The Insa-dong avenue stretching some 700 meters in the middle of Seoul represents the artsy side of Korean culture. Connecting Anguk Station of subway line 3 and Jonggak Station of subway line 1, the avenue is closed to motor traffic on Sundays, making it more appealing and relaxing to visitors.

The main street of Insa-dong is lined with various street vendors selling a wide range of tasty goodies such as fried sweet flat breads, ddeok, Korean cookies, and traditional drinks.

On both sides of the street artistic shops dealing in paintings, ceramics, antiques, and handcrafted items entice shoppers. Standing out among these shops are fabulous galleries showcasing artworks of both stylish modernism and elegant traditionalism. Here’s Director Kim Yun-seop of the Korean Arts Management Institute to explain more about the galleries in Insa-dong.

Insa-dong is marked by its mix of tradition and modernism. It’s also known as the Mecca of Korean art. The reason for having so many art-related nicknames for Insa-dong is that for many decades the area has served as a showcase for traditional artwork with exceptional beauty. After the liberation from the Japanese colonial occupation and the Korean War, Insa-dong was the nation’s first neighborhood where artworks were displayed and transacted through galleries.

This area known for its balance of traditional and modern beauty and the center of Korean art culture is certainly worth visiting.

Insa-dong Avenue stretching from Jongno to the Anguk-dong intersection boasts some 70 galleries and art museums. But that’s not all. Little shops selling art materials fill the nooks and crannies of the Insa-dong neighborhood. The area has long been regarded as the art street. Here’s 2010 Insa Art Festival Organizing Committee Chairman Yun Yong-cheol to tell us more about Insa-dong.

The Insa-dong neighborhood had been the residential area for the middle class people in the late Joseon Dynasty. The area thus attracted many artists and craftsmen. When aristocratic families needed to sell their heirlooms or antiques, they came to this neighborhood. The abundance of painters and artists called for merchants selling paper, ink, and brushes, which in turn attracted frame and mounting shops. This is how Insa-dong came to be known as the center of art and culture.

Insa-dong has been the center of artistic activities since the main royal palace, Gyeongbokgung, was built in the early years of the Joseon Dynasty. Paintings, porcelain and ceramic pieces, accessories, and writings from the palace and the homes of noblemen were transacted here. Dohwawon, a Joseon-era government agency in charge of painting and artistic activities, was also situated in the area. This is where Joseon’s master painters got together to drink, talk and paint. Such tradition lived on to the 1930s when antique art shops, art supply stores and art book stores began to join the existing art merchants.

Many of the Insa-dong galleries are hidden in the narrow back alleys. This is why visitors unfamiliar with the area’s twisting alleys need to take guidebooks distributed at the tourist information center. Here’s Director Kim Yun-seop of the Korean Arts Management Institute again.

Depending on its artistic tendencies, each gallery has a select group of artists it mainly deals with. For instance, one gallery deals largely in the works of deceased artists and another in the works of established painters. Some galleries focus on foreign artists and some on young painters. All these galleries are different.

Since each gallery has its own distinctive character, art patrons and visitors can pick their favorites from a wide spectrum of art disciplines and artists.

- I just saw the artworks on this floor and they’re so unusual and interesting. The second floor seems to have a lot of religious artworks. Insa-dong is a great place to enjoy various artworks in a relaxed setting. It has many pieces that are rarely seen outside and I can feel artistic bounty in this place. I wish others would come here too.
- I started coming to Insa-dong since I was in middle school. I was inspired to major in art by Insa-dong, so I come here at least once a month, riding the train and the bus. There is a unique air to Insa-dong. I connect to the olden days and find my identity when I walk along the Insa-dong alleys and see old Korean antiques. At the modern art museums or exhibition halls I can learn about the modern trends in art. I think Insa-dong is special, like a time machine.

There are other areas in Seoul famous for upscale galleries. Besides Insa-dong, Samcheong-dong in central Seoul and Cheongdam-dong in southern Seoul are also known for their artsy shops and galleries. Then what sets the galleries in Insa-dong apart from the ones in other parts of the city? Here’s 2010 Insa Art Festival Organizing Committee Chairman Yun Yong-cheol again.

Gallery owners of Cheongdam-dong or other neighborhoods are originally from Insa-dong. But galleries in those areas are not clustered like here in Insa-dong. There is one gallery every 100 meters in those neighborhoods, but here in Insa-dong every other shop is an antique store, a gallery, a mounting store, or a craft shop. No other place in Korea is like this. Insa-dong is a historic street where traditional culture stays alive and where new culture is created by reinventing the old ones. So this is Korea’s foremost cultural place where the new and the old coexist.

In Insa-dong you can find smaller and cozier galleries, not big and urbane ones. This is why Insa-dong means something special to most artists. Here’s 20-year artist Ahn Jung-mo with his sentiments for Insa-dong.

Many galleries have moved to the southern part of Seoul or other trendy neighborhoods. But they have all their starts in Insa-dong. That’s why this place means so much to many artists. It’s more friendly and familiar so artists tend to be more emotionally invested when they hold exhibitions here. They seem to have a different mindset when they hold their shows here.

The Insa Art Festival takes place in Insa-dong every December. The annual festival is a celebration of Insa-dong’s reputation and image as the cradle of Korean art. Here’s 2010 Insa Art Festival Organizing Committee Chairman Yun Yong-cheol to tell us more about the festival.

Small is beautiful in Insa-dong. Other areas have tall buildings because there are no height restrictions, but in Insa-dong there is a limit to how high a building can stand. The restriction was placed to preserve the street and the surrounding area as they were. That’s why the atmosphere within the Insa-dong area with its galleries, antique shops, traditional restaurants, and craft shops is so unique. I hope the festival can attract many art lovers from all over the country to this place to see how art thrives here and share their love for the genre.

The Insa Art Festival celebrated its fourth year since it began in 2007. This year’s theme was “Giving Happiness from Insa-dong.” Here’s Director Kim Yun-seop of the Korean Art Management Institute.

When people come to Insa-dong, they seem to be anticipating something different and exciting. We chose the theme of “Giving Happiness from Insa-dong” to wish everyone happiness that stems from art and Insa-dong.

Already in the last month of the year 2010, people were welcomed to the Insa-dong neighborhood with the happiness and dreams portrayed in warm-hearted paintings. The message of the festival appeared to have been delivered to people’s hearts as many visitors said that they felt happier after touring the galleries of Insa-dong.

I liked all the paintings here, both modern and traditional Korean ones. These tiger paintings are of traditional Korean style. There a tiger taking a bath, a tiger playing hide-and-seek, and a tiger playing the violin. It’s nice that the paintings were combined with music. I felt myself smiling as I looked at the paintings. I feel so happy. It’s interesting to see magpies, tigers, and owls in the paintings, because these animals are so familiar to us. The galleries participating in the Insa Art Festival have their own marked characteristics. So there are more interesting things to see than other art fairs. It feels like the artworks here are artistically purer.

One of the features that distinguish the Insa Art Festival is the harmony between the older and the younger generation of artists. The exhibition of up-and-coming artists is always held at the Insa Art Festival to provide young artists with opportunities to showcase their works. This is one way to keep the reputation of Insa-dong as the Mecca of art culture alive.

Insa-dong galleries are like a door that opens a whole world of opportunities to young artists. They get recognized as real painters, exchange ideas with older, more experienced artists, and share their views with the general public. This is like a haven for young artists where they can fulfill their needs. But Insa-dong is also a place for the general public to get easy access to art. What’s important is to stay on the move and have the energy to keep creating new culture. And new artists of the future are the ones who can create that energy. That’s why we held a special exhibition for talented college seniors and graduate students at the 2010 Insa Art Festival. They are the ones who will inherit the spirit of Insa-dong and bridge the past and future of Korean art.

Just because this year’s Insa Art Festival is over, that doesn’t mean Insa-dong no longer has any attractions to entice us. Galleries in Insa-dong always have their doors wide open for art lovers who wish to see interesting and thought-provoking pieces. Here’s Director Kim Yun-seop of the Korean Art Management Institute.

Insa-dong is always open to you. Think of Insa-dong as a relaxing cultural rest stop open to everyone, because art galleries are the only cultural places where no admission fee is required to enjoy pleasant leisure activities. Except for really special showcases, all galleries and exhibition halls are free. So they’re affordable for everyone. Also, once the paintings are hung on the wall, the works no longer belong to the artists, but to the public who exercise their own preference to freely interpret the artworks. So don’t feel afraid to come to the galleries. Come with an open mind, because there are no stereotypes here. You don’t even need your wallet. Whatever you feel when you see a painting is the most appropriate and right way to appreciate art. Insa-dong is a wonderful place because there are so many places to go and things to see here.

You are not sure whether you know enough about art to appreciate it fully? No need to worry, because friendly and knowledgeable curators are hand in Insa-dong galleries to guide you through the seemingly complicated world of art. Here’s Gong Art Space curator Park So-min.

People think art is too difficult. But when I explain the paintings to them, they understand very well and come back to Insa-dong for more. I find it worthwhile to be a curator when people realize how varied the art genre is in Korea. Insa-dong is always open. People often find it difficult to open that door and come into the gallery. People tend to think we are too haughty. But I hope people realize that galleries are places where people can go to find themselves.

It’s one exhibition after another in Insa-dong throughout the year. There are countless things to see and enjoy in Insa-dong where tradition and modernity exist side by side. When winter freeze gets to be unbearable, just duck into one of many galleries in the Insa-dong neighborhood and warm up your hearts with fabulous paintings there.