Showing 'Beyond the Galleries'... National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Cheongju Unveils Renovated Open Storage

32 Newly Unveiled Works... 175 Pieces of Sculpture and Craft by Kim Sejoong, Choi Wookkyung, Jeon Gukgwang, Yang Haegue, and More
Crates Used for Artwork Transport Also on Display
Experience the Storage and Management Process After Acquisition

Artworks at a museum do not only exist when they are hung in exhibition halls. The periods of packaging, transporting, and storage are also integral to an artwork's lifecycle. The National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Cheongju is now taking a further step to actively reveal the ‘behind-the-scenes’ aspects of the museum that have traditionally remained out of visitors’ sight.

After a major renovation, the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art Cheongju's first-floor open storage has reopened. Crates used for transporting and storing artworks are placed in the exhibition hall, and some pieces are displayed in their storage state to showcase the museum's actual preservation and management methods. National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art

The National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art announced on September 23 that it has reopened the first-floor open storage at its Cheongju branch to the public as of September 22 after an extensive renovation. The museum has completely overhauled the display and arrangement of artworks as well as visitor information materials, and is unveiling 32 additional works that have never before been on display. In total, 175 sculptures and craft pieces are now open to the public.

Opened in 2018, the Cheongju branch is Korea's first museum designed around storage. By making its storage areas—where artworks are preserved, managed, and researched—accessible to visitors along with the exhibition halls, the museum has broadened the definition of a ‘visible museum.’ The number of artworks kept in Cheongju’s collection has risen more than fourfold, from about 1,220 pieces at opening to around 5,000 this year. This renovation was carried out to both replace pieces that had been on display for extended periods and to showcase previously stored works kept in closed storage.

Among the newly displayed works are several key pieces that trace the course of modern Korean sculpture. Notable examples include ‘Kim Golumba and Agnes Sisters’ (cast circa 1954 and 1974) by Kim Sejoong; the rare three-dimensional work ‘Curiosity’ (1972) by Choi Wookkyung, who is better known as a painter; ‘Monument of Mass’ (1981), a work that earned Jeon Gukgwang the National Art Exhibition Grand Prize; and Yang Haegue’s ‘Female Aborigine’ (2010).

Kim Sejoong’s ‘Kim Golumba and Agnes Sisters’ represents the two sisters, Kim Hyoim and Kim Hyoju, who were martyred during the Gihae Persecution of 1839. Featuring two women in hanbok holding a cross and palm leaves, the work is characterized by its simple and sturdy form, exemplifying the style of 1950s Korean religious sculpture.

Choi Wookkyung’s ‘Curiosity’ is a three-dimensional piece from 1972 that combines colored plates in red, orange, yellow, green, and blue with a motor. When activated, the motor causes the plates to rotate, alternating between broad and narrow surfaces. The work highlights the artist’s experimental foray into three-dimensional art, distinct from her better-known abstract paintings with vivid hues.

‘Monument of Mass’ by Jeon Gukgwang appears as a sizable mass from the front but is revealed as an extremely thin structure from the side. This work explores ‘the difference between actual and perceived mass’ and won the top prize in the non-figurative category at the 1981 National Art Exhibition.

Exterior view of the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art Cheongju open storage. Through this renovation, the Cheongju branch will exhibit 175 sculptures and crafts, including 32 new collection pieces. National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art

Modern craftworks are also featured in the newly rearranged space. Noteworthy among them are Shin Sangho’s ‘Dream of Africa – Head,’ Yoo Uijeong’s ‘Four Landscapes,’ and Oh Hwajin’s ‘Bedman.’ Shin Sangho’s work, in particular, was newly acquired last year and demonstrates the artist’s effort to expand traditional notions of ceramics by approaching clay as a sculptural medium.

The most noticeable change in this renovation is that the very concept of ‘how artworks are stored’ has itself become a subject of exhibition. Wooden crates used for transportation and storage are placed throughout the hall, and some artworks are displayed exactly as they would be stored inside crates. With packing boxes visible behind the pieces, and the storage shelves and stacking structures exposed, the scene is starkly different from that of a conventional gallery.

The intention is not just to present the artworks as finished products against white walls, but to shed light on the ways in which they are preserved and managed after entering the museum’s collection. The exhibition naturally underscores the storage facility as a vital space where the core functions of collecting, preserving, and researching artworks take place, not simply as a warehouse.

Yoon Taewook, acting director of the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, noted, “The open storage space allows visitors not only to appreciate the collection but also to learn about the museum’s efforts in conservation and management. We hope this gives visitors an opportunity to discover another facet of the museum by exploring the diverse collection and experiencing an authentic storage environment.”

The open storage at the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Cheongju can be visited free of charge on the first floor of the museum.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.