Pyeongchang-dong’s Stunning Gana Art Center Provides the Perfect Excuse to Head to the Quiet Heights of Northern Seoul

The hillside neighborhood of Pyeongchang-dong is a hotbed of artistry. Home to galleries, art museums and several of Korea’s leading modern artists, the area is defended from large-scale redevelopment by its steep gradients, allowing it a less frenetic pace than other parts of Seoul. Just a persimmon’s drop away from the southern fringes of Bukhansan National Park, Pyeongchang-dong enjoys the best of the winter sunlight and unbeatable views of the city’s monsoon thunderstorms. Here, in one of the iconic buildings of the 20th century, is Korea’s largest gallery, Gana Art Center.

Art Within Art

French architect Jean-Michel Wilmotte is the man responsible for Gana’s unforgettable modern building, with its elegant lines and striking sense of space. Though hilltop tranquility comes at the price of somewhat compromised accessibility, Wilmotte’s 1998 masterpiece makes sure that visitors have a much harder time tearing themselves away from Gana Art Center than they ever could reaching it in the first place. With a total floor space approaching 3,000 square meters, the center comprises three exhibition spaces, a restaurant, gift shop, outdoor performance space and more.

After beginning in 1983 in Seoul’s Insa-dong, Gana opened its new main gallery in Wilmotte’s building in 1998. Before and since the move, Gana has undergone a steady series of expansions and new operations that have helped move it to the forefront of modern art in Korea: Gana Print Studio (1987), Gana Art Publication (1988), membership in Paris’s Cité Internationale des Arts (1996), Gana Art Shop and Gana Ceramic Studio (1997), Insa Art Center in Insa-dong (2000), the Gana Atelier artists’ residency program in Pyeongchang-dong (2002), which later became JangHeung Atelier (2006) and was joined the same year by JangHeung ArtPark; Gana Art Busan (2007); and, last year, Gana Art New York, Gana Art Gangnam and a second JangHeung Atelier. Both the scale of Gana in Korea—the largest gallery in the country, with more than 50 employees—and its standing in the international art world grant it a unique place in Seoul’s art community.

Gana’s staff includes art and design consultancy experts who also take on public art and corporate interior design projects such as brand identity and lobby design, counting some extremely large multinational corporations among their clients. The center has run a photo festival every year since 2001, which, after a tenth and final installment next year, will be replaced by a design and architecture festival. The wooden terrace that descends to the courtyard at the center of the Gana complex becomes the scene of open-air performances several times a year; at other times, its tables are a good place to enjoy one of the last outdoor coffees of the year and the rare silence that Gana’s location affords. Around the terrace stand undulating Korean pine trees and several sculptures.

Gestures and Expressions

On display at Gana in Pyeongchang-dong until Nov 8 is “Portraits of Our Lives,” a group exhibition exploring non-lingual communication through facial expressions and bodily gestures. Paintings and sculptures in a variety of media share the exhibition space; some hiding around corners, others staring out from walls. On the ground floor is a display of designer furniture. Later in November, the gallery will be displaying works from its own extensive collection. In a typical year, Gana puts on a series of exhibitions of the work of top Korean and international artists. Check the website—www.ganaart.com—before you visit.

Neighborhood of Galleries and Café

Gana Art Center is surrounded by other art landmarks. Just next door are the Total Museum of Contemporary Art (www.totalmuseum.org) and Kim Chong Yung Sculpture Museum (www.kimchongyung.com), while Seoul Auction (www.seoulauction.com) lies further around the corner. Up the hill are Gallery Sejul (www.sejul.com) and KIMI art café (www.kimiart.net). Further afield in Pyeongchang-dong lies the Kimsou Museum, home of pioneering Korean modern artist Kim Sou.

In and around the galleries and their elegant buildings are plenty of eateries and coffee shops, many of which enjoy equally splendid views over northern Seoul. Particularly worth a visit are Café Motte, in the building just next door to Gana’s exhibition spaces, and the café at KIMI. Café Motte takes its name from part of the name of Gana’s French architect—the “Wil” has not been discarded, however, and instead is used as the name of Gana’s restaurant. Star actor and musician Yoon Jong-sin, meanwhile, is about to open his own café at a former noodle restaurant near Gana, which looks set to attract a few more visitors to the vicinity.

Gana Art Center makes the perfect centerpiece to an excursion to Pyeongchang-dong. The quality of its exhibitions is unvaryingly high, and Wilmotte’s building is also well worth seeing in itself. The unique atmosphere of the neighborhood means it should not be omitted from any visit to Seoul. If you’re taking a taxi from Pyeongchang-dong back toward central Seoul, a stop at Buam-dong, another hillside neighborhood closer to the Gyeongbokgung Palace and with its own selection of galleries and cafés, is highly recommended. (Buses back from Pyeongchang-dong instead pass through a tunnel under Buam-dong.) For a break from the busier center of Seoul and a half day enjoying some of the best of Korean and international art, heading to Gana Art Center is an ideal option.

Additional Information

www.ganaart.com
Tel. (02) 720-1020
Hours: Tue—Sun, 10am—7pm

Getting There

Take green bus No. 1020 or 1711 from outside Kyobo Book Center in Gwanghwamun or from Gyeongbokgung Station, Line 3, Exit 3. Get off 5—10 minutes later in front of Lotte Apartments (the stop is announced in Korea as “Rotte Apateu Ap”). Cross the road and head up the hill, following the signposts to Gana Art Center.

Written by Ben Jackson
Photographed by Ryu Seunghoo

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