A rendering image of the new Busan Museum of Art building set to open in 2026. Courtesy of the museum.
The Busan Museum of Art, inaugurated in 1998, is poised to undergo a significant renovation and interior expansion project lasting two years from April next year, coinciding with its 25th anniversary, to evolve into a futuristic art museum.
Seo Jin-seok, the recently appointed director of the Busan Museum of Art and South Korea’s first-generation independent curator, unveiled the museum’s ambitious renovation plans during the initial press conference held on Monday, December 11. With an investment of KRW 43 billion, the new Busan Museum of Art aspires not only to undergo architectural upgrades but also to implement changes to its administrative system.
The central theme for the forthcoming museum building is “connection.” The structure will be entirely enveloped in special glass panels, encompassing a floor area of 22,295 square meters with two underground and three above-ground levels. The internal floors will be interconnected, forming a “Liminal Space” that blurs the boundaries between the inside and outside, as well as among different levels, crafting a futuristic art museum.
The storage space for artworks will also see expansion, adding approximately 200 square meters to the existing 400-square-meter area. Furthermore, in the latter half of 2024, an international forum featuring global art administration experts will be convened to develop a manual for future art administration, with proposals slated for submission to the government and relevant organizations.
Director Seo Jin-seok affirmed, “Through changes in architectural structure, we will present a new exhibition without spatial partition boundaries,” and added, “We plan to research and establish a manual for an ‘art administration’ system that embraces the history and trends of art.”
