Collection: Scenes of an Era
Oct 16 – Dec 6, 2026 · Happening now · Seoul
Overview
Collection: Scenes of an Era selects 70 works from the ARKO Art Museum's collection, shedding light on the meaning and value these works hold within the major currents of Korean contemporary art and the exhibition history of ARKO Art Museum. Following the works of 60 artists who took part in ARKO Art Museum exhibitions from the 1970s to the 2000s, the exhibition looks again at the diverse trends in Korean contemporary art of that period and the artistic achievements of these artists. Alongside the works, archival materials showing the artists' activities and the museum's exhibition history are also displayed. Added to this are the findings of collection research conducted by outside researchers for this exhibition, unfolding a multilayered story of Korean contemporary art.
Why go
This exhibition brings together 70 works from the ARKO Art Museum's own collection, tracing Korean contemporary art from the 1970s through the 2000s via 60 artists who exhibited there over the decades. Alongside the artworks, archival materials document both the artists' activities and the museum's own exhibition history, adding new collection research from outside scholars for a layered look at the era.
Getting there from Seoul
The venue is in Dongsung-dong, Jongno-gu — the Daehangno theatre district — reachable by subway via Hyehwa Station (Line 4), a short walk from the venue. No KTX, ITX, or intercity bus transfer is needed since this is within central Seoul.
Tips
- Confirm opening hours and any admission fee directly with ARKO Art Museum before visiting, as these weren't specified.
- Combine the visit with a walk around Daehangno, Seoul's longtime theatre and arts district.
- Allow extra time to read the archival materials alongside the artworks for the fuller exhibition-history context.
Best for: art lovers, Korean contemporary art fans, culture seekers, students.
Photos
Photo: Korea Tourism Organization 
Photo: Korea Tourism Organization 
Photo: Korea Tourism Organization 
Photo: Korea Tourism Organization
Other festivals in Seoul
Seoul
D.FESTA Small Theater Festival
Oct 7 – Oct 25, 2026
The D.FESTA Small Theater Festival has strived to lead the way toward a better performing arts culture by keeping pace with changes in the domestic production environment and the direction of the performance market. Since 2016, through regional exchanges with cities such as Gwangju, Daegu, Daejeon, and Busan, the festival has worked to bridge cultural disparities nationwide—beyond just Seoul’s Daehangno district—and has consistently sought to expand its reach through cultural exchanges with overseas performance groups. As a result, the festival showcases the fruits of its ongoing international cultural exchanges. This year’s D.FESTA Small Theater Festival will serve as a springboard to introduce outstanding domestic performances to the world and to gauge and understand the cultural standards of other countries.
Seoul
QUAD, Questions of Theater: 〈Dance of the Revolution〉
Oct 28 – Nov 8, 2026
〈Dance of the Revolution〉 boldly breaks away from the conventional narrative structure of traditional theater, consisting of eight independent scenes. Each scene merely illuminates fragmentary moments that one might encounter in the midst of a revolution, without being bound together by cause and effect. However, the persistently repeated lines and sounds, objects and light, and the actors' intricate movements on stage bring the work's intimate structure to the surface. Through these repeated patterns, the audience senses that the scenes are organically connected on a dimension beyond the story itself, and encounters a new experience in which the horizon of theater expands.
Seoul
QUAD, Questions of Theater: <Flames>
Nov 14 – Dec 6, 2026
Twins Jeanne and Simon, who have kept nothing but silence between them for the past five years, are thrown into great confusion upon reading the will of their late mother, Nawal. The will asks them to find the father they had believed was dead and a brother whose existence they never even knew about, and to deliver to them letters she left behind. It also contained her request to be buried without a coffin or a headstone. The siblings set out following their mother's traces, drawing ever closer to her veiled past. And at the end of that past, the siblings come face to face with a shocking truth about their mother's silence.
Reach travelers heading to Seoul: sponsor this page.
Dates and programs can change. Check the official site before you go. Official site