Korea’s Great Museum – A Great Destination
I was out on a dinner with a new friend of mine in Korea, Stephani and was telling her that the morning I had visited Leeum Samsung Museum and impressed with its quality of collection. She agreed and said that if there is only one museum to recommend, Leeum is it. She then paused and said but if it is two, then you should see SAN museum. She then proceed kindly to help me arrange a visit.
On the night before, I somehow got very excited, especially Stephani was sharing how RM has visited the museum. I am a BTS Army but more than just admiring RM as my bias, I also see that RM has keen eyes for art. I have a good feeling all night and in the morning. I purposely did not spend time to research because I want to be surprised. And surprised pleasantly does not even begun to describe my feeling throughout th visit, I am struck with awe probably a better way to describe my feeling. I was in constant awe from one area to another.
Museum SAN (stands for Space-Art-Nature but also mean Mountain in Korea) situated in Wonju, few hours drive from Seoul, it is a beautiful drive. It is located around a beautiful mountain and the buildings are as such it escalated the aesthetics of buildings in mountains. After all it is designed by world famous Tadao Ando, achingly beautiful with severe aesthetic architect. It was opened in 2013 and continue to grow until James Turell work completed as part of the museum. You will need to rent a car at least for 6 hours (or if it is during rainy season like what we experience, it will take a lot more, we spend 8 hours in total but totally worth it absolutely). In Korea there are ways to rent a car, you can do Avis or KakaoT, there are also tours that include museum SAN as its destination. It is open from 10 in the morning to 18:00 in the afternoon from Tuesday to Sunday. You will have to pay the ticket for admission which I think very sensibly priced.
This is a unique museum that focus on three different categories, papers (after all it is owned by Hansol, that started in business many years ago among other with paper), installation art that transform outdoors (and with superbly gorgeous achingly chicand artistic landscape) and architectures, then it has James Turell genius exhibition.
You will start your journey outside with The Flower Garden, The Water Garden and The Stone Garden. Each of these garden has landmark installation arts. You will first encounter beautiful the Flower Garden dotted with the red installation in a beautiful flower garden. The Water Garden Archway by Alexander Liberman is instagrammable location, it is a steel archway sculpted majestically yet in a modern industrial imposing yet elegantly done to welcome all visitors to the main building. Past the museum building going to James Turrell exhibition area, you will experience the Stone Garden, garden with nothing but stones arranged severely aesthetic with several beautiful outdoor installation arts. The stones are arranged to resemble and inspired by the ancient Silla tombs. Some of these installation arts that dotted the gardens include those by Bernar Venet and Henry Moore.
Within the main building there are several exhibitions, let me start with paper exhibitions (which exhibited chronologically paper journey, not only within the Korea but also the world) with very unique and invaluable collections that not only include how papers dotted Korean lives since at least Joseon eras and even before, but also how printing machine and paper use evolve beyond Korea. One will see how paper started in China and progress accross the world. In addition to the exhibition, museum SAN has activity center on paper printing to introduce the visitors directly to the art of printing, including how to make a printed mug and others, I can just see how my artistic daughter will love spending time and this goes with others visitors who will experience first hand the beauty and excitement of paper printing. It is not the only experience involving paper, another exhibit involve how paper and technology interact in the exhibit called “The Breeze”, a very post modern experience I would say. These exhibitions are housed separately between Paper gallery and as well Cheong-Jo gallery, the first housed all things paper and printing evolution while Cheong Ju housed superb arts.
Tadao Ando, who designed the entire buildings, also housed(between April 1st – 30th July) his collections of building prototype / maquettes and drawings in SAN museum. They are truly a gorgeous collection even I can appreciate as layman, I cannot imagine the feeling of architects watching these collections, I think it will be very hard not feeling inspired. These collections represented Tadao’s work between late 1960 to mid 1990, it is called “Tadao Ando – Youth”. One of which include Naoshima Project in Japan that took 30 years to complete. In addition to the Tadao Ando Youth exhibition, there is also permanent exhibition about the drawing and maquette of SAN museum to help us visualise the journey of conception of SAN museum which is equally gorgeous. There is (at least to me) a surprised exhibition of chairs by renown architects such as Gehry, Eames and Frank Llyod Wright – drawing parallel of evolution of modern architecture and chairs.
Lastly but I supposed the climax of the visit will be James Turell exhibition of space and light installation. It was divided into four areas, Skyspace, Horizon Room, Ganzfeld and Wedgework in which dreamlike setting mindbending installation that play beautifully between space and lighting, it is inevitable you come away feeling the genius of James Turell and invoke deep reflection that many things in the world is as one’s perception and can be an illusion.
This is a grand museum that can take all day to take in all collections deeply, therefore we still miss some and only get glimpse of others, among others are the superb Meditation Hall, interesting Triangle Court, Nam June Paik Hall, Papyrus Conservatory and I only get a glimpse of Cheong Ju Gallery. Definitely next time.
I also want to say that the cafe and museum shop are truly a delight. Very nice food, lovely sandwich and pastries as well as beverages. Museum SAN has two cafe stops, one is smaller but both are very nice. Additionally, the museum shop also housed interesting merchandise and products, they are both practical, nicely designed and priced affordably.
SAN museum has been featured world wide included in the Finansial Times, Lonely Planet, the Times and Nikkei among others as one of the best things to do in South Korea and I could not agree more. This is one museum I can just spend one day and return to visit again, and again. I came away refreshed, instropective and enlighted as well with lovely mementos from the visit.
Verdict : absolutely a must visit !
