Seoul Arts Center: Catherine Bernhard Review (Ended)

The exhibition may be over, but the story lingers: Catherine Bernhard at Seoul Arts Center, Seocho

Seoul Arts Center, Seocho — fan-shaped roofs and broad steps; a classic photo spot.


I live close enough to Seoul Arts Center to cycle there, which is precisely why I kept putting it off with a casual “I can go any time.” But exhibitions are like that. You think, “I’ll go soon…” and then suddenly it’s the very last day — and, yes, I ended up dashing over in the afternoon. (Hands up if you’re a last-day viewer )

Seoul Arts Center — building & vibe

Seoul Arts Center (예술의전당) is Korea’s largest integrated arts complex. It’s a cultural campus where a Concert Hall, Calligraphy House, art museums and an Opera House come together — and it even served as a venue for the Cultural Festival during the 1988 Seoul Olympics.

Design reference — the traditional ‘gat’ form behind the Opera House rooflines.

What we see today officially opened in February 1993 and was designed by architect Kim Seok-chul. Its distinctive silhouette draws on the traditional Korean Gat (hat) and folding fan — most clearly in the roofs of the Opera House and Concert Hall. It’s late-’80s post-modernism layered with a distinctly Korean aesthetic: an icon of Korean cultural architecture in the best way.

In person, the building feels like a work of art. Broad steps and a fountain, sunlight pouring through the glass façades — no wonder it’s a photo spot. Perched on a gentle Seocho hillside, there’s a small climb, but on clear days you’re rewarded with a glimpse of Namsan Tower. Daytimes are full of families; evenings fill with date-night couples.

Seoul Arts Center · QUICK INFO

• Name: 예술의전당 (Seoul Arts Center)
• What it is: Korea’s largest integrated arts complex — Concert Hall, Calligraphy House, art museums and Opera House
• History: Venue for the 1988 Olympics Cultural Festival · official opening Feb 1993
• Architecture: Kim Seok-chul; roofs echo a traditional gat and folding fan
• Address: 2406 Nambusunhwan-ro, Seocho-gu, Seoul (Hangaram Museum · Level 3)
• Parking tip: Choose “Exhibition” at the kiosk for a discount (typically 3h for ₩4,000; subject to change)
• Typical exhibition prices: Adult ₩22,000 · Teen ₩17,000 · Child ₩15,000 (varies by show)

First impressions in the galleries

First impressions — pop colour + daily-life motifs that read cool, not cute.

Hangaram Museum, Level 3. From the entrance, the colours hit differently — Bernhard’s punchy pinks and electric blues catch your eye from a distance.
She isn’t chasing lofty symbols; it’s the small things of daily life — loo rolls, Doritos, Crocs — that she runs through her brushwork. And somehow, through her hand, the ordinary turns cool. Think: “everyday life + pop culture + fearless colour = the Bernhard formula.”

What snapped my gaze first was the toilet-roll pieces. Hung by colour, almost prim and poised — who knew they’d look that beautiful? (I genuinely wanted to display my bathroom rolls like that at home.)

Closer to the artist

Inside the process — how the colour is pressed and pushed into the canvas.




Seoul Arts Center, Hangaram Museum — Bernhard’s playful “cookie” trio:
everyday snacks turned pop-blue joy.

One corner recreated Bernhard’s studio. Brushes, paint, sketches… and video of her actually working. More than the finished pieces, that’s what landed for me. It’s the moment you realise, “Ah — she really does press and push the colour in like that.”

A line that stayed with me

A line that stayed with me — simple, primal, a little rebellious.

“Doing something primal is fun. In this age of computers and technology, it feels a bit silly and yet brilliant to pick up a brush and paint.” — Catherine Bernhard

We live in a time when AI can spit out images in seconds, yet the act of standing in front of a canvas with a brush somehow feels even cooler.

Quick visiting notes

• Venue: Hangaram Museum, Level 3 (Seoul Arts Center)
• Exhibition run: 6 June 2024 – 28 September 2024 (ended)
• Hours: 10:00–19:00 (closed Mondays)
• Parking: Choose “Exhibition” at the kiosk for a discount (typically ₩4,000 / 3h; check on the day)
• Prices: Adult ₩22,000 · Teen ₩17,000 · Child ₩15,000 (varies by show)

After the show, my suddenly hungry self

By the time I stepped out, it was evening. Around the Arts Center there are plenty of cafés and restaurants — big spots like Terarosa and Paris Croissant, plus a neat cafeteria-style place next door that’s great for a quick bite after a performance.

But on this day I was craving bu-dae-jjigae, badly. 
So I sent an SOS to a friend who lives nearby: “Any solid Seocho jjigae spots?” Without missing a beat: Sambo Budae-gogi. It’s a four-minute walk from Nambu Bus Terminal Station, Exit 3 — and an easy stroll from the Arts Center.

Sambo Budae-gogi — the joy of unlimited ramen noodles

After-show comfort — budae-jjigae with unlimited ramen at Sambo Budae-gogi (Seocho).

Head down the stairs and you get that long-standing local vibe straight away. There are even shoes-off, raised-floor seats — the kind of place that feels like a secret unless someone tells you.

Order bu-dae-jjigae and rice plus ramen noodles are included. (Unlimited noodles — that’s a rule we can all agree on 🙌)
The thin noodles cook in a flash; a quick dunk in the broth and slurp — after a whole afternoon of modern art my brain was overloaded, and two strands of ramen brought me straight back to earth.

The broth is beef-bone based — rich yet clean. Inside the pot: thin-sliced sausage, a slab of spam, pork, kimchi and spring onion. It doesn’t feel greasy; it’s satisfying and tidy, the kind of pot that won’t let your spoon rest.

The side dishes are simple, but the whole-leaf kimchi is the star. When the heat creeps in, a spoonful on rice resets everything. Add a sip of nabak water kimchi and… say no more.

Verdict

• The broth is full-flavoured but never heavy — comfortable to the last spoonful.
• It’s not luxury sausage, but for the price the taste absolutely delivers.
• Unlimited ramen noodles are, frankly, love.
• For spendy Nambu Terminal-side lunches, anything in the ₩10,000s is a bargain.

Exhibition first, then a long catch-up with a friend, and finally a steaming spoonful of bu-dae-jjigae to close the night. That’s the perfect Seocho half-day, isn’t it? 

Sambo Budae-gogi · INFO

• Signature: Bu-dae-jjigae (comes with rice + ramen noodles; extra noodles cheerfully supplied)
• Flavour notes: Beef-bone broth that’s rich yet clean; thin noodles cook fast; whole-leaf kimchi + nabak water kimchi balance the spice
• Address: 102, Hyoryeong-ro 68-gil, Seocho-gu (Nambu Bus Terminal Exit 3 · 4 mins)
• Hours: 10:00–22:00, closed Sundays ·
• Phone: 02-521-2656

One-line takeaway

The exhibition left me braver with colour.
And bu-dae-jjigae is always the right answer.

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