026. © ARKO Art Center, Photo: CJY Art Studio.

During the 1970s, Dansaekhwa became a major current in Korean art, coexisting in a multilayered landscape with experimental art and geometric abstraction that had emerged in the late 1960s, groups such as Gusangjeon whose work occupied a semi-abstract position between figuration and abstraction, and the hyperrealism and experiments with new forms that emerged in the latter part of the decade. The Misulhoegwan, which opened in 1974 with the aim of broadening public engagement with art, supported diverse solo and group exhibitions through its rental-centered system, broadly reflecting these changes in the art world. In addition to solo exhibitions by abstract and semi-abstract artists such as Kim Youngjoo, Hong Jongmyoung, and Hwang Yongyop, it also presented the National Invitational Exhibition of Artisans and the National Invitational Exhibition of Sculptors, spotlighting a range of craft artists and sculptors. Groups exploring experimental approaches among emerging artists and new trends and methods in artistic media, such as the Korean Young Artists’ Association, Seoul Artists’ Methods, and Korean Figurative Sculpture Association, held their inaugural exhibitions at the center, which also supported the activities of various associations and small groups such as Mokwoohoe, Seoul ’70, Jae Sam Group[The Third Group], and December Group. In this way, the museum both presented and shaped trends and currents in contemporary art. The exhibition Korean Art—Today’s Method, which was held to commemorate the center’s 1979 reopening in its current location in Dongsung-dong, Seoul, was a defining example showcasing the multilayered landscape of Korean contemporary art at the time. The 1970s section explores the diverse aspects of art during this period through approximately a dozen works by ten artists—including examples of Dansaekhwa, figurative, abstract, and semi-abstract painting, experimental art, and sculpture—presented alongside archival materials on the history of exhibitions.

Exhibition view of Collection, Scenes of an Era, 1980s section, ARKO Art Center, Seoul, 2026. © ARKO Art Center, Photo: CJY Art Studio.

Minjung art, a realism-based approach that underwent rapid expansion in the first half of the 1980s, formed a current in opposition to modernism, with art assuming a critical role in making social statements regarding democratization and real-world conditions. Influenced by pluralistic postmodernism, the latter part of the decade saw an explosion of free aesthetic experiments that departed from genres, media, and established norms. As existing modernist currents intersected with hyperrealism, new forms of figuration, Minjung art, and postmodern and anti-modern experiments, the landscape of Korean art became increasingly pluralistic. Meanwhile, Korean abstract art during this period sought to move beyond Dansaekhwa, with young artists in their 30s taking center stage in exploring new approaches with freer expressive and mixed-media styles. Amid these changes, the Misulhoegwan continued presenting solo exhibitions by such artists as Kang Kyung Kyu, Park Seungkyu, Lim Chulsoon, and Park Saengkwang, reflecting this pluralistic landscape. It also continued hosting the Seoul Contemporary Art Festival, a regular exhibition event which had been helping discover emerging artists and broadening the reach of Korean contemporary art since the mid-1970s. The center also focused on the activities of small groups that led new contemporary currents, including ‘82 Contemporary Korean Paintings, March in Seoul, and Meta-Vox, and women artists’ associations such as Hanwool Artist Association and Nokmihoe. In this way, it served as an exhibition space within which adventurous artistic experiments by different generations emerged and intersected. Meanwhile, active changes were taking place in the field of Hangukhwa, traditional Korean painting. While the first half of the decade was marked by a focus on ink and an emphasis on tradition, its later period saw the development of new approaches such as the combination of color and ink and a return to figuration. The Misulhoegwan held numerous special group exhibitions to spotlight these developments. A solo exhibition by Park Saengkwang in 1984 raised broader awareness of his original chaesaekhwa (color painting) and is still discussed today as an important occasion that brought greater attention to color painting in Korea. Another noteworthy aspect of this period involved changes to the systems for supporting art. In 1982, following changes in art and cultural policies and the end of the 30-year run of the National Art Exhibition (Gukjeon), ARKO began holding the Grand Art Exhibition, Korea’s largest new competitive exhibition for emerging artists. This initiative was designed to discover and nurture capable artists and thus promote activity in Korean art as a whole. Award-winning works from the period during which ARKO was organizing and sponsoring the Grand Art Exhibition (1982–2006) were acquired by the center through donations. In 1987, it presented a selection of winning works at the Invitational Exhibition of Grand Art Exhibition Winning Artists, 1982–1986, examining changes in the award-winning artists’ work and reconsidering the significance of the competition. The 1980s section presents over twenty works together with related exhibition materials. In addition to previously unexhibited work by Park Saengkwang and award-winning submissions to the Grand Art Exhibition, it also spotlights experimental developments in Hangukhwa and works of painting, sculpture, crafts, and printmaking that exemplify the multifaceted currents in figuration and abstraction.

Exhibition view of Collection, Scenes of an Era, 1990s section, ARKO Art Center, Seoul, 2026. © ARKO Art Center, Photo: CJY Art Studio.

During the 1990s, Korean society and the art world experienced new changes with democratization, globalization, and advancements in information and communications technology. New Generation Art emerged with the spread of postmodernist discourse, crossing the existing boundaries of art genres and media. Cultural policies gradually shifted their focus from statism toward internationalization and globalization. During this time, the ARKO Art Center increased its special exhibition activities, focusing on experimental work by young artists. A defining exhibition series that took place against this backdrop was the New Generational Tendency in Korean Contemporary Art (1992–2002). This series presented numerous new works by young artists, primarily those in their 30s; participants included Rhee Kibong, Yang Mankee, Shin Jangsik, Kang Seunghee, Lim Minouk, Ham Yangah, Chung Suejin, and Park Ki-won. For roughly a decade, the exhibition explored new themes each year, including the city, ecology, the body, and technology, supporting the diversification of art and generating major contemporary discourse. It is still discussed today as one of the Misulhoegwan’s most defining exhibition series. Another key exhibition was the Invitational Exhibition (formerly the Representative Artist Exhibition), which highlighted one artist of established standing with an experimental and original body of work in each edition, including Lee Kun-Yong, Kim Kulim, and Shin Hakchul. This event sought to establish its own distinct image by emphasizing the Misulhoegwan’s public role and commitment to pioneering artistic practices. The multilayered landscape of the 1990s Korean art world was also reflected in group exhibitions held at the Misulhoegwan involving various associations of sculptors, craft artists, and printmakers, including the Hanwool Artist Association and the Korean Sculptress Association. This section showcases a total of 16 works, including award-winning submissions to the Grand Art Exhibition, works reflecting the diversification of Hangukhwa since the 1980s, experimental prints, sculpture, crafts, and works from the 1990s by artists who took part in the aforementioned major exhibitions.

Exhibition view of Collection, Scenes of an Era, 2000s section, ARKO Art Center, Seoul, 2026. © ARKO Art Center, Photo: CJY Art Studio.

In the early 2000s, new policies were introduced to support artistic activities that had contracted following the Asian financial crisis of the late 1990s. Alternative spaces began emerging in the art world as a reaction against the commercial gallery and established museum system, creating new settings for discourse and practice. The Misulhoegwan discussed improvements to its operations and its identity through its first mid- to long-term development plan (2000). In 2002, it changed its name to Marronnier Art Center as it explored ways of bolstering its curatorial capabilities and its social role as a public art institution. To this end, in 2004, it abolished the rental exhibitions that had been part of its history for decades; in their place, it dramatically increased the number of thematic exhibitions, international exchange exhibitions, and open-call exhibitions for emerging curators. Its numerous thematic exhibitions explored the center’s geographic, historical, and cultural identity and new methods of communicating with the public. Prominent examples include Park_ing (2003), which featured artists Yang Juhae and Choi Minhwa; Rolling Space (2004), which featured Kim Hodeuk, Park Ki-won, Choi Gene Uk, and Kim Eull; and Power Station (2005), which featured Kim Subeom. Meanwhile, the 2005 transition of the Korean Culture and Arts Foundation to become the current Arts Council Korea (ARKO), under a collaborative system of working art professionals, led to the center being renamed ARKO Art Center and once again seeking to redefine its status as a public art institution. During this period, the center sought to achieve greater consistency and structure across its different programs, under an approach that involved spotlighting talented artists, developing new discourse, and communicating with the historical context through engagement with cultural and social issues. This led to a proliferation of thematic exhibitions reflecting currents and major keywords in Korean contemporary art. Meanwhile, the Invitational Exhibitions, which had continued since the 1990s, were divided along generational lines into those for “representative artists” and those for “established artists.” Figures such as Choi Gene Uk, Yang Juhae, Rim Dongsik, Jung Jungyeob, and Park Ki-won were invited as established artists during this period. Recognizing the proliferation of contemporary video and installation-based works, the center also actively presented works in these media. Among the artists whose work was presented in various exhibitions were Lim Minouk, Ham Yangah, Park Hyesung, and Kim Subeom. Key changes also took place in the collection management system during this time. As the rental exhibition system was abolished and numerous thematic exhibitions and solo exhibitions were organized, many new artworks produced to reflect the center’s direction and the exhibition themes entered the collection. Parting ways with the approach that had continued through 2006—centered on support for the Grand Art Exhibition and the donation of award-winning works—it shifted its collection policy toward purchasing works in connection with the center’s in-house curated exhibitions and solo exhibitions. Where the collection had previously consisted primarily of paintings and sculptures, it now came to include diverse media, including video and installation. The 2000s section explores connections between the historical landscape that the exhibitions of this time sought to capture and the artists’ themes, offering a glimpse into the early works of now-established artists active in the fields of video and installation.

Exhibition view of Collection, Scenes of an Era, Archive section, ARKO Art Center, Seoul, 2026. © ARKO Art Center, Photo: CJY Art Studio

Archive section presents the outcomes of research centered on the collection. It shares visual materials, including archival photographs documenting the artists’ diverse activities and exhibition histories, together with the research findings of six research fellows invited to take part in the exhibition. Focusing on the ARKO Art Center’s exhibition history, these researchers examined the relationships between the lineages of Korean contemporary art, the artists, and the collection, offering in-depth analyses of the works and their respective historical contexts.