During the Chuseok holiday, major art museums in Seoul will welcome visitors with a variety of exhibitions featuring renowned modern and contemporary artists, as well as world-class photographers. The National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art (MMCA) and the Seoul Museum of Art are offering free admission throughout the holiday period.
The MMCA will provide free access to its four locations in Seoul, Gwacheon, Deoksugung, and Cheongju until September 27. However, the Seoul branch will be closed on Chuseok day, September 25, while the other locations will operate as usual.
At the Seoul branch, exhibitions include 'Do Ho Suh,' the MMCA × LG OLED Series 2026 featuring Kim Christine Sun's 'Stubborn Rock, Reckless Fights,' the '2026 Artist of the Year Award,' and 'This is (Not) Conceptual Art.' These exhibitions will be free to view during the holiday, except on September 25.
At the Deoksugung branch, visitors can see 'Lee Dae-won: Nothing Makes You Sad,' while the Gwacheon branch celebrates its 40th anniversary with 'MMCA Gwacheon 40th Anniversary: Imaginations of Light,' 'Road Movie: Korean and Japanese Art Since 1945,' and the permanent exhibitions 'Korean Modern and Contemporary Art I, II' and 'MMCA Masterpieces: Water Lilies and Chandelier.'
The Cheongju branch is hosting a retrospective of Bang Hye-ja titled 'Bang Hye-ja – Spreading the Light of the Heart to Heaven and Earth.' Bang is known for her stained glass installations at the Chartres Cathedral in France.
Families visiting the museum can also explore the 'MMCA Kids Space' on the second floor of the education building at the Seoul branch. Here, artist Yang Jeong-wook's 'Still Trying Days' offers activities like stacking wooden blocks, crafting with natural materials, and tossing walnuts into baskets, encouraging reflections on the new meanings of failure. Reservations are required.
In the education building's courtyard, the 'Crunchy, Whispering' exhibition, created in collaboration with artist Kim Jun and the Seoul Children's Hospital, showcases the results of families exploring and recording sounds from the museum and its surroundings. This exhibition is open without prior reservation.
Visitors can also explore the seven branches of the Seoul Museum of Art, which will remain open without closure until September 27. These include the Seosomun Main Building, Buk Seoul Museum of Art, Seo Seoul Museum of Art, Art Archive, Photo Art Museum, Nam Seoul Museum of Art, and the House of Nam June Paik. All exhibitions are free, with a focus on in-depth looks at one or two artists at each museum.
At the Seosomun Main Building near City Hall, the exhibition 'Yoo Young-kuk: The Mountain is Inside Me' commemorates the 110th anniversary of the artist's birth. This retrospective is the largest ever held for Yoo, surpassing 300,000 visitors.
At the Seoul Museum of Art Archive in Jongno-gu, visitors can view the exhibition 'Oh Yoon,' commemorating the 40th anniversary of the passing of the representative artist of Minjung Art. The exhibition features newly unveiled archival materials, including print plates, sketches, and notebooks. At the Buk Seoul Museum of Art, the annual exhibition 'Title Match' showcases a two-person exhibition 'Human Error' by Oh In-hwan and Jang Seo-young, featuring 23 works, including ten new pieces that delve into identity and technological civilization.
At the Seo Seoul Museum of Art, Kim Hee-chun's 'Moles' is on display, marking the first media artist exhibition since the museum's opening, featuring over 120 works across games, video, and photography. At the Nam Seoul Museum of Art, visitors can see Jo Sook-jin's 'Passing Place,' showcasing over 100 works from her early plywood pieces to new works from Gugeopdo, her first domestic solo exhibition in 20 years. The permanent exhibition 'Megatron Rhapsody' at the House of Nam June Paik explores the contemporaneity of Paik's later representative work 'Seoul Rhapsody.'
Today, September 25, visitors can enjoy extended hours at the Seosomun Main Building and Buk Seoul Museum of Art, which will be open from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. for 'Seoul Culture Night.' Most other branches will operate from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., while the Nam Seoul Museum of Art will close at 6 p.m.
After visiting the museums, guests can also look forward to small gifts. The MMCA is running a '2026 #ChuseokVisitMMCA SNS Certification Event' until September 27. Visitors can take a photo certifying their visit to the museum, post it on Instagram with the hashtag '#2026ChuseokVisitMMCA,' and submit the link to their post. Twenty winners will receive 'Do Ho Suh' exhibition merchandise, including 'Do Ho Suh City Soap,' inspired by the shape of the artist's actual residence and designed to evoke the city.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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