iBuk-Seoul Museum of ArtJunggye-dong, Nowon-gu
Kwon Byungjun: I Embrace You
A media-art show of imperfect, experimental humanoid robots and sound works by Kwon Byungjun, inviting visitors to reconsider how they welcome "strangers" and difference.
More in Seoul
Six jellyfish made of silver tassels hang from the ceiling, sinking and catching themselves on their wires while their shadows ripple across the walls. Nearby, a two-legged robot called Ahae tap-dances on steel floor plates. Kwon Byungjun, a 1990s singer-songwriter turned robot builder, made both, and neither moves smoothly.
This is Buk-Seoul's yearly Children+ show: six works in Galleries 5 and 6 in the basement. In the biggest, Golden Flower, about 3m of fabric hangs from shape-memory wire in a ring 6m across and opens and closes like a bloom. Walk underneath and it slowly wraps around you. The museum counts 1,534 scheduled performances over the run, a tour calendar no K-pop group would sign.
Writing for Koreadance, critic Park Joo-sung found the show's feeling in its frailest movements. Time your visit to a 10-minute performance (Tue to Thu at 11, 1, 3, 5 and 7). Entry is free with no booking, Fridays run to 9pm, and Gallery 6's sound room is closed 27 Oct to 5 Nov.
Look for
Golden Flower
About 3m of fabric hangs from shape-memory wire across a 6m ring, opening and closing like a bloom and slowly wrapping around you as you walk underneath.
Indeterministic Floating
Six jellyfish-shaped robots made of silver tassels rise and fall on ceiling wires, throwing rippling shadows and reflected light across the walls.
Ahae's tap dance
In From Potentiality to Actuality_Blooming into Six, a motor-driven two-legged robot called Ahae taps on steel floor plates, the movement that grabs your eye first.
Resonance between Nature and Neural
Past the dark Veiled Soundpath linking the two galleries, a 12-channel sound room in Gallery 6 blends AI-generated sound with sounds from nature.
Good for
- Cheap Culture
- Evening Visits
- Rainy Days
- Small Kids
Skip if
You want robot spectacle: Koreadance's critic found most movements faint, with only Ahae's tap dance demanding attention.
With kids
Built as Buk-Seoul's Children+ show, with an Easy Read guide by a junior docent at iembraceyou.kids. In February 2027 the artist runs an electronic-instrument workshop for ages 7 to 12.
Also at Buk-Seoul Museum of Art
On now nearby
Image credits
3
- Kwon Byungjun: I Embrace YouCourtesy of Buk-Seoul Museum of Art
- Dali · Differently · DaliCourtesy of Hangaram Art Museum
- Buk-Seoul Museum of ArtHyolee2, CC BY-SA 3.0 / GFDL, via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0