Most major galleries of Seoul are located in the area near Gyeongbokgung Palace, surrounded by historical neighborhoods with the palace directly to the west and Bukchon Hanok Village to the east. Just to the north is Samcheong-dong street, famous for atmospheric cafés and restaurants.

ARARIO MUSEUM in SPACE, originally a historical building known as the “Space Group Building” built by the late architect Kim Swoo-Geun in 1971, opened its doors as an exhibition venue and is currently holding the exhibition. The exhibition puts emphasis on showing the colorful variety of the ARARIO collection expanded over the period of 35 years, and captures the essence of the personal dream of establishing an art museum. It is categorized by space, based on the principle of one space-section per artist, in order to maximize the aesthetic effects of the old building’s structural divides. Going around the big and small rooms of the museum through the triangular and spiral staircases, viewers can enjoy the exhibition, which represents an exploration of the maze decorated with contemporary artworks.

This newly opened café is located near Arario Museum. Unlike other stores, Onion is a unique space that housed within a hanok house (traditional Korean house) with hints of nostalgia. It seems both separated and organically linked with its surroundings, offering a different experience depending on where one sits. The experience is accompanied by the fantastic taste of their coffee and bread. Their roaster is powered by a carefully adjusted level of electricity, producing beans that render a coffee that’s strong yet smooth. Their bread is providing by Bread 05, a renowned bakery with branches in Ichon-dong and Yeouido. Their pandoro sprinkled with sugar powder, and their “red-bean butter”, a buttery take on a Korea classic, are beloved by all.

Gallery Dam is situated in a small street bridging time-honored Bukchon area to Insa-dong. Since its inauguration in 2006 the gallery has introduced works by over 30 artists every year. They are all of course not mainstream artists who have taken a great portion in the Korean and oversea art scenes but they have established their own distinctive art world through their unique identity and individuality. The gallery will concentrate on discovering and presenting work by such artists in the coming ten years as well.

The national contemporary art museum (MMCA) is situated on a minefield of historic structures, set within a zoning law nightmare, and sandwiched between rightfully finicky neighbors that include iconic Gyeongbok Palace, trendy Samcheong-dong, and the presidential Cheongwadae. The architecture design allows for the coexistence of the site’s radically incongruous elements, but also hints at a subtle discord that underlies the museum’s greatest challenge: achieving harmony from within and amongst the politics of government, while being pulled at all sides by art world elites and the international community’s expectations. It is also a clever construction that allows visitors arriving from all directions to be drawn into the museum. As accessible the museum is, it’s also meant to challenge curators and disrupt standard exhibition viewing practices, placing the onus of momentum on visitors themselves.

You can find Daelim Museum to the left of Gyeongbokgung Palace in Seoul, right in the middle of Seochon Hanok village in Tongui-dong. Its vision is to function as a museum where the everyday becomes art, hence the quote “Daelim Museum leads a ‘Lifestyle’ with art”. Their exhibitions express that vision by suggesting new types of lifestyle, encouraging the public to enjoy art within everyday life and by bringing new value and interest to objects that surround them.

The Museum’s vision is also clearly visible in the Serious Fun exhibition by Jaime Hayon. As the title of the exhibition suggests, it is a very playful exhibition where you feel like you’re transported to a magical world where everything is bigger than you. You become Alice in Wonderland in front of a big white chair with minimal use of color in the room, or Ron Weasley when entering a room with large chess pieces surrounded by mirrors. Jaime Hayon uses design, furniture, sculpture, sketches, and large-scale installations to share his unique and intriguing perspective of the world.

Thanks to Psy’s worldwide hit song “Gangnam Style,” the impression of the district as the representative “vanity fair” of Seoul has grown stronger. Whether driven by vanity or serious interest, there are also many “new-money” art collectors, including the many entertainers who have their homes in the district’s Cheongdam-dong neighborhood, so museums and galleries have popped up to appeal to them.

UM Gallery is a project-centered-gallery which introduces domestic, international artists with variable exhibitions, provides artistic background through inviting artists to join in a prize contest for the best artworks, and aims at art space which let Korean Arts breathe internationally with vigorous participation in art fairs domestically and internationally.

Famed for its artistic in-store decor and creative marketing techniques that fully embrace fashion and art, the rising local cosmetics brand Tamburins has earned a legion of passionate fans. Other standout features include its genderless designs and accessories-inspired products, exemplified by those cult hand creams and solid perfumes in minimalist packaging.

K Museum of Contemporary Art (KMCA) is an artist-activated and audience-engaged contemporary art museum. The mission of KMCA is to encourage the audience to gain a deeper understanding and enjoyment of contemporary art, providing visitors a dialogue between the established and the experimental, the past and the present, that reflects issues of our society and the world of contemporary art.

This particular exhibition features over 150 pieces of Calder’s gouaches and paintings spreading from 1920 to 1976, which allows visitors to gain an insight into Calder's art and encourage them to have a fascinating experience with his art world.

Operated by the Kwang Ju Yo Group, maker of fine ceramic ware and traditional Korean liquor, Gaon is a fine dining restaurant committed to promoting a better understanding of Korean food around the world and celebrates Korea’s time-honored aesthetic values. The food, made with the best ingredients each season has to offer, is meticulously presented on custom-designed Kwang Ju Yo ceramic vessels.

SongEun ArtSpace is an exhibition venue in the heart of Chung Dam District of southern Seoul renowned for its fashion houses, restaurants and K-POP culture. Established by SongEun Art and Cultural Foundation in November 2010, SongEun ArtSpace is dedicated to promoting contemporary art through significant exhibitions and various related programmes.

The Yongsan-gu district is the most multicultural part of Seoul, with the U.S. military forces in Korea headquartered at Yongsan Garrison before they soon relocate to Pyeongtaek in Gyeonggi-do, the Seoul Central Mosque, many foreign embassies, and residential complexes for foreigners. Exotic restaurants, bars, and boutiques fill the Itaewon, Gyeongridan-gil, and Dokseodang streets, attracting young trendsetters. This district is also home to Hannam-dong, a neighborhood on the slopes of Mt. Namsan, favored by old-money families. Museums and galleries in this district target two contrasting groups of viewers: wealthy connoisseurs and young hipsters.

Leeum, Samsung Museum of Art is an open museum where traditional art, embodying the beauty of Korea and contemporary art, representing the energy of our times, and international art, reflecting current values coexist.

This culture complex was established by the Samsung Foundation of Culture in 2004 and comprises three building, each by a famous architect: Jean Nouvel, Rem Koolhaas, and Mario Botta. Leeum holds a vast collection that encompasses old Korean art pieces in the Museum 1 space, including those designated as national treasures, and works by popular modern and contemporary artists such as Francis Bacon, Louise Bourgeois, Nam June Paik, Damien Hirst, Anish Kapoor, and Murakami Takashi in the Museum 2 space.

In Museum 1, traditional Korean art pieces are juxtaposed with modern and contemporary artworks that have similar visual elements or ambience. For example, Goryeo Buddhist paintings are installed alongside Swiss sculptor Alberto Giacometti’s skinny bronze figure, which can be associated with Buddha under self-mortification, and American abstract expressionist Mark Rothko’s painting of a sublime ambience.