If you can’t afford to go to an art gallery or museum that takes a lot of time to fully appreciate, but still need inspiration from art. Head to the art streets of Samcheongdong, Hannam-dong, and Apgujeong. We’ve compiled a list of art galleries in Seoul that you can visit for free.
1. Gallery Hyundai
As you walk around Gyeongbokgung Palace and up Samcheongdong, you’ll come across Gallery Hyundai before reaching the Seoul branch of the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art. Since its opening in 1970, the museum has exhibited works by Korean contemporary artists such as Kim Chang-yeol and Lee Ufan. Currently, the gallery is holding a solo exhibition by Shin Sung-hee, Couture, Noir.
📍14, Samcheong-ro, Jongno-gu (Naver map)
2. Hakgojae
Hakgojae, located at the beginning of Samcheong-dong, is a gallery that boasts a wide range of exhibitions, from Korean contemporary artists to traditional art, and international artists including Chinese artists. Currently, ‘Run Donut Run’, a solo exhibition by Kim Jae-yong, who creates various artworks with the motif of donut shape, is being held.
📍50 Samcheong-ro, Jongno-gu (Naver map)
3. Kukje Gallery
This is another building with a bronze entrance and a sculpture walking on the roof. The Kukje Gallery is located right next to Hakgojae. In addition to being a gallery that has been in line with Korean art history, it is also a place where you can often meet the works of the most popular international artists such as Louis Bourgeois and Ugo Rondinone. There is also an exhibition hall in Busan.
📍54, Samcheong-ro, Jongno-gu (Naver map)
4. PKM Gallery
While many Korean galleries now participate in global art fairs such as Frieze, it wasn’t always the case. PKM was the first Korean gallery to participate in Frieze in 2004. Last year, it held solo exhibitions by Yoo Young-guk, Yoon Hyung-geun, and Jorge Pardo, and in April, it will be showing Sam Baifen, an illustrator who reinterprets pop culture with humor.
📍40, Samcheong-ro 7-gil, Jongno-gu (Naver map)
5. Arario Gallery
If you cross Bukchon and come to Ankguk, you will find Arario Gallery. Right next to the gallery is the Arario Museum, which is run by the same foundation, but the exhibits here are paid. There is also an exhibition center in Cheonan.
📍85, Yulgok-ro, Jongno-gu (Naver map)
6. Song Eun
This assertive building towers over Dosan-daero in a triangular shape. This is Gallery Songun. With its iconic architecture and spatial organization that allows for more diverse scenes than other galleries, it is worth a visit regardless of the subject of the exhibition.
📍441, Dosan-daero, Gangnam-gu (Naver map)
7. Face Gallery
Many of the leading international galleries that are currently leading the art scene can be found in Seoul. One of them is the American gallery Pace, which was founded in New York in 1960 and has maintained a close relationship with abstract artists such as Alexander Calder and Mark Rothko. Pace Seoul is located in Hannam-dong, a neighborhood that has quickly become a haven for art lovers, on the way up to the Rium Museum of Art. It is currently hosting a solo exhibition of Sam Gillian, an innovator of American painting.
📍267, Itaewon-ro, Yongsan-gu (Naver map)
8. White Cube
London’s leading gallery White Cube’s Seoul exhibition is located near Dosan Park. Starting in March, it will host a solo exhibition by Mona Hatoum.
📍 6, Dosan-daero 45-gil, Gangnam-gu,Seoul (Naver map)