[Video] COVID-19 pandemic ushers in new ways of exploring art in Seoul

With the summer heat and the COVID-19 virus hitting the metropolitan area in South Korea, citizens are in search of places to avoid the scorching sunlight as well as the crowd.

Citizens are making their way to a host of local museums and art galleries in Seoul, which have taken preventive measures to block the spread of the coronavirus.

A case in point is D Museum, located in Seoul’s Hannam-dong, which opened its doors last month, after having been closed due to COVID-19. The museum’s safety guidelines ask visitors to make online reservations in advance, wear masks and disposable gloves at all times during the tour and agree to the provision that their personal records will be kept temporarily in case one tests positive for the coronavirus.

Han Jung-hee, the Director of Education and Visitor Services for D Museum said, “Since we are keeping record of those who visited the exhibition on a minute-by-minute basis, the museum is fully prepared to reach out to other visitors immediately when a visitor turns out positive to the virus.”

Sion Kim, a visitor to the museum, found himself lucky to have made the reservation with his peer for a quick afternoon gallery hopping. “I think that experiencing the culture of the city, especially in the midst of such a dire crisis is quite important.”

Under the theme “untact,” the 13 artists at the exhibition encourages viewers to take a step beyond looking at the artworks using multiple senses, from hearing and touching, to smelling.

The D Museum’s “Soundmuseum” exhibit will continue through Dec. 27.

By Kim Hae-yeon (hykim@heraldcorp.com)