What Are The Best Art Exhibitions To Visit In 2025?

What does art mean to the citizens of this fast-paced world? That might be a difficult question to answer, but there are several impressive art exhibitions awaiting memorable experiences. Each captures dynamic aspects of culture, history, faith, and life through paintings, sculptures, and immersive pieces.

South Korea is quickly becoming the mecca of art with celebrations of various art forms dispersed throughout the nation. These pieces share personal and societal stories in visual forms, such as the Seoul Urban Life Museum's "Marriage Stories of Seoul Families." This ongoing exhibition traces the transformation of marriage culture over 80 years, from the post-liberation period through the Korean War.

Additionally, its exploration of the "Miracle on the Hangang River" period provides insight into how traditional values and modern influences have shaped contemporary Korean society. Not only that, but all of the ongoing and upcoming art exhibitions of 2025 offer a chance to challenge and immerse yourself. Here are our picks of some of the best ones that you shouldn't miss. Before that, let's take a quick look at the art market in South Korea.

A Statistical Look At Korea's Art Scene

The Korean art market’s reach has seen impressive growth and evolving audience demographics in the past few years. Notably, it surpassed 1 trillion won ($750.85 million) in 2022, as per the data from the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism. This success continued through virtual exhibitions during the COVID-19 pandemic, noting a minor expected fluctuation in 2024. Despite these challenges, the public's engagement with art continues to show remarkable resilience.

Statistics Korea reveals that 19.3% of the Korean public visited art museums or galleries in 2021, showing only a minimal decline of 0.3% from the previous year. What's particularly fascinating is the shift in viewing patterns across generations. People in their 40s and above are increasingly engaged with exhibitions through digital platforms. On the other hand, younger audiences expressed a strong preference for in-person experiences.

The Kiaf Seoul report presents even more encouraging data: 53.5% of visitors were first-time attendees, with the MZ generation, consisting of Millennials and GenZ, making up 60.4% of these new art enthusiasts. This demographic shift signals a promising future for Korea's art scene and suggests a growing appetite for innovative, boundary-pushing exhibitions. This returns us to the list of must-visit art exhibitions of 2025.

Must-Visit Exhibitions: A Journey Through Time and Culture

The exhibition calendar for 2025 reads like a carefully curated journey through art history, from traditional masterpieces to contemporary innovations. Leading this artistic lineup is the Hoam Museum of Art's retrospective of Jeong Seon, opening in April. This exhibition brings together over 120 works by the 18th-century Joseon master, including the nationally treasured "Geumgang Jeondo" (1734). It will be the art piece’s first public appearance in over a decade, making the exhibition particularly special.

Additionally, Jeong's "Jingyeong Sansuhwa" (true-view landscape paintings) representing a revolutionary moment in Korean art history will be presented as well. These paintings best capture his rebellion from the idealized Chinese-influenced styles of his time as he captured Korea's mountain ridges and waterways with realism. This art exhibition will be an excellent opportunity to witness a distinctly Korean artistic voice that continues to resonate today.

Contemporary art enthusiasts should mark their calendars for Various Small Fires gallery's exhibition of Che Lovelace (February 22 - April 19, 2025). The Trinidad-born artist's works burst with vibrant energy, offering a unique blend of magical realism and abstraction. His canvases capture the intricate dance between people, flora, and fauna of his homeland through bold shapes and rich colors. This exhibition is bound to bring an early tropical warmth to Seoul's art scene.

In August 2025, enthusiasts can experience an intellectually stimulating pairing of Lee KangSeung and Candice Lin at Gallery Hyundai. Lee is renowned for using gold-thread embroidery and graphite drawings to explore forgotten queer narratives. Meanwhile, Lin utilizes unconventional materials like opium poppies and silkworms to share narratives of colonialism and race. This thought-provoking exhibition promises to connect history with contemporary Korea and ignite important dialogues about representation and identity.

A Celestial Journey at SeMA Through Soap Sculptures

Seoul Museum of Art

Those who are excited to start their art journey earlier in the year can step into the Seoul Museum of Art (SeMA) to transport into MeeKyoung Shin's ethereal world of "Celestial Whisper." This is an interesting and vibrant exhibition that challenges our perception of materiality and faith with soap sculptures. For over three decades, Shin has masterfully wielded this material as her artistic medium, creating sculptures that strike a delicate balance between presence and absence.

This exhibition’s origin story is just as interesting as its pieces—Shin once came across an angel-themed fragrance that provoked an exploration of the symbolic resonance between divine messengers and her soap. This provides her sculptures with an almost mystical quality as their forms shift between transparency and opacity. It is an immersive experience that plays with visual and olfactory senses, which can only be fully appreciated in person.

These exhibitions collectively showcase the diversity and dynamism of Korea's art scene, offering something for every artistic palate. If you find yourself in the streets of South Korea, then do visit one of these exhibitions. Additionally, do keep an eye out for more exhibitions, as 2025 promises to be an exciting year for art exploration in Seoul.