Buramsan Artforé Gallery launches hyperrealist painting exhibition 'More Real Than Real' from June 12; Nowon-gu's network of neighborhood galleries draws repeat visitors with easy access to culture
Seoul's Nowon-gu said it is presenting a range of cultural and arts exhibitions through public galleries established throughout the district's residential areas.
The initiative follows the close of "Impressionism: Brilliant Moments," which drew a cumulative 100,000 visitors, and aims to give residents access to high-quality cultural content close to home.
The centerpiece of the current lineup is "More Real Than Real," a hyperrealist group painting exhibition running through July 19 at Buramsan Artforé Gallery inside Buramsan Healing Town. Hyperrealism is an art movement in which subjects are rendered with such precision that the works can be mistaken for photographs or the real thing. Attention to the genre has been growing — as demonstrated by last year's hyperrealist sculpture exhibition "Ron Mueck" at the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, which became the biggest draw in the Korean art world that year.
"More Real Than Real" at Buramsan Artforé is a group show featuring artists Kim Yeong-seong, Lee Chang-hyo and Lee Heum. Visitors can compare each artist's distinctive style and thematic concerns within the shared framework of hyperrealist painting. The exhibition runs from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily, is free of charge and requires no advance reservation. The gallery is closed every Monday.
Buramsan Artforé opened at the entrance to Buramsan Healing Town. Though modest in scale, it has consistently lowered the barrier to arts and culture for residents who pass by on their daily routines. A growing number of regulars have emerged as exhibitions have continued. A docent at the gallery shared one example, quoting a senior resident who had never shown much interest in art: "An elderly person who had never been interested in art got hooked on viewing exhibitions during walks and even boasted about going to see the impressionism show."
Beyond Buramsan Artforé, the district operates a network of neighborhood exhibition spaces: Gyeongchun Line Forest Path Gallery at Hwaragdae Railroad Park, Nowon Chaeksang Gallery in the lobby of the Nowon-gu district office, Culture Salon 5120 along the Gyeongchun Line Forest Path, Jeongdam Cultural Space in the courtyard of the Culture and Arts Center, and Sanggye Arts Yard at the far end of Nowon Station's Culture Street. The venues let residents take in exhibitions naturally during walks, and the range of genres on offer has been broadened at the same time. When no curated shows are scheduled, local artists and community members consistently fill the spaces with their own exhibitions.
At Gyeongchun Line Forest Path Gallery, solo exhibition "Language That Reaches" by Park Ha-rang runs from June 24 through July 12. Nowon Chaeksang Gallery is currently showing a jewelry craft exhibition, "Dot: Proliferation of Pure Form and Absolute Space," through June 30. The show, an invited exhibition by Induk University professor Kim Min-ho, features jewelry works combining gold, silver and gemstones. Sanggye Arts Yard and Jeongdam Cultural Space are presenting "2026 Nowon Lifestyle Culture Stories" through July 29.
"We aspire to be a cultural city where blockbuster events showcasing works by world-class masters coexist with the variety of art that people can encounter casually in everyday life," Nowon-gu District Mayor Oh Seung-rok said. "We will continue to present exhibitions across a wide range of genres, grounded in the role and responsibility of our public galleries."
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