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Seoul’s ParkSeoBo Museum Isn’t a Temple to Its Namesake

Director Sam Seung-ho discusses Park Seo-Bo’s future-facing legacy and how the museum is broadening the discourse around Korean contemporary art.

The opening of the ParkSeoBo Museum immediately next to the Park Seo-Bo Foundation was one of the most anticipated events of this year’s Seoul Art Week. The blue five-story cubic structure designed by architect Choi Moon-kyu is surmounted by a crystalline, striated glass block reminiscent of the artist’s luminous monochromes. With 2,000 square meters that will host rotating temporary exhibitions, it was initially conceived as a mausoleum but will now function as a cultural center, honoring the artist’s legacy while carrying forward his commitment to relentless creative innovation.

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“The museum’s directive is to continue in the spirit of Park Seo-Bo and the educational values he sustained throughout his life,” director Sam Seung-ho tells Observer. “He worked as a professor for a long time. One of the teachings he always gave his students was printed on the wall of his classroom: not to resemble any of his teachers, not to resemble talented peers and not to be indebted to previous history.”

Since the foundation was established in 2019, creating a physical exhibition space has been among its most pressing priorities. Initially, it considered opening museums in other cities, such as Jeju, Busan and perhaps Yeongju, but those plans didn’t come to fruition. “We decided that we could at least create a small space and turn the memorial into an art museum instead,” Sam explains. “We started building the space here because it is right next to his........

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