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Designed in collaboration by Austrian firm Jadric Architektur<\/strong><\/a> and Korean studio 1990uao Architects, the newly completed museum spans six levels \u2014 four above ground, two below \u2014 totaling 7,048 square meters. With its broad concrete surfaces and filtered light, the building feels anchored in its setting while gesturing toward the evolving identity of Korean photography.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Its architectural frame balances introspection with openness. The architects have treated the museum<\/strong><\/a> like a vessel for light, emphasizing clean circulation, restrained materiality, and soft transitions between levels. Interior zones are punctuated by voids that offer moments of pause and reorientation. Light wells and controlled apertures shift with the time of day, shaping the atmosphere in which visitors encounter the museum\u2019s growing collection. See designboom\u2019s previous coverage here<\/strong><\/a>!<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n two inaugural exhibitions<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n The Photography Seoul Museum of Art by Jadric Architektur<\/a><\/strong> and 1990uao Architects<\/a><\/strong> opens as Korea\u2019s first public institution dedicated solely to the photographic medium. Operated as a branch of the Seoul Museum of Art (SeMA)<\/a><\/strong>, the project expands SeMA\u2019s cultural reach while setting out a distinct curatorial mission. The inaugural exhibitions \u2014 The Radiance: Beginnings of Korean Art Photography and Storage Story \u2014 mark the museum\u2019s public debut, both as an architecture and as an archive.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n In The Radiance: Beginnings of Korean Art Photography, the museum presents seminal works by Jung Haechang, Lim Suk Je, Lee Hyungrok, Cho Hyundu, and Park Youngsook. The exhibition draws from a collection that now includes over 20,000 works and archival materials dating from the 1920s to 1990s. These early pieces are installed with a sense of spatial reverence, highlighting the relationship between image and context while allowing room for the visitor\u2019s own interpretation of the medium\u2019s historical shifts.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n In contrast, Storage Story engages the new museum as both subject and site. The six artists featured \u2014 Dongsin Seo, Won Seoung Won, Jihyun Jung, Joo Yongseong, Melmel Chung, and Oh Jooyoung \u2014 use photography to reflect on the institution\u2019s formation. Their works explore the idea of a museum as a living organism: one shaped by systems of classification, memory, and projection. The interplay between art and architecture in this context becomes particularly resonant, with each piece responding directly to the building\u2019s spatial language.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n architecture shaped by light and lens<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n The Photography Seoul Museum of Art is designed with close attention to the conditions that shape photographic experience. Galleries are proportioned to accommodate shifting media, from silver gelatin prints to video-based installations, while archival spaces are hidden yet essential. This provided the infrastructure for long-term research and preservation. The result is an architecture that feels both deliberate and flexible, suited to the museum\u2019s dual identity as a site of display and a working archive.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n The project sets an ambitious institutional vision. Beyond its exhibitions, the museum is positioned to encourage dialogue between artists, curators, and researchers. Programming includes regular talks, workshops, and events extending through the summer season, reinforcing its role as a dynamic cultural anchor for the region. Through sustained engagement with the medium\u2019s history and future, the museum hopes to widen the public\u2019s understanding of photographic art.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n While deeply grounded in the context of Korean photography, the museum\u2019s aspirations are outward-looking. As General Director Choi Eunju notes, the project complements SeMA\u2019s other satellite institutions and aims to position Seoul as a critical node in Asia\u2019s contemporary photography scene.<\/p>\n![\"photography](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/photography-seoul-museum-art-korea-designboom-01.jpg\")
images by Yoon Joonhwan<\/a>, courtesy PhotoSeMA. \u00a9 PhotoSeMA<\/p>\n![\"photography](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/photography-seoul-museum-art-korea-designboom-02.jpg\")
the Photography Seoul Museum of Art brings a cultural landmark to Dobong-gu, Seoul<\/p>\n![\"photography](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/photography-seoul-museum-art-korea-designboom-03.jpg\")
Jadric Architektur and 1990uao Architects design a light-filled museum for photography<\/p>\n![\"photography](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/photography-seoul-museum-art-korea-designboom-04.jpg\")
the museum\u2019s interiors are shaped by natural light and spatial stillness<\/p>\n![\"photography](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/photography-seoul-museum-art-korea-designboom-05.jpg\")
installation views, Storage Story, Photography Seoul Museum of Art, May 29th \u2014 October 12th, 2025. photos by Image Zoom, courtesy SeMA<\/p>\n