Free Until Feb. 14: Oh Yun's Woodblock Plates, 40 Years On, at the Pyeongchang-dong Art Archive
Why NOW picked itPyeongchang-dong is a bit out of the way, so the weekday late opening (until 8 p.m., Tue–Fri) is the easy slot. Printing plates and tools sit next to the prints, which makes it feel different from a show of finished pictures.
It has been 40 years since woodcut artist Oh Yun, a leading voice of 1980s Minjung art, died at 40. The Seoul Museum of Art Archive in Pyeongchang-dong has pulled out its own Oh Yun collection, and it costs nothing to see.
What you are actually looking at
This is not just framed prints. Printing plates, sketches, drawings, notebooks and working tools are all on show.
The draw is the carved wooden blocks themselves, where you can see where the blade went, not only the image it printed.
Six chapters, titled from Oh Yun's own notes
The show runs in chronological order. It starts with his student-years searching in 'Gaedochi Oh Yun', moves through 'There Is a Soul in the Earth' and 'What Should One Express', and reaches the peak years in 'A Collective Joy That Includes Me'.
The last chapter, 'I'm Leaving, Friend', opens with the travel diary he wrote at 15 and retraces his life.
Who was Oh Yun
Born in Busan in 1946, he studied sculpture at Seoul National University. He formed the group 'Hyeonsil Dongin' in 1969 and took part in founding 'Reality and Utterance' in 1979.
He held his first solo show at Geurimmadang Min in 1986 and died that same year at 40. Scars of modern Korean history, traditional culture and performance, and traditional thought such as Donghak run through his prints.
Getting to Pyeongchang-dong
The galleries are on the first floor of the Moeum building. Take Line 3 to Gyeongbokgung Station Exit 3, then bus 1020 or 1711 to the Byeoksan Pyeongchang Hills Apt. stop. From Line 4 Gilum Station Exit 3, take bus 7211 to the Ilseong Apt. stop.
Driving? There is a car park under the Moeum building, at 150 won per 5 minutes.
Before you go
Open 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday to Friday, and on weekends and holidays until 6 p.m. from November. Last entry is an hour before closing, and Mondays are closed.
The official exhibition page has an advance-reservation form, so open it before you head out. The Reference Library on floors 1 and 2 of the same building lets you browse art books freely. Exhibition inquiries: 02-2124-7409.
LOCATION
Source SeMA Seoul · Oh Yun exhibition page Checked 2026.10.21 08:40
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HaeunjaeSeochon, Seoul · 12 min walk from Gyeongbokgung Station
Sources & context
2026-10-20T23:27:12.147Z
SeMA Seoul · Oh Yun exhibition page ↗SeMA Seoul · Art Archive visitor guide ↗Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism culture portal ↗Seoul Media Hub ↗Photo credit
Republic of Korea / Korea.net (Official Photographer Jeon Han) (Wikimedia Commons) · CC BY-SA 2.0Pyeongchang-dong and the Bukhansan ridge seen from Bugaksan (Nov. 2016; not a photo of the exhibition). Republic of Korea (Korea.net) / CC BY-SA 2.0. Wikimedia 1920px rendition.