The Seoul Museum of Art (SeMA) West Seoul, the city's first public museum specializing in new media art and the first public art museum in the southwestern district, opened in Doksan-dong, Geumcheon-gu on the 12th. With this opening, the Seoul Museum of Art now operates eight facilities including its main branch in Seosomun, establishing a "museum network covering all four corners" of Seoul.
The West Seoul Museum is located between Geumcheon-gu Office and the nearby Geumarae Central Park. The facility spans 7,186 square meters across two basement floors and one above-ground floor, with a rooftop space. The design was handled by TheSystemLab, known for the Cosmos Hotel on Ulleungdo, Hana Bank Place1 in Samseong-dong, Tamburins Seongsu flagship store, and the Samjin Pharmaceutical Research Center in Magok. The architectural prowess of architect Kim Chan-joong and TheSystemLab, who have filled architectural functionality with inventive imagination, is reflected in the silver exterior walls and openness in all directions. The hammered-texture metal surface shimmers like sunlight dancing on water, softly reflecting the surrounding trees and sky.
Architect Kim Chan-joong, who attended the opening ceremony, said, "Considering that there was originally a 'path' on this land, we designed circulation routes allowing entry from multiple directions." He added, "The low-rise structure for accessibility was also intended so that anyone could naturally use the museum in their daily lives."
The genesis of the West Seoul Museum dates back to 2015, when the Seoul Metropolitan Government announced the "Museum City Seoul" project. The initiative aimed to expand public museums and art institutions in areas lacking cultural infrastructure to broaden citizens' access to culture and address regional cultural imbalances. Geumcheon-gu, which was separated from Guro-gu in 1995, was in desperate need of cultural facilities as well as government offices, prompting the planning of the West Seoul Museum.
The Seoul Museum of Art opened its Seosomun main branch in 2002, followed by the South Seoul Museum at the former Belgian Consulate site in Namhyeon-dong, Gwanak-gu in 2004, and the Nanji Art Studio as a residency program in 2006. In 2013, the North Seoul Museum opened in Junggye-dong, Nowon-gu, an apartment-dense area, as a community-oriented facility, marking the full-scale launch of the regional museum project. The "House Remembering Nam June Paik," which opened near the birthplace of the artist in 2017, and the "SeMA Art Archive" in Pyeongchang-dong, Jongno-gu in 2023 were each specialized for historical significance and functionality respectively. While policy continuity often breaks down when local government heads change, the museum project continued based on public consensus. With the opening of a photography museum in Dobong-gu last May and now the West Seoul Museum, the eight-facility system is complete.
SeMA Director Choi Eun-joo said, "After more than 10 years of effort, we have achieved the 'complete eight-facility system.'" She added, "If the West Seoul Museum establishes itself as a platform connecting regions and generations, technology and art, it will be able to pioneer new paths that visual arts have not taken before."
To commemorate the opening, the SeMA performance "Breath" and the construction record exhibition "Our Time Begins Here" will run starting from this day. From May 14, the new media collection exhibition "The Transparent |Youth| Machine of West Seoul" will open. On the lawn in front of the museum, "SeMA Project V_Yallu," the first outdoor exhibition of "Project V" showcasing the museum's identity, will be held. Video artist Yallu's installation and video works, featuring her grandmother reimagined as a K-pop idol star, draw particular attention.
