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Busan is well-known for its nightlife and the beaches lining the southern coast of South Korea. In addition to its obvious tourist sites, such as Haeundae Beach and Haedong Yonggungsa Temple, a burgeoning arts scene is to be found in this port city.
Read MoreWhether you want to discover contemporary art created by established artists or by emerging talents, below you will find some of the best galleries across Busan's vibrant art scene presenting a range of both.
Among the oldest and most important contemporary art galleries in Busan is Johyun Gallery, which originally opened as 'Gallery World' in 1990 and began showing Korean and international artists. In 2005, the gallery moved from its former location in Gwanganli to its current home near Haeundae Beach, and it has been indispensable in cultivating an environment for contemporary art and galleries in Busan.
Leading Korean galleries Kukje Gallery and Gana Art also have locations in the city, as do young contemporary galleries such as Mo J Gallery and Soul Art Space.
For those wanting an encounter with a seamless blend of art, life, and culture in Busan, Gamcheon Culture Village will prove to be a worthwhile visit. Previously a mountainous settlement founded by refugees during the Korean War, the village has in recent years been transformed by visiting and resident artists into a colourful arts hub.
Explore current and upcoming exhibitions across Busan's best galleries, institutions, and non-profit art spaces.
Busan's museums and institutions offer an exceptional arts and culture experience. Explore our selection of the best spaces to visit.
Ocula Magazine is an online platform dedicated to publishing the best in contemporary art internationally. Explore our in-depth conversations, insights, features, news stories, and photologs covering the Busan arts scene here.
Busan is home to international art fairs and events including Busan Biennale, ongoing since 1998, and Art Busan, a fast-growing May art fair established in 2012.
Located at the southeast tip of the Korean peninsula, Busan is a major maritime industrial city long known for its stretches of sandy beaches, bridges, and local cuisine. Since the early 2000s, it has also fast become a destination for culture and contemporary art.
Read MoreHaeundae, one of the most coveted summer destinations in Korea, is home to a number of major Korean contemporary art galleries. Johyun Gallery, which originally opened in 1989 in Gwangalli, paved the way for showing contemporary art in Busan. The gallery moved to Haeundae in 2007 and continues to exhibit galvanising works by a breadth of local and international artists. Among the Seoul-based Korean galleries with secondary spaces in this neighbourhood include Gana Art, SEOJUNG ART, and Gallery ERD.
Also to be found in Haeundae is the Busan Museum of Art (BMA), committed to creating 'a citizen-centred platform of culture and art'. In addition to its vast exhibition halls, educational rooms, and an outdoor sculpture park, the museum opened Space Lee Ufan in 2015, a 'total space' dedicated to the work of the seminal minimalist painter and sculptor.
BMA is across from the Busan Exhibition and Conference Centre (BEXCO), the long-time venue for Art Busan. Launched in 2012, the fair has steadily grown to become a leading international art fair in Asia, reaching record attendances of 80,000 in 2021 and 100,000 in 2022.
While outside of Haeundae, Kukje Gallery in the nearby Suyeong-gu is unmissable for its rich programme of solo presentations by contemporary artists that have included Candida Höfer, Haegue Yang, Heejoon Lee, Julian Opie, and Suki Seokyeong Kang, as well as the renowned film director Park Chan-wook. The leading Korean gallery first opened its Seoul space in 1982, and extended to Busan in 2018.
A city celebrated for its unique balance of high-rising skyscrapers and beautiful landscapes, Busan has found a home for the Museum of Contemporary Art Busan (MOCA Busan) in Eulsukdo, a small island at the foot of Nakdong River. An ecological repository of rich soil and migratory birds, the island was transformed into Eulsukdo Island Ecological Park in 2012.
Since 2012, Busan has also hosted its own biennial across the city, enlisting various venues that have included the Busan Museum of Art, MOCA Busan, and other cultural and historical landmarks such as HANSUNG1918 and Choryangjae. Busan Biennale is presented by the Busan Biennale Organizing Committee, which hosts the biennial Sea Art Festival that unfolds on the prized beaches of the city.
A tour of Busan is incomplete without a mention of the prestigious Busan International Film Festival (BIFF), Korea's first international film festival established in 1996. Typically held in fall, the BIFF is presented in its own Busan Cinema Center, which offers a breadth of film screenings, performances, and cultural programmes. While on the opposite side of the city, Busan Museum of Movies is highly commendable for an afternoon of delightful interaction with the world of Korean cinema.
Image: Busan city. Image: PxHere.
