Introduction
The Seoul Mediacity Biennale stands as a pioneering platform exploring the convergence of media technologies and contemporary arts in South Korea's dynamic capital. Founded in 2000 as part of Seoul's Millennium Project, the biennale has established itself as one of Asia's most significant showcases for media art and a crucial lens through which to examine the evolving relationship between technology, creativity, and urban environments.
Hosted by the Seoul Metropolitan Government and organized by the Seoul Museum of Art (SeMA), the biennale has positioned itself at the forefront of artistic experimentation and innovation. By focusing specifically on media art—spanning digital, video, interactive, and installation practices—the Seoul Mediacity Biennale addresses the rapid technological changes reshaping contemporary life and cultural expression in the 21st century.
The biennale's name itself reflects its dual focus: examining how digital technologies transform artistic practice while also considering the broader implications of media within the urban context of Seoul—a global technology hub that embodies the tensions and possibilities of our hyperconnected age. Through ambitious exhibitions, commissions, performances, and public programs, the biennale creates a space for critical dialogue about the intersections of art, technology, and social change.
In the News
Current coverage of Seoul Mediacity Biennale
Digital SĂ©ance: How Seoul Mediacity Biennale Bridged Technology and Mysticism
When the curatorial team for the 13th Seoul Mediacity Biennale first announced "exhibition-as-séance" as their conceptual framework, the art world responded with a mixture of curiosity and skepticism. The unlikely marriage of cutting-edge technology with occult traditions seemed either brilliantly prescient or wildly misguided. But as the exhibition unfolded across Seoul's sprawling urban landscape in 2025, it became clear that this unusual intersection had tapped into something profound about our relationship with technology in the digital age.
"People have always used mystical frameworks to make sense of technological change," explains Anton Vidokle, the artist, filmmaker, and e-flux founder who co-directed the biennale alongside curators Hallie Ayres and Lukas Brasiskis. "From the spiritualists' use of telegraph technologies in the 19th century to the occult symbolism in early computing—there's a persistent connection between technological innovation and spiritual seeking." This historical connection became the foundation for the biennale's radical reimagining of what a media art exhibition could be.
The biennale's transformation began in the cavernous main hall of the Seoul Museum of Art, where visitors encountered Tuan Andrew Nguyen's "Spirits Return: A Meditation on Digital Afterlives." Using generative AI trained on ancestral rituals from across Southeast Asia, the work created an evolving virtual shrine where digital remnants—from abandoned social media accounts to fragments of surveillance footage—were memorialized through procedurally generated ceremonies that blended Vietnamese, Korean, and Filipino spiritual traditions. The work challenged viewers to consider what happens to our digital presence after death, turning technical questions about data persistence into emotional explorations of memory and legacy.
At the nearby Seoul Museum of History, artist collective Bahar Noorizadeh installed "Deep Time Markets," a sprawling installation that transformed economic algorithms into divination tools. Using live market data and neural networks trained on ancient Persian astrology texts, the work generated daily prophecies that mysteriously outperformed conventional market predictions while revealing the quasi-religious assumptions embedded in financial forecasting. "We're simply making explicit what's already implicit in these systems," Noorizadeh explained. "Every algorithm contains someone's vision of the future—their hopes, fears, and biases crystallized into code."
Perhaps the most visceral embodiment of the "exhibition-as-séance" concept materialized in the underground SeMA Bunker, where American artist Jenna Sutela collaborated with Korean shaman Kim Keum-hwa on "Silicon Spirit Houses." The installation paired traditional Korean gut ceremonies with custom-built quantum computing processors, creating an environment where electronic components appeared to respond to shamanic rituals in ways that defied conventional explanation. Whether through deliberate programming or genuinely unexplained phenomena, the work blurred boundaries between technological determinism and spiritual agency in ways that left even skeptical visitors unsettled.
Not all works in the biennale embraced mysticism uncritically. At Seoullo Media Canvas, Turkish artist Refik Anadol's "Machine Hallucinations: Korean Collective Memory" used AI to process thousands of historical photographs of Seoul, creating haunting data sculptures that questioned whether machines can truly channel human memory or merely simulate it. The work's spectacular visual presence—visible to thousands of daily commuters from the elevated Seoullo 7017 walkway—ensured that the biennale's provocations reached far beyond traditional art audiences.
The curatorial team's decision to explore spiritual dimensions of technology proved strangely timely. The exhibition opened just as major tech companies were facing unprecedented public scrutiny for their influence over human psychology and behavior. "When people describe feeling 'addicted' to their devices or 'possessed' by algorithms, they're using mystical language to express genuine concerns about agency and autonomy," observed co-curator Hallie Ayres. "We wanted to take these metaphors seriously and see what happens when we examine technology through spiritual frameworks rather than purely rational ones."
For Seoul—a city that embodies the tensions between hyper-modernization and traditional culture—the biennale's framework resonated in specific ways. Korea's technological advancement has coincided with a revival of traditional shamanic practices, particularly among younger generations seeking connection to cultural heritage. Local critics noted how the exhibition surfaced contradictions within Korean modernity that are often suppressed in official narratives of national progress. "This biennale makes visible what we already know but rarely acknowledge," wrote critic Kim Jin-seok in The Korea Herald. "Our most advanced technologies often serve deeply traditional human needs for meaning, connection, and transcendence."
The exhibition's impact extended beyond aesthetic debates. Several featured works directly engaged with ethical questions around emerging technologies. At the Seoul Art Space Geumcheon, South African artist Tabita Rezaire's "Spiritual Algorithms" examined how algorithmic bias reproduces colonial power structures while proposing alternative design principles derived from African divinatory systems. Meanwhile, Korean artist Jung Yeondoo's "Artificial Inheritance" at Artspace O used deepfake technology to resurrect forgotten family histories, raising complex questions about consent, memory, and the rights of the dead in digital contexts.
As the biennale concluded in November 2025, it had succeeded in transforming what began as a provocative conceptual framework into a substantive contribution to our understanding of technology's place in contemporary life. By treating spiritual traditions not as superstitions to be discarded but as sophisticated frameworks for navigating uncertainty and change, the exhibition opened new possibilities for critical engagement with our digital present. In the words of co-curator Lukas Brasiskis: "Perhaps what we need isn't more advanced technology but more profound ways of understanding the technologies we already have." In bringing together the seemingly disparate worlds of digital innovation and mystical tradition, the Seoul Mediacity Biennale revealed how deeply intertwined they've been all along.
Artistic Vision & Themes
The Seoul Mediacity Biennale has consistently explored how emerging technologies reshape artistic practice, cultural identity, and social experience. Each edition develops a distinct curatorial framework that responds to contemporary concerns while building on the biennale's accumulated history of engagement with media art.
Recent Themes
"THIS TOO, IS A MAP" (2023) - The 12th edition examined non-territorial mapping and alternative cartographies, moving beyond conventional Western mapping systems to explore diasporic experiences, hidden histories, and multi-spatial knowledge systems. Curated by Rachael Rakes, the exhibition brought together artists whose works conveyed transnational attitudes and cultural hybridity.
"One Escape at a Time" (2021) - Taking place after a yearlong postponement due to the global COVID-19 pandemic, this edition explored how art creates spaces of escape and alternative reality during times of crisis. The exhibition examined various forms of retreat, distraction, and fantasy as both coping mechanisms and sites of resistance.
"Exhibition-as-Séance" (Upcoming 2025) - The 13th edition will explore the connections between technology and mystical traditions, using the concept of séance as a framework to examine art practices that bridge material and immaterial worlds. The exhibition will address how spiritual and occult traditions offer alternatives to rationalist industrial society.
Key Focus Areas
Throughout its various iterations, the Seoul Mediacity Biennale has consistently engaged with several recurring themes:
- Digital Transformation - Examining how digital technologies transform artistic practice and aesthetic experience
- Urban Media Ecology - Exploring the relationships between media, urban space, and public life
- Technological Critique - Questioning the social, political, and environmental implications of emerging technologies
- Cultural Hybridity - Investigating the intersection of global digital culture with local traditions and identities
- Alternative Realities - Creating spaces for imagining different social, technological, and ecological futures
This thematic approach allows the Seoul Mediacity Biennale to maintain conceptual depth while remaining responsive to rapidly changing technological landscapes and cultural contexts. By alternating between broad philosophical questions and specific contemporary concerns, the biennale creates a dynamic platform for artistic innovation and critical discourse.
History & Legacy
The roots of the Seoul Mediacity Biennale can be traced back to a precursor exhibition titled "SEOUL in MEDIA," which was presented three times between 1996 and 1999. These early exhibitions laid the groundwork for a more ambitious international event that would position Seoul as a global hub for media arts and digital culture at the dawn of the new millennium.
The inaugural Seoul Mediacity Biennale (then known as Media City Seoul) was launched in 2000 as part of the Seoul Metropolitan Government's Millennium Project, reflecting the city's commitment to establishing itself as a leading center for technological innovation and cultural production. From the beginning, the biennale aimed to integrate what were then seen as the revolutionary worlds of new media technologies with contemporary transdisciplinary art practices.
Over its two-decade history, the biennale has evolved in response to rapid technological changes and shifting cultural contexts. What began as a primarily technology-focused exhibition has expanded to encompass broader questions about media's role in shaping contemporary experience, identity, and social relations. This evolution mirrors Seoul's own transformation into one of the world's most technologically advanced cities while maintaining a rich cultural heritage.
"SEOUL in MEDIA" exhibitions establish foundation for future biennale
Inaugural Media City Seoul launched as part of Seoul's Millennium Project
The 6th edition expands scope to include more diverse media and conceptual approaches
10th anniversary edition shifts to collective curatorship involving experts from diverse fields
Introduction of international open call for artistic director position to bring new perspectives
12th edition "THIS TOO, IS A MAP" reimagines cartographic traditions through media art
Upcoming 13th edition to explore "exhibition-as-séance" concept with curatorial team of Anton Vidokle, Hallie Ayres, and Lukas Brasiskis
From the Art World
Contemporary art news and visual culture from leading sources
Sources: Hyperallergic • ARTnews • This is Colossal
Exhibition Venues
The Seoul Mediacity Biennale utilizes multiple venues throughout Seoul, creating a cultural circuit that activates different parts of the city and engages with diverse urban contexts. This distributed exhibition model invites visitors to experience both contemporary media art and Seoul's dynamic urban landscape, highlighting the dialogue between digital culture and physical space.
Key Venues
The biennale typically occupies a range of spaces, including:
Seoul Museum of Art (SeMA) - Seosomun Main Branch
The institutional heart of the biennale, this flagship venue in central Seoul hosts major installations and serves as the organizational hub for the event.
Seoul Museum of History
Adjacent to SeMA, this venue creates dialogues between contemporary media art and Seoul's historical narratives, often hosting works that engage with archives and memory.
SeMA Bunker
An underground space originally built as a secret shelter during Korea's military regime in the 1970s, now repurposed as an exhibition venue with unique architectural and historical resonances.
Seoullo Media Canvas
An outdoor screen visible from Seoullo 7017, an elevated pedestrian walkway converted from a former highway, bringing media art into public urban space.
Collaborating Spaces
Beyond these primary venues, the biennale extends its reach through partnerships with various cultural institutions, independent spaces, and even underground shopping centers throughout Seoul. These collaborating spaces host satellite exhibitions, performances, workshops, and other programs that complement the main exhibitions while engaging with different communities and contexts.
The distribution of the biennale across multiple sites reflects its engagement with Seoul as both subject and context. By activating diverse spaces throughout the city, the event encourages visitors to experience how media art can transform urban environments and create new connections between digital culture and physical space. This approach also makes the biennale more accessible to local residents who might encounter its interventions in their everyday environments.
Notable Projects
Throughout its history, the Seoul Mediacity Biennale has presented numerous groundbreaking projects that have expanded the boundaries of media art and explored the complex relationships between technology, society, and culture. These presentations showcase the biennale's commitment to artistic innovation and critical engagement with contemporary issues.
The New Times Atlas of the World (2023)
Agustina Woodgate's installation employed machine learning to regenerate outdated maps that had been sanded down into blurry, pastel-hued land masses, questioning cartographic authority.
Native is a Metaphor (2023)
A conversation between artist Chan Sook Choi and biologist Matthew Chew exploring biogeography and belonging, challenging conventional notions of native versus non-native species.
Wait for Me in a Crashing Airship (2016)
Part-time Suite's immersive 360-degree VR video installation exploring future technologies and their social implications through speculative narratives.
Frequency Tropics Radio (2023)
A collaborative project between artist Kent Chan and Seoul Community Radio exploring "future tropics" through sound, remixing global audio cultures and creating new sonic territories.
These projects exemplify the Seoul Mediacity Biennale's approach to media art presentation: technologically innovative, conceptually rigorous, and deeply engaged with both global artistic developments and local contexts. By balancing spectacular visual experiences with substantial intellectual content, the biennale creates exhibitions that appeal to diverse audiences while advancing critical discourse in the field.
Curatorial Approach
The Seoul Mediacity Biennale has experimented with different curatorial models throughout its history, reflecting its commitment to innovation not only in artistic content but also in institutional form. This evolution demonstrates the biennale's responsiveness to changing conditions in both the art world and broader society.
Curatorial Models
The biennale's curatorial structure has taken various forms:
- Single Artistic Director - Many editions have featured an appointed artistic director who provides overall vision and leadership
- Curatorial Team - Some editions have employed collaborative teams of curators bringing diverse expertise and perspectives
- International Open Call - Since 2022, the biennale has used an open call process to select artistic directors, increasing transparency and diversity
- Collective Curatorship - The 2018 edition experimented with a collective model involving the museum's curatorial department and external experts
Notable Curators
The biennale has worked with significant curatorial figures, including:
Rachael Rakes
Artistic Director of the 12th edition (2023), bringing her background in film programming and critical geography to explore non-territorial mapping through media art.
Anton Vidokle
Co-director of the upcoming 13th edition (2025), artist, filmmaker, and founder of e-flux with previous exhibition experience in South Korea.
Yung Ma
Artistic Director of the 11th edition (2021), bringing international experience from Centre Pompidou and M+ to create the "One Escape at a Time" exhibition.
Beck Jee-sook
Artistic Director of the 9th edition (2016), known for her inclusive approach and focus on disability access through innovative technological interfaces.
Curatorial Principles
Several core principles have guided the Seoul Mediacity Biennale's curatorial approach:
- Technological Innovation - Showcasing cutting-edge media technologies and their artistic applications
- Critical Perspective - Maintaining a critical stance toward technological determinism and digital capitalism
- Interdisciplinary Dialogue - Creating connections between visual art, performance, design, architecture, and other fields
- Global-Local Exchange - Facilitating dialogue between international artistic trends and local cultural contexts
- Public Engagement - Making complex media art accessible to diverse audiences through thoughtful presentation and education
Through its distinctive curatorial approaches, the Seoul Mediacity Biennale has established itself as a platform for innovative exhibition-making that responds to the specific challenges and possibilities of media art. By continuously reimagining what a media art biennale can be, the event maintains its relevance in a rapidly changing technological and cultural landscape.
Video Experience
Explore the dynamic atmosphere and innovative spirit of the Seoul Mediacity Biennale through this video showcase of exhibitions, installations, and visitor experiences at various venues across the city.
Video: Seoul Mediacity Biennale Exhibition Tour | Watch on YouTube
Location
The Seoul Mediacity Biennale takes place across multiple venues throughout Seoul, with the Seoul Museum of Art (SeMA) serving as the primary exhibition site and organizational hub.
Seoul City Guide
Navigate South Korea's vibrant capital like a cultural insider with our curated guide to Seoul's media arts districts, digital galleries, and creative neighborhoods beyond the biennial venues.
Creative hub with galleries, street art & performances
Interactive LED installations & digital public art
National Museum with digital art exhibitions
Contemporary art space featuring media installations
Digital Art Districts
- đź“Ť Mullae-dong: Former industrial area transformed into digital art studios and maker spaces
- đź“Ť Seongsu-dong: Seoul's "Brooklyn" with tech startups and media art galleries
- đź“Ť Cheongdam-dong: High-end commercial galleries featuring digital art
- đź“Ť DMC (Digital Media City): Purpose-built district for media companies and digital art
Getting Around
Seoul's extensive subway system is the ideal way to navigate between venues. Purchase a T-money card for seamless travel on all public transportation. The Seoul Museum of Art is a short walk from City Hall Station (Lines 1 & 2). Free shuttle buses connect major biennial venues during exhibition periods.