Large Curved concrete ceiling leads visitors to the internal garden at the end of the lobby at the Futura Seoul art space.

A New Addition to the Bukchon Cultural Neighbourhood in Seoul

푸투라서울 Futura Seoul is a new art space in Bukchon, a neighborhood typically known as the traditional and cultural neighborhood in Seoul. This is also the neighborhood famous for the traditional Hanok Village.

This 2-storey building along the main Bukchon-ro is designed to host art exhibitions and art events. From the street level, the facade is very unassuming and does not call too much attention to the traditional buildings surrounding it.

Passers-by walking casually will not notice to enter and explore unless they are aware of its existence. At a glance, it looked like a private office space due to the tall gates covering the full-height glass window of the building facade. I had the opportunity to visit this gallery on its opening day, which coincides with the Frieze Art Fair Seoul in 2024.

Interior Architecture Where Concrete Curves and Double-height Spaces Take Center Stage.

The lobby is simple and modest, except for the curved concrete ceiling. One had to look up to appreciate the details of this otherwise small and typical lobby space.

The curved concrete ceiling extends beyond the lobby area, into a large communal space. Here, a large, curved, table-like structure takes center stage as visitors hang out around it. At the end of this space is a large window overlooking an internal garden. The contrast of concrete and nature, with natural light is beautiful and inviting.

Curved concrete ceiling flowed from the lobby space to the waiting area and ends with the view of the internal garden at Futura Seoul art space.

Exhibitions as Poems

The inaugural exhibition, a solo exhibition of media artist Refik Anadol, Echoes of the Earth: Living Archive, is referred to as the “first poem”. I thought this was a nice curatorial and editorial gesture. The use of “poem” instead of exhibition feels more sophisticated, less academic, and more personal to me. Just like any exhibition or art experience, though designed and curated, it is still personal to the audience.

The first poem Echoes of the Earth: Living Archive consists of a series of site-specific, digital installations created with AI. There are 3 pieces in total, each work has a room dedicated to it, creating an immersive experience.

EXHIBITION:

The First Poem: the importance of new ways of recording and appreciating nature.

This first poem is the largest solo exhibition by the artist in Asia and is done in partnership with the Serpentine Gallery, London. It aims to highlight the importance of developing new ways of recording and appreciating nature. And I think it delivers.

The artworks in this exhibition, although very much visually driven, also engage the other senses. The use of the 3D space and sounds are also very prominent. Even the scents in the room are part of the work. After reading more about the exhibition I learned that even the scents in the rooms are made with AI using the same data base as the visuals.

Each room allows visitors to stay for as long as they wish, they can choose to sit on the floor, stand, or walk around the room. The first room gives the experience of being in a very big elevator, as thousands of thumbnails scroll past all 4 walls of the room. It was quite disorienting at first but I think it is intentional.

The highlight for me was the second room. it was immersive, meditative, and engaging at the same time. The color palette in this room is more subdued and more focused on blue hues. The room is smaller and serves as a transition between the first work to the final work. Visitors have to pass through this room to get the final artwork. But because of this, this room also gets quite a bit of traffic. I think it is best to experience this room alone.

The final artwork is a large-scale digital display. From the lobby and waiting area experience, one would not expect this large space to exist in the building. So it was a nice surprise. The height of this last gallery is 11m. For this piece, visitors are encouraged to sit back and lounge on the floors. Large beanbags were provided on one side of the gallery.

The building space also includes a terrace and a rooftop space. However it was closed during my visit.