Poster for the exhibition “Proximate Worlds” (image provided by the Seoul Museum of Art)
SEOUL, Dec. 15 (Korea Bizwire) — The Seoul Museum of Art (SeMA) will open a large-scale exhibition of contemporary art from the United Arab Emirates on December 16, marking the institution’s first comprehensive showcase of UAE modern art and the second collaboration between SeMA and the Abu Dhabi Music & Arts Foundation (ADMAF).
Titled Proximate Worlds, the exhibition runs through March 29 at SeMA’s Seosomun main building and brings together 110 works by more than 40 UAE-based artists and collectives. The show spans three generations of creators active from the 1980s to the present, featuring painting, video, installation and other media.
The exhibition takes its title from the way digital technology has shrunk physical distance, proposing new forms of identity and interconnectedness that transcend geography and cultural boundaries. SeMA said the project aims to deepen artistic exchange between Korea and the UAE, following a well-received exhibition of Korean contemporary art in Abu Dhabi earlier this year.
In addition to joint curators Maya El Khalil and Kim Eun-ju, three guest curators—who are also participating artists—will lead individual sections, offering distinct curatorial interpretations.
On opening day, El Khalil and Kim will give a talk exploring the exhibition’s vision under the theme “Coexistence in Proximate Worlds.” A second panel, featuring guest curators Mohamed Kazem and Cristina de Middel, critic Moon Hye-jin and SeMA curator Kwon Jeong-hyun, will discuss non-Western artistic trajectories and emerging discourses in Korean and UAE contemporary art.
The exhibition is free and open to the public without reservation, with daily guided tours offered at 3 p.m.
SeMA Director Choi Eun-ju said the project will serve as “an important moment for the two countries to explore artistic connections beyond cultural and geographic borders and to consider future directions for collaboration.”
Lina Jang (linajang@koreabizwire.com)
