MMCA Night set for Nov. 18 with Cadejo, Phillip Kim and Chudahye Chagis

Poster for the 2026 MMCA Night: Variations of the Night. [National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art]
Poster for the 2026 MMCA Night: Variations of the Night. [National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art]

An autumn evening of improvised music and live graphic performance will unfold at the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art.

The National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art will host the 2026 MMCA Night: Variations of the Night on Nov. 18 at its Seoul branch, in partnership with Shinyoung Securities.

The third edition of MMCA Night this year takes its cue from the concept of a "jam" — improvised performance that shifts shape with the mood of the moment — to create an evening where sound and image respond to and transform each other in real time.

Korean three-piece band Cadejo, whose music ranges freely across punk, reggae, hip-hop, jazz and rock, will open the night with an expansive set drawing on each member's distinct instrument.

Graphic designer Phillip Kim, who works between the United States and Seoul, will listen to Cadejo's performance and create graphics on the spot, projecting the process live onto the museum walls in what the organizers call an "improvisational graphic jam."

The performers will react to the visuals, the designer will absorb the flow of the music in turn, and the audience will experience both the sound and the moment of image-making simultaneously.

The four-piece band Chudahye Chagis will then take the stage, blending Korean traditional shamanistic music — known as muga, songs performed by shamans — with reggae, jazz, hip-hop, punk and rock to create a dreamlike sound that draws listeners into a new musical sensibility.

Registration opens Wednesday on the museum's website, with a participation fee of 15,000 won ($11). Attendees may freely visit ongoing exhibitions at the Seoul branch, including "Suh Do-ho" and "Korea Artist Prize 2026," and will receive a welcome drink and an MMCA Night bandana upon check-in.

Yoon Tae-wook, acting director of the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, said he hoped visitors would "enjoy the contemporary art exhibitions on display at the museum alongside a stage born from cross-genre collaboration, and savor the pleasure of art in everyday life."


pink@heraldcorp.com