Surrealism in Seoul

Currently on view through July 6, 2025, at MMCA Deoksugung in Seoul, Surrealism and Korean Modern Art is a quietly radical exhibition that reframes the history of Korean modernism through the lens of the surreal. Spanning two floors (Galleries 1–4), the show is part of MMCA’s ongoing “Rediscovery of Korean Modern Artists” series and brings overdue attention to six overlooked figures: Kim Ukkyu, Kim Chongnam, Kim Chongha, Shin Youngheon, Kim Younghwan, and Park Gwangho.

Rather than aligning with European surrealism or mainstream Korean movements, these artists forged solitary paths—producing deeply personal, dreamlike works that resisted classification. The exhibition moves from Korea’s early encounters with surrealist thought in the 1920s–30s to the introspective, often enigmatic practices of the featured six. Their art challenges dominant binaries—figurative vs. abstract, tradition vs. modernity—and reveals a richer, more discontinuous history of Korean modern art.