This March, Art Sonje Center in Seoul will present the large-scale queer art exhibition 《Spectrosynthesis Seoul》.
 
Launched in 2017 at the Museum of Contemporary Art Taipei and subsequently presented in Bangkok and Hong Kong, “Spectrosynthesis” is an exhibition project initiated by the Sunpride Foundation, which has long supported LGBTQ+ art and artists across Asia. This time, the project arrives in Seoul in collaboration with Art Sonje Center.

As the fourth exhibition in the “Spectrosynthesis” series, 《Spectrosynthesis Seoul》 centers on Seoul to examine the works of LGBTQ+ artists who have pursued experimental practices across boundaries of time, space, and institutional frameworks. Featuring around 70 queer artists (and collectives) from Korea and abroad, spanning multiple generations, the exhibition is curated by Artistic Director Sunjung Kim and Curator Yongwoo Lee.
 
Taking “trans” as a key concept, Sunjung Kim explores conditions of being that continually mutate across the borders of the body, race, gender, life and death, and reality and fantasy. Narratives of identity that expand through the accumulation of memory unfold across a wide range of media in the works of artists active in diverse regions, forming a multilayered landscape where different sensibilities intersect.

In particular, the exhibition presents 27 works selected by artist Sung Hwan Kim from the collection of the Sunpride Foundation, co-organizer of the exhibition, alongside additional works or newly commissioned pieces by artists represented in the collection, including Ayoung Kim, Maria Taniguchi, Mark Bradford, Grim Park, Inhwan Oh, Danh Vo, Kang Seung Lee, Sin Wai Kin, and siren eun young jung.
 
Curator Yongwoo Lee (a media and cultural historian) introduces 20 Korean artists whose practices are grounded in queer spatiotemporality, structuring their works around three axes—“memory,” “place,” and “form”—to highlight the practices and avant-garde sensibilities of Korean queer art. By archiving the experiences of queer subjects marginalized in the course of rapid modernization, and by reconstructing and reinterpreting queer spatiotemporalities in areas of Seoul such as Ikseon-dong, Nakwon-dong, and Itaewon, the exhibition seeks points of connection with global queer discourse.

《Spectrosynthesis Seoul》 highlights the present state of queer art and its avant-garde potential through a wide spectrum of queer artistic practices, much like a spectrum of light, presenting the multilayered terrain of LGBTQ+ art today. Performances, lectures, and talk programs held throughout the exhibition period will connect diverse experiences and perspectives through queer art, creating a shared platform where discourse and practice intersect.
 
The exhibition opens on March 20 and runs through June 28. Further details are available on the Art Sonje Center website(https://artsonje.org/exhibition/%ec%8a%a4%ed%8e%99%ed%8a%b8%eb%a1%9c%ec%8b%a0%ed%85%8c%ec%8b%9c%ec%8a%a4-%ec%84%9c%ec%9a%b8/).
 
Participating artists: Gilbert & George, Kyungmook Kim, Dan Kim, Ryeom Kim, Muyeong Kim, Ayoung Kim, Jaewon Kim, Kim Taeyeon, Nilbar Güreş, Derek Jarman, David Wojnarowicz, Dew Kim, Robert Rauschenberg, Zihan Loo, Ru Kim, Lee Mingwei, Maria Taniguchi, Mark Bradford, Martin Wong, among more than 70 artists (or collectives)

References

• ArtReivew, The Exhibitions and Biennials to See in 2026
• 아트선재센터 보도자료 (Art Sonje Center Press Release)
• 선프라이드 재단, 스펙트로신테시스 서울 (Sunpride Foundation, Spectrosynthesis Seoul)