Appreciating the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Seoul
A Contemporary Museum Next to the Palace
The National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Seoul, is a great destination even for non-art-lovers. Even if you cannot appreciate the art, you would appreciate the architecture, the different spaces where you can sit and hang out or people watch.
The location of this museum is very strategic and very touristy. It is right next to the Gyeongbokgung Palace, the most touristy and biggest Palace destination in Seoul.
The Museum’s main entrance faces the Palace’s East Gate, and the road is lined with trees with large pedestrian walkways on both sides, which also makes for a very nice stroll, regardless of the time of day. It is nice even at night.
Tip: Admission to this museum is free after 6 pm, so you can drop by after you visit the palace and the nearby tourist spots.
The museum is also located near other galleries, such as the Hyundai Gallery and Kukje Gallery on the same street, Arario Museum and gallery is a few minutes walk away, while the Seoul Museum of Crat Art is a street away. Art lovers should consider a visit to this stretch of road as a half-day trip, at least, and a full day to cover the other galleries in the neighboring streets.
Suggested Itinerary: Have coffee at a converted hanok by Fritz Coffee in front of Arario Museum to start your day. After Arario Museum, you can continue to Seoul Museum of Craft Art, have lunch at a local food restaurant (there are a lot in the area), then explore the MMCA. Take a break at the cafe in the museum, the Ossulloc Tea Cafe, or the nearby Blue Bottle Coffee overlooking the hanok roofs, before continuing your art journey to Kukje Gallery. If time permits, end your day at the Palace Library.
The MMCA Seoul is strategically located next to the Palace and other key art gallery in Seoul.
A Modern and Open Museum Entrance Experience
The main Museum building has multiple entrances. All off which leads user to the large open space and depending on which entrance you used, you will be welcomed by either a large open meeting space, or the museum shops, or 3 digital directories highlighting ongoing exhibitions and events in the Museum.
All of these micro experiences then lead visitors to the circular ticketing area and larger open public spaces leading to the paid gallery areas.
Overall, the lobby experience encourages visitors to roam and wander, there is no strict pathways or anything like it. This is consistent with the rest of the museum experience, which is a nice touch in experience design – consistency and deciding the tone of the experience right from the entry touch points.
A Museum with an Ancient Temple, where Modern, Minimalist Architecture Coexists with History.
The museum complex is made up of 3 buildings: a modern one with a large outdoor art space, an older building that dates back to before WW2, and an old temple. There are 2 concept cafes and 3 museum stores in the museum complex.
The old red-bricked building and the neighborhood were part of a dark history of the country. The building has been passed around different government bodies until it lands in the art and cultural sector. After which, the modern section of the museum was built to create a more complete art museum experience.
The temple is preserved, but it is not always open to the public. Interestingly, the museum is located in a valley, or lower ground, with the temple at a much higher level, which creates an interesting effect of having 2 different ground floors.
The design of the new building’s interior also takes into consideration these views of the temple from within the building. Visitors with a keen eye will be able to spot the temple, at different angles, from some strategically placed windows in the museum.
An open exhibition space, with a touch of greenery, that encourages conversations among visitors and the art within.
One key space of the museum is an open double (or triple) floor height space that connects the different galleries and escalators to the other levels. At a glance, this space might feel sparse and empty.
But looking up from this space, visitors can see different windows located high up on the walls overlooking either the temple or the greenery outside. It is a nice contrast to the minimalist white wall and glass window interiors.
This space is typically used for large art work, usually those that encourages human participations. Or installation art works that allow visitors to use the space as a place to gather, meet up or simply rest.
Another nice elements of the museum is the pockets of greenery within the museum’s interior. There are 2 outdoor gardens that visitors can access, and are sometimes used as a gallery space for outdoor art.
The lobby area for the film department is decorated mostly with plants in a seemingly random manner that look like they are wildly appearing in this modern space.
Clean and Clear Wayfinding Design Fitting for an Art Space
A bonus museum experience is the wayfinding design. It is modern and minimal, focused on clarity and functionality. It is not overly branded and is meant to exist in the background, without visually overpowering the artwork.
Most of the signage is designed to coexist with exhibition wall graphics and artworks due to the nature of the museum spaces: large, open galleries with minimal large wall spaces, a lot of long hallways.
There is very minimal application of freestanding signage or hanging signage. Any freestanding wayfinding device one can find is the digital directories near the main lobby and ticketing area. At important junctions, visitors can find floor signage leading users to the different galleries or key destinations in the museum.
A Museum with 3 Shops and 2 Cafes.
It is not often that we get a museum with more than 1 museum shop. Some museums might have a pop up sore right at the end of a special exhibition, only for products related to that exhibition, but these are temporary set ups.
At MMCA, Seoul, art shoppers both casual and serious ones, can take their time to explore 3 stores. Each store focused on different types of products: The first store is the Art Book Store. It is focused on art and design books, with design products specific to the museum and those related to desk spaces and writing.
The next store is part of the MMCA Shop but this section is focused on jewellery, pottery and glass pieces by both local and international artists, some of whom are related to the museum’s collection or past exhibitions. This store feels more high end, for sure.
The last store is also part of the MMCA Shop. But this section is your more typical museum store, with items related to the museum, the museums’s past exhibitions, like posters and postcards, and modern design products for all ages, including kids learning toys.
There are 2 cafes, of substantial size in the museum. One of them is the O'sulloc Tea House MMCA Branch. This cafe is located in the building across from the main museum building. Walk across the public open space to get to this building, the cafe is at the far end, facing a quieter street, it is not facing the palace gate. The interior features a blend of modern and traditional design, incorporating a mix of wood, reminiscent of traditional hanok houses, alongside metal and glass interior fixtures. The overall vibe is typical of a cafe that is for hanging out and small tea time gatherings.
The other cafe is 테라로사 국립현대미술관서울점 or Terrarosa Coffee. This Cafe is located in the main museum building, level 1 at the opposite end of where the shops are. The interior design of this cafe is the total opposite of the O’sulloc Tea House. It has a darker interior, modern and gloomy, it is ideal for solo travellers taking a break between each exhibit. And the cafe entrance experience is an interesting one with old, wooden, shoe models.