Museums in South Korea in 2025 are transforming into floating wonders and iconic art spaces, redefining art, culture, and creativity.
South Korea is a city of juxtapositions – here traditions and innovations come together to create a compelling story. The cities showcase futuristic skylines but the heart is full of traditional places. While K-pop and K-drama dominate the cultural scene, the literature and art are not far behind.
South Korea is a creative haven, with galleries, art spaces, and world-class museums. As 2025 is here, the country’s cultural scene is revamping and going to the next level. New museums opening and old ones getting a makeover, the cultural landscape is renewing, making them a great option to explore art and history.
Floating Museum, Anjwa Island
The Floating Museum on Anjwa Island is collaborative project of a team led by Yukinori Yanagi, YANAGI + ART BASE. It’s supposed to open in spring 2025 as part of Shinan County’s “One Island, One Museum” plan.
The museum is a unique blend of art and architecture. Imagine seven floating cubes on a reservoir, representing both the islands in western Jeollanam-do and the seven continents. These cubes, of different sizes, blend into the surroundings, creating a dreamlike effect that makes you question time and space. Each cube inside the museum will hold the artworks that tell the story of the Korean Peninsula.
Photography Seoul Museum of Art, Dobong District
Get ready for the grand opening of the Photography Seoul Museum of Art in Dobong District in May 2025! It’s going to be South Korea’s first public museum dedicated to photography, and it’s going to be a must-visit for art lovers.
This new museum is part of the Seoul Museum of Art (SeMA) network. It’ll have SeMA’s huge collection of over 20,000 photos and old documents to show how photography has changed over time.
It’s too soon to say which exhibits will increase the popularity of the museum, but its first shows will have a wide variety of old and new photos. They’ll show how photography can tell stories and inspire artists. It will showcase the cultural significant of photography.
Gangneung Museum of Art (formerly Sorol Museum of Art)
The Gangneung Museum of Art is a rebrand of the Sorol Museum of Art, which was originally built in February 2024. The museum is now under the operation of the city of Gangneung.
The museum has gone through some major renovations, though the exact details of the changes are unknown. But one thing’s for sure, they’re probably going to focus more on getting the community involved and showing off local artists. The art focus will still be modern and contemporary art, though.
Earlier, the museum featured collections of international artists such as Agnes Martin and Lucio Fontana. Unlike the previous year, the 2025 lineup features solo shows by Kim Whanki, a pioneer abstract artists from South Korea, and Katherine Bernhardt, an American painter. Through these exhibitions, the museums is dedicated to showcasing important artistic movements, like the year before.
The Gangneung Museum of Art is hosting these exhibitions to bring together local and international artists, making it a hub for cultural exchange and creativity in the region.
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