Hannam-dong
Emerging as a hotspot for art and culture within the past ten years is trendy Hannam-dong. Not only is this neighbourhood famous for its nightlife and strong international character, it also boasts some of the priciest real estate in all of Korea—the official residence of President Yoon Suk Yeol is located here. At street level, it is considered one of the city’s best places for people-watching, particularly on the weekends.
Leeum Museum of Art is the jewel of Hannam-dong’s art scene, with its unparalleled collection of traditional Korean artworks and formidable line-up of contemporary exhibitions. Just steps away, Pace’s expansive Seoul location (the gallery’s largest, save for its NYC headquarters) offers three floors of gallery space plus a teahouse/cocktail bar, while Lehmann Maupin, Thaddaeus Ropac and Various Small Fires are also within walking distance, as are domestic dealers such as Gallery Baton, ThisWeekendRoom and Foundry Seoul. A neighbouring hillside harbours yet another pocket of galleries along Gyeongnidan Street: the local mainstays P21 and Whistle have been there for years, recently joined by the European power players Esther Schipper, Eva Presenhuber and König Galerie.
Samcheong-dong
This is Seoul’s historic hub of arts and culture, nestled in the shadow of two Joseon Dynasty palaces. Perched atop a small hill to the north is Bukchon Hanok Village, where picturesque views serve as a backdrop for countless pristine examples of traditional Korean architecture. On the weekends, this popular destination teems with tourists wearing hanbok, traditional Korean clothing, rented on an hourly basis.
The neighbourhood is anchored by three major contemporary museums: MMCA Seoul and Art Sonje Center, which helped propel the careers of Korean art luminaries including Lee Bul, Do Ho Suh and Seoyoung Chung in the early 2000s, and Seoul Museum of Craft Art, where historical and contemporary craftworks show the evolution of Korea’s artisanal traditions.
It’s also where stalwart galleries such as Kukje Gallery and Gallery Hyundai are located in close proximity to other long-running commercial spaces like Hakgojae Gallery, Arario Gallery, PKM Gallery, Shilla Gallery and Gallery Chosun. Recent local additions to the lengthy list of galleries include Peres Projects, Kiche, WWNN, Museumhead, Baik Art, Barakat Contemporary and the brand new Futura Seoul.
Cheongdam-dong
As the playground of the city’s elite, Cheongdam-dong is where all the major fashion houses have opened boutiques designed by leading architects—Louis Vuitton (Frank Gehry), Dolce & Gabbana (Jean Nouvel), Dior (Christian de Portzamparc) and Chanel (Peter Marino) among them. Many of Seoul’s biggest art collectors also call this posh neighbourhood home, which has in turn attracted major galleries to cater to the well-heeled cohort based here.
The newest landmark is the SongEun Building, designed by the Swiss firm Herzog & de Meuron. Beneath its concrete façade and imposing silhouette is SongEun, one of the city’s premier non-profit art spaces, while the equally influential Atelier Hermès occupies the underground level of the French brand’s flagship location near Dosan Park.
Across the street from Hermès, the blue-chip galleries White Cube and Perrotin have set up shop as the undisputed heavy hitters of Cheongdam-dong, with the likes of Gladstone and Massimo di Carlo following suit
with their own bricks-and-mortar spaces nearby. Homegrown galleries including One and J. Gallery, Lee Eugean Gallery and G Gallery also vie for the attention of Cheongdam’s prodigious collector base.
Euljiro
Once the city’s bustling industrial centre, filled with hundreds of textile and metal workshops, Euljiro has endured sweeping changes in recent years as gentrification and redevelopment have displaced hundreds of small-scale businesses. Its gritty industrial charm, however, makes this locale a hipster haven: late-night restaurants hawk fried chicken, dried fish and spicy sea snails to customers who spill out into the narrow side streets.
The area’s art spaces reflect this alternative identity by occupying non-traditional venues that can be challenging to find, even for locals. Space Cadalogs, Euljiro OF and Jungganjijeom are the most experimental and put on group shows by emerging artists. Other spaces like N/A, EveryArt, YK Presents, ArtSpace Hyeong and PS Center serve up options for more adventurous visitors who want to discover the next generation of artists from Seoul’s burgeoning art scene.
• Frieze late openings: Euljiro (2 September), Hannam (3 September), Samcheong (4 September) and Cheongdam (5 September)
