January 2026
Jae-Eun Choi Presents Where Beings Be at Seoul Museum of Art Seosomun Main Branch
Jae-Eun Choi’s Where Beings Be marks the artist’s first solo exhibition at a public art museum in Korea. On view at the Seoul Museum of Art Seosomun Main Branch (SeMA), the exhibition revisits the interconnectedness between humans and nature that existed long before human civilization, and highlights the artist’s focus on intangible, multi-layered dimensions of time and space, presenting both key works and new pieces.
Organized around five subthemes—Lucy, Tolling Bell, Microcosmos, Names of the Unseen, and Nature Rules—the exhibition traces a temporal continuum from the origins of humanity to the current ecological crisis, offering a comprehensive exploration of human-nature relationships.
The first section, Lucy, features one of the artist’s signature sculptures, which evokes the flow of life and time. The work is inspired by the fossil of the earliest known human named “Lucy,” discovered in Ethiopia in 1974 and dating back approximately 3.2 million years. Choi uses stone and structures to reflect the multiplicity of beings that have traversed time.
In Tolling Bell, Choi presents the video series Horizon of the Unanswered, which visualizes nature under threat by juxtaposing images of blackened seas, bleached coral, and rising sea temperatures. At the same time, the work captures sublime landscapes in which beauty persists despite destruction, inviting viewers to experience the majesty of nature even amid ecological crises.
The Microcosmos section shifts focus to the smaller, often overlooked worlds within and beyond the Earth. One of the exhibition’s highlights, World Underground Project, uses washi paper buried in soil across the globe over extended periods. By allowing the earth to inscribe its own temporal and cultural traces onto the paper, the work makes visible the passage of nature and time through a unique material.
Name of the Unseen, as the title suggests, calls attention to the small and seemingly insignificant entities of the natural world. In the series When We First Met, over 560 wildflowers and plants are named and recorded as “portraits,” emphasizing the value of existence and recognizing the quiet presence of life.
Finally, the Nature Rules section revisits works from Choi’s solo exhibition of the same name held at Kukje Gallery in March 2025, including the “DMZ Ecological Forest Plan” and Nature Rules. This section sheds light on life persisting in harsh, war-torn landscapes.
In addition to the artworks, the exhibition presents archival materials that trace the development of Choi’s practice. By questioning human-centered orders and boundaries while foregrounding the sovereignty of nature and living beings, Jae-eun Choi: Where Beings Be offers visitors an encounter with the artist’s powerful yet warm vision towards nature. The exhibition is on view through April 5, 2026.
Organized around five subthemes—Lucy, Tolling Bell, Microcosmos, Names of the Unseen, and Nature Rules—the exhibition traces a temporal continuum from the origins of humanity to the current ecological crisis, offering a comprehensive exploration of human-nature relationships.
The first section, Lucy, features one of the artist’s signature sculptures, which evokes the flow of life and time. The work is inspired by the fossil of the earliest known human named “Lucy,” discovered in Ethiopia in 1974 and dating back approximately 3.2 million years. Choi uses stone and structures to reflect the multiplicity of beings that have traversed time.
In Tolling Bell, Choi presents the video series Horizon of the Unanswered, which visualizes nature under threat by juxtaposing images of blackened seas, bleached coral, and rising sea temperatures. At the same time, the work captures sublime landscapes in which beauty persists despite destruction, inviting viewers to experience the majesty of nature even amid ecological crises.
The Microcosmos section shifts focus to the smaller, often overlooked worlds within and beyond the Earth. One of the exhibition’s highlights, World Underground Project, uses washi paper buried in soil across the globe over extended periods. By allowing the earth to inscribe its own temporal and cultural traces onto the paper, the work makes visible the passage of nature and time through a unique material.
Name of the Unseen, as the title suggests, calls attention to the small and seemingly insignificant entities of the natural world. In the series When We First Met, over 560 wildflowers and plants are named and recorded as “portraits,” emphasizing the value of existence and recognizing the quiet presence of life.
Finally, the Nature Rules section revisits works from Choi’s solo exhibition of the same name held at Kukje Gallery in March 2025, including the “DMZ Ecological Forest Plan” and Nature Rules. This section sheds light on life persisting in harsh, war-torn landscapes.
In addition to the artworks, the exhibition presents archival materials that trace the development of Choi’s practice. By questioning human-centered orders and boundaries while foregrounding the sovereignty of nature and living beings, Jae-eun Choi: Where Beings Be offers visitors an encounter with the artist’s powerful yet warm vision towards nature. The exhibition is on view through April 5, 2026.
