Alternative space
A non-profit exhibition space, intended to be free from the elitist authoritarianism and rigid traditionalism of art museums, and the naked commercialism of sales galleries. Numerous alternative spaces emerged in Korea between the 1990s and the early 2000s and contributed to the development of a vibrant national contemporary scene that supported diverse experimental innovative approaches to art making. The number of spaces disappeared drastically around 2010 as many closed due to financial difficulties, or lost their initial focus on experimentation and became bureaucratically institutionalized. Spaces that have appeared since 2010 and the increased institutionalization of the original wave of alternative spaces are called “neo-spaces” for purposes of distinction.
Department of Art at Hongik University
Established in 1949, the Department of Art at Hongik University consists of one art theory department and eleven practice-based departments, including painting, Oriental painting, printmaking, sculpture, woodworking and furniture design, metal art and design, ceramics and glass, textile art and fashion design, visual communication design, and industrial design. In 1955, it moved from Jongro-gu, Seoul to the current location in Sangsu-dong, Mapo-gu, Seoul. The history of the College of Fine Arts can be largely divided into the period of the Department of Fine Arts from 1949 through 1953, the period of the School of Fine Arts from 1954 through 1971, and the period of the College of Fine Arts from 1972 until now. In March 1953, the Department of Fine Arts produced the first six graduates, and in the following year the School of Fine Arts with three departments was established. In December 1971, it was upgraded to a college, which exists up to the present. Several exhibitions organized by its graduates are notable, including the Four Artists Exhibition held in 1956 as the first anti-National Art Exhibition (Daehanminguk misul jeollamhoe or Gukjeon) by the third and fourth classes of graduates and the Union Exhibition of Korean Young Artists held in 1967 by graduates from the 1960s as an effort to realize experimental art.
Project Space SARUBIA
A non-profit exhibition space that opened in October 20, 1999 in Insa-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul. The name derived from the coffee shop which existed at the same location before it was transformed into an exhibition space. The exhibition space supported a wide range of experimental culture including architecture and music, in addition to contemporary art. The inaugural exhibition, Journal of Daydreams was a solo exhibition by Ham Jin. The SARUBIA organizers aimed to select artists who attempt to make use of the specific spatial characteristics of the exhibition space, then provide them with a month’s time for installation work in order to produce a site-specific piece. SARUBIA registered as an art corporation in 2007, and it moved to Jongno-gu, Changseong-dong in 2011. In 2014, the art space shifted to a membership system, operating solely on donations, and in 2015, it became a non-profit organization.
Art Space Pool
A non-profit exhibition space that opened in April 1999 in Gwanhun-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul. The first director, Lee Youngwook, borrowed the name of the organization from the title of a poem written by Kim Su-young (1921–1968). The space was established to develop a democratic, alternative art culture, and it is seen as a major venue for the practice of, and discourse on, post-minjung art. The organization consisted of a director; a board of artists, curators, and critics; and a secretariat. Beginning with Seeping In-Chung Seoyoung and Choi Jeonghwa, the inaugural double exhibition which lasted from April 2 to 13, 1999, the exhibition space has held exhibitions for artists such as Koh Seungwook, Chang Younghae, Im Heung-soon, and Bahc Yiso. In addition to exhibitions, the space seeks to establish critical discourse on contemporary art trends through the operation of academies, symposiums, and workshops. In 2004, Art Space Pool became the first Korean non-profit exhibition space to become an art firm. It moved to Gugi-dong, Seoul in 2006.
Alternative Space LOOP
An exhibition space established in February 6, 1999 by Suh Jinsuk. A non-profit exhibition space located near Hongik University in Seoul, LOOP was the first alternative space in Korea. It was established to support and publicize experimental artists and art work as well as to engage in mutual exchange with overseas artists and other alternative spaces. The inaugural exhibition was Fake Flower Kim Eunyoung Guest Exhibition. LOOP moved to a larger building in November 2005, and it held Since 1999, a showcase of the diverse currents of Korean contemporary art from the late 1990s to the present day. Since 2004, curators active in Asia have organized Move on Asia, where they select individual themes and showcase fitting moving images accordingly. In 2019, it became a non-profit culture and arts organization.