Five Under-the-Radar Galleries to Watch in Seoul

In recent years, small galleries in South Korea have multiplied stunning speeds by breathtaking paces, thanks to the arrival and momentum of Frieze Qeeoul in 2022 Halliu (Korean Wave), turning the city into one of the most buzzing destinations in the world.

Local heavyweights including Kukje Gallery, Modern Gallery and Arario Gallery have long been anchored on Samcheong-Dong, a region where international visitors are popular for their winding alleys and century-old Hanok Houses, while international players such as Lehmann Maupin and Pace Gallery gather in the central part of Yongsan.

But the new wave of young galleries tends to be less traditional environments like Euljiro, known for their industrial perseverance and stylish edges, and Haebangchon, once a hillside for temporary houses of immigrants displaced after the Japanese colonial and Korean War, is now a multi-flyer in a café and bar. Some even reimagine their houses as exhibition venues, blurring the boundaries between domestic and public spaces.

These choices are intentional. Gwansoo Shin, founder of the Shower Gallery, saw the vitality of the scene lying in a small space that “provides an alternative to things that were before.” For him, occupying non-traditional sites was a way to resist the aesthetics of white cubes.

These spaces often echo the surrounding communities. Hyejin Jee, founder of Haebangchon Sangheeut Gallery, said she chose the community precisely because of its stratified history, which has recently been called the “Free Village” and is home to a large international community, including expats who speak English.

However, this energy encountered a headwind and South Korea’s domestic art market seemed to have fallen into a prolonged downturn, which was subject to the slow pace of the economy. Some local galleries have gone through a “gentrification” or returned to the old ways of doing things, but those weathered storms have become stronger, mainly because everyone has a unique plan and together, they promote a healthy competitive spirit.

With the perspective of five Seoul-based galleries, their quirky approach and commitment to fostering a quirky artistic voice make them worth a look.

PS Center

Image source: PS PS Center

PS Center was until 2022, a nonprofit called Eulji Art Center, until 2022, until years of watching artists gave up on their own practice and reimagined by director Park Jiinn after starting his own path to collectors. With three partners, most of whom are from a nonprofit background, she now runs the PS Center with a focus on cultivating real relationships: mentoring new collectors at the start of the journey while working closely with the artist to shape each exhibition.

The past life on the vaulted ceiling of the gallery is situated on the top floor of a former metal factory in Euljiro. Within walking distance, it is surrounded by nine other galleries and nonprofits, and it has become a natural stop on the Seoul Gallery Skydiving Track. Recent shows include a solo exhibition at Yoo-Ah, a Korean Painter Park in New York, known for its portrait series of Korean adopters.

During his stay in Friz Seoul, the gallery will showcase new works created by Indian artist Naresh Kumar during his residence in Gwangju, a city still frightened by the 1980 massacre, when the military killed many pro-democracy protesters. Kumar’s work explores the persistence of collective movements, as well as the struggles passed down across borders and generations. The exhibition is titled “March to March” and will be held from August 26 to September 13.

Address: 3f, 18, changgyeonggung-ro 5da-gil, jung-gu, Seoul
Wwnn

Image source: provided by wwnn

WWNN is what we need now, founded in 2023 by artist Jungwoo Lee and curator Juhyun Oh. Focusing on projects that showcase installation art, interactive works and specific websites, the gallery’s plans revolve around a core issue: what it means to be human today.

Lee and Oh believe that understanding the voices that now need to span generations, and that they often hold exhibitions where emerging artists have conversations with intermediate artists. This approach can be seen in a 2024 group exhibition titled “Fairy Tales” where painter Luc Tuymans performed with the artist for decades.

During Frieze Zeoul, the gallery will work with the Japanese gallery scam after last year’s art collaboration Kyoto on a joint project. From September 4 to 27, Con will take over WWNN’s space, performing four artists from Japan and Sweden. Mixing mixed sculpture with sound installations with painting and reconfigured urban objects, titled “Unexpected Fantasy”, will explore the fragile connections between material, memory and myth.

Address: 20, Samcheong-Ro 5-Gil, Jongno-Gu, Seoul
Shower gallery

Image source: Courtesy Shower Gallery

Artist Gwansoo Shin has a background in exhibition design and production and founded the Shower Gallery in 2023 as a space to test ambitious and radical forms of art. For Shin, gallery means less than displaying objects rather than having meaningful encounters.

This spirit focuses on “Succession 0.1”, an exhibition in which artist hyein Min transforms the space into a temporary wooden wall maze for photography, video and sculpture. At the end of the show, Canadian artist Simon Shim-Sutcliffe repurposed the structures into a long bridge-like table. Throughout the week, the gallery became a place for process and games, with visitors sharing dinners and partying on the last night.

Until September 14, the current exhibition of Showers will feature Shanghai-based artist Chen Ruofan and showcase a large-scale installation that transforms factory jagged into an inner environment that focuses on hidden losses from labor and environmental neglect.

Address: GF, 61, Duteopbawi-ro Yonsan-gu, Seoul
Sangheeut Gallery

Image source: Courteous Sangheeut Gallery

Hyejin Jee founded Sangheeut in 2021, the only gallery in Haebangchon. Jee envisions the gallery as a platform for her generation’s stories, providing less interiors for her generation’s stories, thus allowing the artist’s room to use a format that is less stressful than commercial. Sangheeut introduced rising voices such as Tokyo-based American artist Michael Rikio Ming Hee He Ho, Indonesian multidisciplinary artist Maruto Ardi and South Korean sculptor Eugene Jung.

From August 28 to September 27, the gallery will showcase Jisoo Lee’s solo exhibition, which is the “doorway”. From her experience of a woman living alone in Korea, many have adopted camouflage strategies such as leaving men’s shoes at the door to stop gender-based crimes or avoiding social pressures – Lee explores the fragile boundaries of private spaces that others violate.

Address: 30, Sinheung-Ro, Yongsan-gu, Seoul
Xlarge Gallery

Image source: Courteous Xlarge Gallery

Xlarge is both an exhibition space and a house, founded by Jae Seok Kim in 2025 Culture and Art and the former director of Modern Gallery, where he held exhibitions for artists such as Lee Kun-Yong, Simon Fujiwara and Ryan Gander.

This space stems from Kim Jong-il’s desire to bring art closer to everyday life and brings space to curatorial programs advocated by LGBTQ+ artists whose popularity remains limited in South Korea, where the debate over gender equality is full of troubles, and same-sex marriage is still not recognized.

Until October, the gallery’s current exhibition (the third since its inception) was a solo by Lee Dong-Hyun, titled “Hole-Hole Hoo-Ha”. Lee’s sculpture unveils the form of stuffed animals and Olympic mascots, recombining them into strange hybrids. Installed in a domestic setting, these playful and disturbing creatures seem to be a takeover of the house and are filled with humor and uneasiness.