The Busan Museum of Art, envisioning itself as the “future-leading Meta Museum,” presented its vision and renovation plan for 2026 during a recent press conference.

Under the guidance of the new director, Seo Jin-seok, the museum aims to transform into a 21st-century art gallery that converges and showcases complex art forms through a paradigm shift.

The renovation plan, set to begin construction in the first half of 2024 with a target reopening in 2026, encompasses a total floor area of 22,295 square meters. It includes improvements to exhibition spaces, storage facilities, main entrances, service spaces, and the overall viewing environment. The goal is to create a sustainable art museum that breaks away from traditional exhibition spaces, providing a flexible environment for various art genres.

To align with climate change concerns, the museum plans to adopt low-carbon practices. The redesign will feature a space accommodating two-dimensional, three-dimensional, and media art, moving away from separate box-type exhibition spaces. Emphasis will be placed on strengthening the museum’s role as a public institution, breaking visual boundaries between the inside and outside, and enhancing social engagement through shared liminal spaces.

The plan includes the establishment of a multi-functional convenience space, improved visitor accessibility, and the expansion of outdoor sculpture parks to enhance citizen enjoyment. The museum also envisions a broader social function and role, divided into four branches: discussing a future art administration system, promoting regional globalization, building a metaverse platform-based exhibition, and establishing a worldwide cooperation network for modern and contemporary art.

The museum aims to redefine the history of modern and contemporary art in Asia, strengthen global cultural competitiveness, and collaborate with other Asian art museums. The overarching theme of the plan is to go “beyond persistence, beyond experience, beyond relationships,” aiming to birth the “Meta Museum” as a leader in the future of art.

Director Seo Jin-seok emphasized the museum’s commitment to cultural diversity, inclusiveness, and convergence, envisioning the Busan Museum of Art as a vital cultural force in the city, leading the way in showcasing complex and converging art through both hardware reconstruction and software strengthening.