Almost every Daegu citizen knows and loves Duryu Park, but tucked away in outskirts of the park stands one of Daegu’s artistic powerhouses. Located right in front of scenic Seongdangmot Lake is the Daegu Arts Center, home to a tremendous amount of amazing exhibitions and performance groups. Though Daegu has been known as an industrial city historically, the city has been working to solidify itself as an epicenter of arts and culture and the Daegu Arts Center is the embodiment of that dream.
Boasting 13 gallery rooms and an International Conference Hall, the exhibitions displays different artwork by outstanding Daegu artist. Admission to this center is completely free because the center is meant to share Daegu’s innovations in art with its citizens and visitors. The Exhibition Hall is also the largest building so make sure you explore it carefully to avoid missing any parts of the collection. The exhibitions shown here are temporary, so it is advised to check and see what types of exhibitions are being currently displayed and to find out the dates in advance.
During my last visit, a number of the artist whose artworks were being displayed were present. Many of the artist were very eager to talk with us about their artwork and even explain the methods in which they created their pieces. Speaking with the artist was a very intimate experience. A few of the artists my friend and I spoke with have galleries in Daegu that I now want to check out.
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| This was the first time I have been encouraged to touch the art pieces at a museum |
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| Jang, Heyeon Jeongs exhibition was my personal favorite |
One of my favorite exhibits was called Blunt Knife Loose Carving by the Biseul Seogak group. Their selection of art on display featured wood works of three dimensional wall-hanging pieces, sculptures, and vessels. One of the group members was doing a live art demonstration of ink prints that they made from wood carvings. He was so kind that he even gave my friend and I a free copy of the ink prints!
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| Live ink print demonstration |
Also located inside the Exhibition Hall is an art shop that sells traditional living items and a coffee house.
Relaxing at the coffee house was a very lovely experience. They have many options for drinks including, hot and cold teas and coffee beverages, lemonades and sweet snacks. The café provided an abundant amount of art magazines for guest to browse through while enjoying their stay.
Located behind the Exhibition Hall is an outdoor stage used for dances, concerts, and a type of performance art called madangnori, so keep an eye out for any upcoming events. With seating for up to 700 guest it is the perfect place to host all different kinds of events and some couples love the picturesque environment so much they rent the stage out for weddings.
If you also enjoy performance art, check out the Performance Hall. They host events performed by the Daegu Metropolitan Traditional Music Orchestra, the Daegu Metropolitan Theater Company, the Daegu City Dance Company, and the Daegu City Boys and Girls Choir.
On Wednesday evening the center offers Janggu or Korean traditional drum classes which are open to foreigners as well. The drum classes take place over the course of 12 weeks and the enrollment fee is only 30,000 won including the cost of materials.
Directions:
Take Daegu Subway Line 1 and get off at Seongdangmot Station and leave from Exit 4. From there it is about a 10-minute walk. The other subway option is to take Subway Line 2 and get off at Duryu Station and leave from Exit 4. From there get on Express Bus number 6 and exit at Duryu Swimming Pool.
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