What if a bench became an instrument? Small Studio Semi
Somatic Ground, an exhibition by woodworker Small Studio Semi, runs free of charge in the first-floor lounge of Buk-Seoul Museum of Art until May 30, 2027. Its wooden works are meant to be sat on, played and experienced through the body.
The artist
Small Studio Semi reinterprets traditional woodworking for contemporary practice. The artist’s Korean name uses characters meaning a small place for working with wood.
Solid wood and geometric patterns are not mere decoration here. The works invite visitors to lean, balance, listen and smell.
Cajón benches
A cajón is a percussion instrument played by striking it. The exhibition’s cajón benches are both seating and playable works, so sitting down and trading rhythms becomes part of the visit.
The press photos supplied by the museum show the exhibition, not the separate workshop held in July. Visitors interacting with the works follow on-site instructions.
Eight new works
An interlude links scenes in an opera or a play. In the museum’s first-floor lounge, eight new works, including sculpture and sound installations, give visitors a pause to return to bodily sensation. Patterned wooden benches share the space with an ammonite-shaped clock and other pieces.
Visitor information
The free exhibition runs from April 2, 2026, to May 30, 2027, in Lounge 1 on the first floor of Buk-Seoul Museum of Art. According to the museum, access and viewing will be restricted from 17:00 to 18:00 on October 22, 2026, because of an event.
July’s cajón workshop has ended. Opening hours and participation guidance are available from the museum.
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Source sema.seoul.go.kr Checked 2026.10.09 15:17
Playing a cajón bench with mallets. Exhibition press photograph, 2026.
Wooden sculptures and benches in the museum lounge. Installation view, 2026.
Geometric patterns carved into a bench, with mallets hanging on the wall.
A clock artwork using the spiral form of an ammonite.
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