"Oh, sir! Why in the hole?" Enjoying viewing Katellan's artwork in a wheelchair

On-site Coverage of Disabled Visitors at Leeum Museum Exhibition
Over 300 Visitors from 9 Organizations Including Yongsan Disabled Welfare Center

"This is my second time visiting the exhibition following last year, and I can hardly remember when I last went to see an exhibition before that. Opportunities like this are truly precious."

A participant attending the invitation event at the Leeum Museum of Art on the 17th takes a commemorative photo in front of an artwork.
Photo by Heeyoon Kim

On the 17th, Kim Seon-gi (70), a person with physical disabilities, was busy taking photos while exploring the Maurizio Cattelan exhibition at the Leeum Museum of Art in Hannam-dong, Yongsan-gu, Seoul. When asked if he often visits exhibitions, he said this was his second visit here following last year, and he barely remembers when he last went to an art museum before that. The event was part of a museum viewing program hosted by the Leeum Museum of Art, inviting people with disabilities and seniors from nine organizations, including the Yongsan Disabled Welfare Center.

The ‘Barrier Free’ exhibitions supporting smooth artwork appreciation for people with disabilities are expanding. To improve accessibility through ‘Barrier Free’ initiatives aimed at eliminating inconveniences in the daily lives of people with disabilities, major museums and art galleries in Korea are actively working to enhance the viewing environment. Efforts are underway in various places to accommodate the often overlooked minority of disabled visitors, including improving physical accessibility from the architectural design stage and providing diverse services such as sign language videos to aid understanding of exhibition programs. A notable feature at the Leeum Museum exhibition that day was the sign language interpretation video for the hearing impaired.

Sign language interpretation video of the collection produced by Leeum Museum of Art.
[Photo by Leeum Museum of Art]

Kim Jeong-hyun, the lead in charge of producing the sign language interpretation video, explained, "From the initial planning and production to the final review, hearing-impaired individuals participated to ensure the video would be helpful to viewers in the actual exhibition space." He added, "Unlike existing sign language interpretation videos where the artwork video is large and the sign language video is small, this video features a larger sign language interpretation and a smaller artwork display to help viewers focus on the content."

Throughout the exhibition hall, disabled participants were busy viewing artworks while watching digital guides and sign language interpretation videos. Since the event was held on a regular closed day, visitors could naturally and actively pose for photos without worrying about others around them, and they could focus intently on the curator’s explanations and actively appreciate the artworks.

Kwon Ki-yong, director of the Yongsan Disabled Welfare Center, who attended the event, was also taking photos while appreciating the artworks with friends from the vocational training class. He said, "There are very few opportunities for people with disabilities to appreciate and access artworks in an environment where the exhibition hall is open on closed days, so many applicants wanted to participate in this exhibition." He added, "Although today’s event was a large-scale one with about 300 attendees, I hope that in the future, even small-scale exhibitions like this will be held frequently to provide more opportunities to experience art."

A participant attending the invitation event at the Leeum Museum of Art on the 17th is seen appreciating the artwork.
Photo by Heeyoon Kim

Director Kwon continued, "The disabled attendees who participated in last year’s public museum event responded positively, and the museum promised to support viewing for local disabled people whenever they visit, so we encouraged participation at the welfare center." He added, "However, since most people need to move with companions and it is difficult to appreciate artworks smoothly in an environment shared with general visitors, I believe that expanding events like today’s will broaden the experiences of people with disabilities and increase opportunities for voluntary visits."

The disabled visitors who attended the exhibition expressed their hope that exhibition viewing opportunities for people with disabilities, who find it difficult to appreciate artworks without customized museum experiences such as accessibility and barrier-free educational programs, will continue to expand in the future.

Ryu Moon-hyung, CEO of the Samsung Cultural Foundation, said, “I believe cultural and artistic institutions should lower barriers so that those who find it difficult to visit museums frequently can also enjoy culture and be inspired.” He added, "Following last year, as the event continues to grow and more people attend, especially local seniors who were invited for the first time, it was even more meaningful. We will continue to strive to make the museum a barrier-free space where people with and without disabilities can enjoy art together.”

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