[Culture Interview] From Warehouse to Exhibition Hall... How the ACC Is Relearning Gwangju

"We need to broaden the composition of our visitors by reducing the proportion from Gwangju and increasing the proportions from the Seoul metropolitan area and South Jeolla Province. Another area for improvement is to use the center's infrastructure to nurture more artists."

Sangwook Kim, Director of the National Asia Culture Center (ACC), reflected on his first year in office by identifying challenges before achievements. His vision is to expand the center beyond being a space consumed only within Gwangju, transforming it into a platform that circulates with the outside world, while still rooted in the region. He also made it clear that nurturing local artists and sending them out into the world is a definite goal.

In Gwangju, the ACC has long been perceived as a large yet unfamiliar space. Along with the reputation for being "innovative and advanced" came a sense of distance. Despite its location in the heart of the city, it has not naturally blended into daily life.

In a recent interview with The Asia Business Daily, Director Kim cited "communication" as the keyword that defined the past year. Although the center has aimed to be an Asian cultural platform by experimenting at the intersection of technology and art, he diagnosed that the threshold was high for local artists and the space was unfamiliar for citizens. He relayed feedback from the field, saying, "Although we are in Gwangju, we are isolated like an island, and it's difficult for local artists to access the center."

The main point emphasized in this interview was not the "scale" but the "composition" of visitors. Last year, the ACC recorded its highest-ever number of visitors at 3,594,000. However, the source of these visitors is more important than the total number. About 69% of visitors are Gwangju citizens, while only 11% are from Seoul and just over 10% from South Jeolla Province. He stressed, "What matters is not how many, but where they come from," adding, "We need to lower the proportion from Gwangju and raise the proportions from the Seoul metropolitan area and South Jeolla Province."

He plans to transform the center from a space that remains within the region to a structure that circulates with the outside. The strategy involves expanding the proportions from South Jeolla, North Jeolla, and the metropolitan area to broaden the audience base.

The challenges are clear. The goal is not to oversimplify complex art, but to first create an environment where audiences can approach naturally. Installation and media art have yet to become popular genres even in the metropolitan area, and they feel even more difficult to access in the regions. He explained, "Installation or media works are not easy even in the metropolitan area, and if we focus on these genres, accessibility may decrease." This is why recent exhibitions have strengthened participatory elements and photo spots. Rather than reducing experimentation, the approach is to lower the entry barriers.

Exhibition Hall 7 is regarded as a symbol of change. This space, transformed from a vacant warehouse into an exhibition hall, signifies more than just an expansion of facilities. It acts as a gateway that brings the flat paintings of Gwangju and South Jeolla, which used to remain outside the center, into the ACC. He said, "We converted a dormant warehouse into an exhibition hall. If we cannot bring in local paintings, the center will struggle to communicate with the region."

The roots of local art trace back to artists such as Heo Baekryeon, Oh Jiho, Oh Seungwoo, and Chun Kyungja. However, there has not been enough space to expand and showcase this legacy. It is difficult for the ACC to speak of connecting with the region while neglecting areas that the municipal art museum alone cannot cover. Exhibition Hall 7 serves as a new point of connection, linking back to the local art ecosystem.

The change is less about reversing the existing direction and more about balancing the focus of operations. The ACC has grown by leveraging its unique structure that combines creation, production, exhibition, and residency. While maintaining this framework, it became clear that this structure alone has limits in forming ongoing relationships with the region. He noted, "We need to maintain our identity as an Asian cultural platform, but communication with the region must be strengthened separately."

Efforts are underway to expand exhibitions for local artists, strengthen collaboration with schools, and lower barriers for student visitors. The method of support has also changed. The center now respects the artist’s planning and provides the foundation to realize those plans. It also supports connections with external sponsors and critics, to help prevent projects from being halted due to lack of budget or networks.

The vision reaches even further. The focus is not just on introducing local artists but on helping them advance to the global stage. He stated, "We need to nurture more artists using the center's infrastructure," and "the goal is to help artists developed by the center make their way into the world." The plan is to broaden the scope of discovery and development beyond flat paintings to include media art, installation, and artificial intelligence (AI)-based work.

The strategy also includes connecting with students from an early stage. The center is considering expanding exhibition opportunities to middle school students specializing in the arts, following those at arts high schools. The aim is to provide local talent with a growth pathway before they move to the metropolitan area.

Director Kim's past year can be seen as a time when the center reoriented its focus toward expanding its audience base and nurturing local artists. Starting from a center that remained within Gwangju, he has sought to transform it into a platform that connects the region with the outside world. This is also the context behind "communication" being the central theme of his first year in office.

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