Four questions for Korean contemporary art at the Korea Artist Prize

Traces, AI, images and branching painted stories: enter each artist’s space with one question rather than a search for the right answer.

Daily Korea EditorialOct 25, 2026Updated Oct 25, 2026

Jeon Hyunsun’s painting composed of 30 canvases

Trying to solve every artwork can make a museum visit tiring before it begins. At MMCA Seoul’s Korea Artist Prize exhibition, meet Lee Hai Min Sun, Lee Jungwoo, Jeon Hyunsun and Hong Jin-hwon through one question each. What remains, and whose viewpoint shapes an image?

With Lee Hai Min Sun, look for traces that survive a disappearance. Move from the gallery view toward an individual work. Consider the difference between depicting an object and showing the condition it leaves behind; imagine what has passed through rather than simply naming what you see.

Janseol (잔설) uses chemicals on a photograph of snow. Compare the title’s promise with the marks in front of you. Moving between the title and the material offers a way into the work without requiring immediate recognition.

Lee Jungwoo examines how generative AI constructs images and history. Ask what makes a convincing scene believable. Beyond the novelty of the technology, consider the records and rules that may have produced the screen image.

Hong Jin-hwon’s film and photography installation

Hong Jin-hwon’s films and photographs address what images reveal or conceal. Notice your own waiting as well as the scene onscreen. Check the running time and stay for a sequence: duration can introduce something a single still cannot carry.

Jeon Hyunsun’s paintings and sculptural works

Jeon Hyunsun’s installation, whose Korean title refers to a rabbit digging two burrows, comprises 30 canvases. Move around and find your own connections rather than trying to read everything from one position. For more context, consider the artist–jury conversation on October 27. Advance registration is required and simultaneous interpretation is provided.

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Place: MMCA Seoul, 30 Samcheong-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul
Exhibition: Korea Artist Prize; July 24–December 6
Conversation: October 27, 13:30–17:30; B1 MMCA Multiproject Hall
Admission: Conversation free with registration; exhibition ticket separate
Booking: Register by October 26, 24:00; first come, first served

A rewarding contemporary-art visit may leave you with one persistent question rather than a collection of explanations. Stop once more in front of the work you cannot quite leave behind.