Art Sonje Center, Seoul | 20 March – 28 June
Spectrosynthesis Seoul brings together the works of approximately 70 LGBTQ+ artists and artist collectives from different generations and nationalities, using Seoul as a focal point to explore contemporary queer art in Asia.
Co-curated by Art Sonje Center Artistic Director Sunjung Kim and Prof. Yongwoo Lee, the exhibition introduces “trans” as a key conceptual framework, highlighting states of transformation across bodies, identities, and realities. Artists articulate layered narratives of identity shaped by memory, history, and place, forming a complex visual language in which multiple sensibilities intersect.
The exhibition includes 27 works selected by artist Sung Hwan Kim from the Sunpride Foundation collection, alongside new and recent works by artists such as Ayoung Kim, Maria Taniguchi, Mark Bradford, Inhwan Oh, Kang Seung Lee, Sin Wai Kin, and siren eun young jung.
Prof. Yongwoo Lee focuses on the themes of memory, place, and form, with particular attention to Korean artists working with queer temporality and spatiality, situating local histories within a broader global queer context. Neighbourhoods such as Ikseon-dong, Nagwon-dong, and Itaewon are reinterpreted as sites where queer temporal and spatial histories unfold and intersect.
Embracing artistic practices as varied and refractive as the spectrum of light, Spectrosynthesis Seoul maps both the current conditions and future potentials of queer art. The exhibition is accompanied by performances and public programmes that use queer art as a medium to connect diverse experiences and perspectives, fostering a space of coexistence where different discourses and practices converge.
Spectrosynthesis Seoul marks the fourth edition of the landmark exhibition series initiated by the Hong Kong–based Sunpride Foundation, following earlier presentations at the Museum of Contemporary Art Taipei, Bangkok Art and Culture Centre, and Tai Kwun Contemporary in Hong Kong. First launched in 2017 as Spectrosynthesis – Asian LGBTQ Issues and Art Now, the series has played a pioneering role in advancing dialogue on equity, visibility, and queer cultural expression within institutional art contexts across Asia. In the context of South Korea’s ongoing socio-political challenges surrounding LGBTQ+ rights and recognition, Spectrosynthesis Seoul offers timely and vital visibility to queer voices, histories, and futures.
[Read more]: https://www.frieze.com/article/11-unmissable-exhibition-openings-2026
[Read more]: https://www.artforum.com/events/spectrosynthesis-seoul-art-sonje-center-preview-1234740888/