Seoul kicks off 2nd street art discovery project

A Seoul citizen-led project to improve the city’s artistic appeal kicked off its second two-month run Saturday.

About 101 Seoul residents gathered at Dongdaemun Design Plaza on Saturday to embark on a mission to find and promote the hidden artistic gems of Seoul.

In its second year, the Seoul Metropolitan Government’s “Arts on Seoul’s street found by citizens,” will run from April through June.

The program is part of the municipal government’s efforts to promote lesser-known public art and landmarks in the capital.

“This program will be able to enhance the city’s artistic appeal through a greater variety of culture, architecture and street art,” said Byun Seo-yeon, Seoul City’s design policy division head.

Participants, ranging from high school students to those in their 70s and with various occupations, presented their plans for promoting the city’s public art.

Kim Min-yeob, 32, a freelancer in the art industry, said his group would go out to the streets to discover less charming public art.

“There are a number of art pieces considered to be eyesores. Some are randomly installed in the middle of the street without clear context or description. Our group will try to find such pieces and suggest improvements,” said Kim.

Another group said it would try to find lesser-known art districts in the capital.

“A compound near Hongik University has long been considered an art cluster. But due to gentrification, many of the artists have moved out to settle in adjacent areas like Yeonnam-dong,” said Jeon Ha-rim, a 29-year-old office worker.

“Like that, our team would like to discover newly rising artistic areas in the neighborhood so ordinary citizens do not have to travel to enjoy art,” Jeon added.

Eleven groups comprising the selected 101 participants are to be joined by field experts and art connoisseurs. Their discoveries are to be shared via the city’s official social media channels.

Once the field work is complete, the participants will vote for the most beautiful public art installations and be asked to make suggestions on ways to promote Seoul’s art scene.

“Since citizens are the most important enjoying participants of public art, they should come up with suggestions and improvement points,” said Ahn Kyu-chul, a sculpture and installation artist who also heads consultation for the city’s public art programs.

“These types of citizen-driven art projects will draw more public attention to public art, making sure that it is citizens who can improve Seoul’s art scene,” said Ahn.

Ahn Kyu-chul, a sculpture and installation artist who also heads consultation for the city’s public art programs, speaks during the kickoff of “Arts on Seoul’s street found by citizens” held at Dongdaemun Design Plaza in Seoul, Saturday. (The Seoul Metropolitan Government)

By Kim Da-sol (ddd@heraldcorp.com)