Installation of 'Public Artworks' in Each of Seoul's 25 Districts ... 13 Billion Won Invested

Seoul City Supports Art Sector Stagnated by COVID-19 ... Provides Cultural Enjoyment Opportunities for Citizens

In December 2017, the public art project "SIGNAL LIGHTS. CONNECTED." was held on the elevated pedestrian walkway 'Seoullo 7017' at Seoul Station. It depicted the beauty and vitality of Pyeongchang, Gangwon-do, where the Winter Olympics were held, through light and sound.

[Asia Economy Reporter Jo In-kyung] The Seoul Metropolitan Government announced on the 3rd that it will promote the 'COVID-19 Seoul Public Art Project,' which installs artworks throughout the city, creates cultural spaces, and presents various public art projects such as street art, media exhibitions, and small community programs.

In connection with the nationwide 'Public Art Project' conducted by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, this project, with a total investment of 13 billion KRW from national and city funds, aims to revitalize the stagnant art scene by supporting artists' creative activities while expanding opportunities for citizens to enjoy culture in open spaces.

In the first phase, Seoul selects 1,500 artwork proposals, which will serve as seeds for the artworks, through expert review, and then narrows them down to 300 pieces. In the second phase, 100 artworks are selected through citizen and expert evaluation, and finally, 25 to 50 outstanding teams are carefully chosen to be realized on-site starting from the end of the year.

During the process of developing the artwork proposals, consulting by experts from various fields will be conducted, and through close cooperation among the city, autonomous districts, and artists, the optimal locations and implementation methods will be explored. Participating artists receive proposal rewards ranging from 1 million KRW to a maximum total of 5 million KRW at each advancement stage, and if finally selected, they can also participate in a 400 million KRW project conducted by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. The entire selection process is open to the public.

Applications are accepted online until the 28th of this month. Artists can freely propose ideas based on locations they desire for the project or sites suggested by autonomous districts. Not only installation-type works such as paintings, sculptures, and media art but also intangible art programs like small-scale community activities are possible.

For detailed information such as target sites, contest themes, and proposal precautions, please refer to the contest website (http://www.covid-19-seoul-publicart-project.com).

Yoo Yeon-sik, Head of the Seoul Cultural Headquarters, said, "This will be an opportunity to breathe new life into the art world, which has been stagnant due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and to citizens who are exhausted," adding, "We hope that innovative ideas representing diverse public art in Seoul will be realized in the 25 autonomous districts through the active participation of artists from all fields of the art world."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.