Visiting SeMA
Art Archives Seoul Museum of Art
Art Archives Seoul Museum of Art
Art Archives, Seoul Museum of Art is Korea’s first public museum dedicated to art archives, where art and archival records come together. It collects, preserves, and researches records and materials documenting the history of Korean contemporary art while serving as an open space where visitors can encounter and engage with art archives through exhibitions, educational initiatives, and research programs.
Visitors can browse art publications in the Reference Library and consult original archival materials in the Research Lab. The museum’s three interconnected spaces?the Collecting Space, Learning Space, and Sharing Space?host exhibitions, academic events, educational and public programs, and international exchange activities. Through these multifaceted activities utilizing the archives as a resource, the Art Archives endeavors to forge relationships with its visitors while continually developing frameworks for emerging artistic practices.
The Reference Library is a space to broaden our thoughts and minds about arts with collection of books. The visitor can read books collected by the Art Archives: art books, periodicals, exhibition catalogs, artist’s books, independent publications, and illustrated books published in Korea and abroad.
The Research Lab is a space for viewing the art records and institutional records that constitute the essential foundations of contemporary art research. The art records include materials produced and collected by artists, mediators, and collectives during the creative process of making art and curating exhibitions. The institutional records chart the growth of the Seoul Museum of Art, first founded in 1988.
The preservation library is a space for preserving and managing art records and institutional records collected by the Art Archive, located on the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th floors of the MOEUM-DONG, with a total size of 330m2
Baeum-dong is a space where the Art Archives become a vehicle for joint learning and play. The broad steps of the first floor are used as a space for seminars and lectures, and the second floor holds classroom that host a range of educational programs and activities.
Nanum-dong is made up of a cafe and a multi-purpose auditorium. Situated on the first floor, the cafe looks over Hongjecheon Stream, and provides visitors with an opportunity to relax over coffee, tea, or baked goods. The multi-purpose auditorium on the second floor holds a range of public programs that include academic events, performances, and screenings.
61, Deoksugung-gil, Jung-gu, Seoul, Republic of Korea (04515)
82-2-2124-8800