On May 12, the Seoul Museum of Art (SeMA) announced the open call for the ‘2025 SeMA-Hana Art Criticism Award.’ In response, eight previous recipients of the award released a joint statement, urging the institution to issue an apology for a recent censorship controversy and to take measures to prevent its recurrence.
 
In March, it was revealed that SeMA had rejected an essay by critic Nam Woong that was set to be published in the catalogue for the exhibition 《Into Other Rivers》, held at the Art Archives of Seoul Museum of Art (SeMA AA). The institution cited concerns over neutrality, pointing to the essay’s critical reference to former President Yoon Suk Yeol’s alleged plans to declare martial law. This incident raised serious concerns about political censorship within the institution. 

In response, eight past recipients of the SeMA-Hana Art Criticism Award—including Nam Woong, Kwak Yung Bin, Kim Junghyun, Junghyun Moon, Lee Yeonsook, Jinshil Lee, Jihan Jang, and Han Gil Jang—issued a joint statement titled "Criticism and Censorship Cannot Coexist: On the SeMA Art Archives Catalogue Censorship Incident and the 2025 SeMA-Hana Art Criticism Award."

According to the statement, the text submitted by Nam Woong—a 2017 recipient of the SeMA-Hana Art Criticism Award and a human rights activist—was described as a contribution that “reflected on the exhibition’s theme of ‘archival activism’ and enriched its meaning.” Nonetheless, it was rejected on the grounds of “neutrality,” allegedly due to its reference to and critique of the martial law crisis that had shaken public memory and sentiment. The statement notes that it is difficult to accept a situation in which the museum engages in clear censorship while still claiming neutrality. 

The critics also criticized the SeMA director's response following media coverage of the incident. In an interview with The Hankyoreh, the museum director claimed to be “completely unaware of the situation” and suggested that there had been “a communication issue between the parties involved.” In response, the critics asserted: “As the head of a public institution, it would have been appropriate for the museum director to clearly affirm that censorship has no place in a city-run museum, to take responsibility for investigating whether this incident constitutes censorship, and to offer an apology to the critic involved.”

The statement further asserts that “calling for new critics and writings through an open call, while knowing that a previous awardee’s work was subject to censorship by the very institution granting the award, is both contradictory and self-defeating.” It continues, “Such arbitrary decision-making and lack of communication are profoundly shocking to artists, critics, and curators—both domestic and international—who have contributed to the public value of critical and alternative art practices, including through this very exhibition.”
 
In light of this, the eight critics demanded “a responsible explanation from the Seoul Museum of Art before promoting the 2025 SeMA-Hana Art Criticism Award as a platform for discovering and supporting new critical voices.” They also urged the museum to issue a sincere apology to artists, critics, and curators affected by the censorship incident and to make a clear commitment to preventing such occurrences in the future. 

Following the release of the statement, Nam Woong told The Hankyoreh that “museum curatorial staff suggested that the text could be re-included in the catalogue, claiming the censorship was a misunderstanding,” but he said he would not accept the proposal “unless there is an official apology and a detailed explanation of the circumstances surrounding the initial rejection.” He added that he is seeking ways to respond in broader solidarity with others in the art community.

References

• 한겨레, 서울시립미술관 ‘계엄 비판 게재 불가’에 평론가들 “사과하라”, 2025.06.03
• 성명문 전문 (Full Statement)