Gwanghwamun breathes with light… "Seoul Light Gwanghwamun" opens on the 12th.
- Bono Ahn
- 5 days ago
- 2 min read
Newsis | Reporter Lee Jae-eun
Media art event held in Gwanghwamun Square until the 4th of next month
World-renowned media artist Doug Aitken and others participated.
This winter, Gwanghwamun Square will be awash in light. The Seoul Metropolitan Government announced on the 9th that it will host "2025 Seoul Light Gwanghwamun," a massive media façade exhibition, at Gwanghwamun Square, beginning with an opening ceremony on the 12th and running until January 4th of next year.
Held for the fourth time this year, Seoul Light Gwanghwamun features 16 artists participating in the Gwanghwamun Media Facade Exhibition, the Fortune.exe Light Sculpture, and the Sejong Pavilion Media Art under the theme of "Gwanghwa, Breathing with Light." A 2026 New Year's countdown event will also be held.
The Media Facade exhibition features renowned artists from Korea and abroad, including Doug Aitken, winner of the Venice Biennale's Golden Lion and a master of international media art, as well as TZUSOO, Aplan Company, and The First Gate. The exhibition will run for eight to nine sessions, each lasting 24 minutes, and will also feature an interactive program where citizens can strike a drum themselves.
In the plaza that runs from the north side of the Statue of King Sejong to Gwanghwamun, a 26-meter-tall giant light sculpture reinterpreting the world-famous Ilwolobongdo and traditional Korean Dancheong architecture through Kedeheon, as well as the 'Fortune.exe', a lighting work that combines light and music, will be installed.
Additionally, an LED media screen called the 'Sejong Pavilion' will be installed right in front of the north side of the statue of King Sejong, where works by six invited domestic and international artists and five artists selected through an international competition will be displayed, and citizens will participate together to select the best work.
At midnight on the 31st, a countdown event will be held in cooperation with public and private organizations in the Gwanghwamun Free Zone to welcome the new year of 2026, the Year of the Red Horse.
Detailed information about the Seoul Light Gwanghwamun event can be found on the official website and Instagram (@mediaartseoul).
Choi In-gyu, Design Policy Officer for the Seoul Metropolitan Government, said, "The 2025 Seoul Light Gwanghwamun event will combine cutting-edge media technology with world-class content to provide citizens and tourists with a special experience of ending the year and welcoming the new year with light and music."
[Source: Newsis]