April In Seoul: Must-See Cultural Events & Museum Exhibitions

Curious about the special exhibitions and must-visit events in Seoul this April? You’re in luck! We’re here to help you discover all the exciting happenings in the capital city that you can have right at your fingertips!

Seoul has numerous museums and galleries that offer a wide range of exhibitions from permanent to temporary that are only around for a limited amount of time. So seize the opportunity while they’re still here, or else you might never get the chance again! Whether you’re an avid art lover, a curious soul, or simply searching for free indoor activities, look no further. To see last month’s featured cultural events and museum exhibitions, check out the link below.

Here are the events we suggest checking out heading into April. As the Seollal holiday finishes, you might be wondering what you can do to experience something different in the brand new lunar new year. Now, you can embrace all the art forms and exhibitions that Korea has to offer.

1. Lee KangSo: Where The Wind Meets The Water

Duration of the exhibition: November 1st, 2024 ~ April 13th, 2025
Location: National Museum of Modern & Contemporary Art
Location tip: Located close to Gyeonbokgung palace
Price: 5,000 won
Learn more here

The exhibition critically reevaluates the six-decade career of Lee KangSo, a pivotal figure in contemporary Korean art. Inspired by Song dynasty scholar Shao Yong’s “Song of a Clear Night”, the exhibition highlights Lee’s exploration of perception, reality, and representation across diverse media, including painting, sculpture, video, and installation.

2. Mieumwanbo, Strolling Through Traditional Gardens

Duration of the exhibition: February 24th, 2025 ~ April 27th, 2025
Location: Sejong Cultural Center
Location tip: Near Gwanghwamun Station
Price: Free
Learn more here

Since ancient times, Korea’s ancestors have used traditional landscape spaces as a medium to engage in dialogue with nature, striving to realize their own ideal worlds. To them, a garden was a “painting drawn in nature” and a unique cultural expression of its era and place. Beyond the pursuit of beauty, it was imbued with philosophy and symbolism.

Mieumwanbo, Strolling Through Traditional Gardens, goes beyond merely appreciating gardens—it embodies an aesthetic journey of connecting with nature and reflecting on one’s inner self. Hosted by the National Heritage Administration and the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts, this exhibition offers a contemplative journey, retracing the footsteps of our ancestors who embraced nature, humanity, and art at a slow and thoughtful pace amidst the busyness of modern life.

3. The Palettes: Exploring Colors For Crafting

Duration of the exhibition: October 31st, 2024 ~ May 2nd, 2025
Location: Seoul Museum of Craft Art
Location tip: Located in Insadong
Price: Free
Learn more here

The Seoul Museum of Craft Art’s (SeMoCA) exhibition, The Palettes: Exploring Colors for Crafting, highlights the deep relationship between artists and the colors they create. Featuring works by ceramicist Roe KyungJo, natural dye artist Lee ByungChan, and glass artist Kim HunChul, it showcases the meticulous research and experimentation involved in crafting colors from nature. Through archival materials and vibrant works, the exhibition celebrates the dedication behind these hues and their ability to enrich daily life and foster new connections.

4. The Corner

Duration of the exhibition: December 16th, 2024 ~ May 25th, 2025
Location: Sejong Cultural Center
Location tip: Near Gwanghwamun Station
Price: Free
Learn more here

This project reimagines spaces within the Sejong Center as new artistic venues. It showcases works by various artists who explore themes of nature, communication, and coexistence, offering visitors a unique and immersive experience.

5. Hands And Stains

Duration of the exhibition: November 11th, 2024 ~ June 6th, 2025
Location: Gallery Chosun
Location tip: Located by Gyeongbokgung Palace
Price: Free
Learn more here

Hands And Stains marks Ahn SangHoon’s ongoing exploration of time, existence, and uncertainty as he reaches fifty. The exhibition reflects the philosophical question of what can be hoped for or known in the face of aging, highlighting the limitations and changes of middle age. Filled with around 80 works, the exhibition showcases paintings created through repeated decisions, oscillating between part and whole, symbolizing the artist’s journey of discovering new order in uncertainty. The works invite reflection on life’s boundaries and the acceptance of imperfection.

6. Arts In My Space

Insa 1010 Gallery

Duration of the exhibition: April 16th, 2025 ~ May 4th, 2025
Location: Insa 1010 Gallery
Location tip: Located near Anguk Station
Price: Free
Learn more here

This exhibition explores how personal spaces reflect individual stories, memories, and dreams. Objects, furniture, and artworks within a room shape its atmosphere, sharing emotions and narratives with their owners. The exhibition encourages viewers to appreciate and incorporate art into their own spaces, allowing it to transform their surroundings and enrich their daily lives. Ultimately, personalized spaces filled with art and personal taste enhance the beauty of one’s life story.

7. Ice Breakers

Tapgol Art Museum

Duration of the exhibition: March 13th, 2025 ~ April 15th, 2025
Location: Tapgol Art Museum
Location tip: Located by Anguk Station Exit 5
Price: Free
Learn more here

The pieces in this exhibition melt the awkwardness of unfamiliar encounters and greet the audience in various forms. Whether lying down or standing, these works naturally ease the atmosphere, much like people meeting for the first time. At the Tapgol Art Museum, make eye contact with the artworks, engage in light conversation, and enjoy the moments of icebreaking.

8. Kim SungHo: Space Of Memory

Gallery FM

Duration of the exhibition: March 24th, 2025 ~ April 9th, 2025
Location: Gallery FM
Location tip: Located by Anguk Station Exit 2
Price: Free
Learn more here

Using familiar objects such as fruit, cups, and landscapes, Kim SungHo’s paintings go beyond simple still lifes, emphasizing the passage of time and transformation. His unique technique, acrylic ink painting, differs from traditional ink drawing—rather than adding lines with ink, he erases black-painted strokes on the canvas to reveal forms. As colors are layered over dark backgrounds, shapes emerge more distinctly, making black outlines stand out vividly.

Even in darkness, the artist finds his own ways to create romantic and poetic expressions of the world. This exhibition invites viewers to experience the deep sense of romance embedded in his acrylic ink paintings.

9. Chung Eui Boo

Gallery Rho

Duration of the exhibition: March 19th, 2025 ~ April 9th, 2025
Location: Gallery Rho
Location tip: Located near Anguk station
Price: Free
Learn more here

The peony paintings, which form the core of this exhibition can be seen as part of the artist’s ongoing exploration and study of color, form, and spatial composition in painting. Though the scenes are similar, through subtle differences, the paintings captures aspects of the flower, such as its gaze, smile, chatter, fragrance, and harmony. Moving away from the traditional concept of a master who conquers and dominates, the artist’s attitude—reflecting on their own shortcomings despite decades of research into nature and painting—invites us to rethink the definition of a “researching artist.”

10. Mind Stream

Gallery ZEIN XENO

Duration of the exhibition: March 21st, 2025 ~ April 8th, 2025
Location: Gallery ZEINXENO
Location tip: Located by Gyeongbokgung Palace
Price: Free
Learn more here

The exhibition Mind Stream by artist Yang GyuJun, who has been pursuing the fusion of traditional calligraphy methods with modern media, opens with his black landscapes.

His works, which may appear as simple black paintings, maintain a neutral observer’s perspective, free from the artist’s subjective intervention. The white brushstrokes, smudges, or stains that emerge on the black canvas resonate with the genre of sansu. The changes, drips, and variations created by layering and concentration are reminiscent of the spreading and blending of ink in traditional ink wash painting.