Abu Dhabi, Seoul collaboration brings discussion on contemporary art to Manarat Al Saadiyat
Coinciding with the exhibition 'Layered Medium: We Are in Open Circuits' — the largest presentation of Korean contemporary art in the Gulf Cooperation Council region — public programs and panel discussion are scheduled to be held at the Manarat Al Saadiyat in Abu Dhabi.
The exhibition spanning six decades of Korean contemporary art kicked off Friday as a collaboration between the Abu Dhabi Music & Arts Foundation and Seoul Museum of Art, as part of Abu Dhabi Festival 2025.
'The Abu Dhabi Festival is a beacon for consolidating the role of cultural diplomacy in strengthening cooperation and partnerships with friendly nations,' said Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, deputy prime minister and minister of foreign affairs as well as a founding honorary patron of the Abu Dhabi Festival.
'In this regard, and based on the importance of its role in building bridges of cultural dialogue between the United Arab Emirates and the Republic of Korea, this exceptional exhibition embodies the advanced and prosperous strategic relations between the UAE and the friendly Republic of Korea,' he added, using the formal name of South Korea.
The public program 'Layered Dialogues' takes place May 29, June 14 and 20.
The upcoming program on May 29 is a panel discussion with the theme of 'Body as Medium InterFaces: Skin/Screen,' held in collaboration with the Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence.
'Featuring 48 exceptional works by pioneering South Korean artists, accompanied by an interactive community program open to all, this first-ever exhibition in the Middle East of the Seoul Museum of Art's collection at Manarat Al Saadiyat offers a unique opportunity to introduce local and regional audiences to the masterpieces of modern art,' said Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, minister of tolerance and coexistence as well as a patron of the Abu Dhabi Music & Arts Foundation.
Co-curated by UK-based independent curator Maya El Khalil and Yeo Kyung-hwan of the Seoul Museum of Art, "Layered Medium" traces key moments in Korea's contemporary art history, beginning with the radical experimentation of the 1960s and 1970s, when artists began working with video, photography and performance.
'Through our historic partnership with the world-renowned Seoul Museum of Art, we are setting a precedent for international institutional partnerships — thanks to the strength and depth of our shared ties. This is the first exhibition of the museum's collections outside of Korea, and the first exhibition of this magnitude of Korean art in the Arab world,' said Huda Alkhamis, founder of both the Abu Dhabi Music & Arts Foundation and Abu Dhabi Festival.
"Layered Medium" is presented as part of Abu Dhabi Festival 2025, with the support of the festival's principal partners — Mubadala Investment Company and G42 — and its energy partner, GS Energy.
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