Seoul & Cheongju 2025
October 2025 | Seoul & Cheongju, South Korea
This year I was offered the opportunity to head to Seoul and Cheongju in South Korea for work, the main focus being the Craft Experts meeting and the Cheongju Craft Biennale that was installed there at the time.
I nervously, but excitedly, accepted the offer - nervously, because I’m usually a bit of an anxious traveller and find it hard to feel at ease in unfamiliar surroundings. And even though I have travelled overseas before, this would be my first trip to Asia, and I really didn’t know what to expect. But I chose to be brave, put on my big-girl pants and face the adventure!
And, boy! What an amazing time! From my first day in Seoul I felt the thrill of a busy city that feels ‘alive’, energetic, interesting and even complex. But alongside these ‘big city vibes’, I felt relaxed and completely at ease. It was a city that was always busy, but I never felt crowded. I stayed in the vibrant area of Insa-dong, where I could walk two blocks to find streets full of people enjoying the wild mix of art supplies stores, cheapy souvenir shops, designer clothing, galleries, and of course, countless restaurants and eateries.
I managed to visit Gallery O for contemporary jewellery, just missing the Otto Kunzli show but still getting a sneak peek at some of his classic pieces, and was given permission to look through all the drawers, snooping at the varied collection of works within (I even spotted a piece by Australian jeweller, Helen Britton).
I was also very excited to visit the Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP) designed by architect Zaha Hadid. I’ve always seen photos of her buildings so I was thrilled to be able to visit (and touch!) one in real life. I arrived at dusk and stayed till after dark to see it all lit up, something I highly recommend.
I did hit a couple of other sightseeing hotspots (too many to expand on here), but other than that, I spent most of my time simply wandering the streets, exploring the main roads with futuristic electronic billboards, and ducking into the smaller windy alleys crammed full of artisan bakeries (seriously, the bakeries! One could simply spend a week enjoying a bakery tour of Seoul). Everywhere I looked was something captivating, even the most ‘everyday’ items were so visually interesting to me (yes, I’m that tourist that photographs traffic lights, shop fronts, street drains, brickwork, railings and doorways!). I also managed to get hooked on a Korean sitcom - no English or subtitles at all, but I became fully invested in that show I can tell you.
After my very enjoyable time in Seoul, I travelled to Cheongju, about 2.5 hours south of the city. By this time I had met up with a few other colleagues, so I had some company for the journey. This time in Cheongju was going to be very different to Seoul, as I was there with a larger group of international visitors and we had a more structured daily schedule. This didn’t mean it was any less enjoyable though. Working for an international organisation, I spend a lot of my time communicating with colleagues via email or Zoom, and this was a chance for me to meet many of these people face-to-face for the first time which was wonderful.
Our visit to the Cheongju Craft Biennale exhibition itself was a real treat, but the installation was…HUGE! Held at the Culture Factory (a converted Tobacco factory, now a vibrant arts hub), it included:
The main exhibition, ‘Re_Crafting Tomorrow’ (arranged in 4 parts)
The International Craft Competition exhibition
The Invited Country Exhibition (Thailand, ‘Living in Elastic Time’)
The Hyundai Translocal Series ‘Entangled and Woven’ textiles exhibition
The Kyrgyz Republic Traditional Crafts ODA Special Exhibition; and
The Seongpa Seonye Exhibition (an installation from Monk Seongpa, the Supreme Patriarch of the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism. A meditative space in which hangs a continuous piece of hanji 3 x 100 metres long).
Phew!
To be honest, I found it quite overwhelming and it was a lot to take in with just one visit - I really could have stayed there another 2 days to really explore it properly. It probably wasn’t helped by the fact that was the day I came down with a pretty bad cold (classic timing!). However, I did my best to make the most of the visit.
I was pretty jazzed to see the work by my friend Melissa Cameron installed in the show - ‘1.1.2017’ (a response to deaths by gun violence during her time living in the USA) and ‘rapidlyclosingwindow…#1’ (using a new binary/ascii code to explore the theme of climate change and our responsibilities to do something about it, now). Very proud of her! I also had the pleasure of working on the rapidlyclosingwindow piece for Melissa, so it’s additionally exciting to know that I had a part of something that was hanging in the gallery (which is why I felt entitled to a sneaky touch!).
There were many other pieces that I could deep dive into, but I feel, dear reader, that you will tire of my waffle. If you scroll through the images you will see what I mean! It was such a vast and interesting mix of works.
We were treated so wonderfully by our hosts, especially by Sora Kim, from the Cheongju Craft Biennale team, who worked so hard every day keeping us all on track. Treated with flash lodgings, comfortable chauffeur bus, and group dinners and outings - they really know how to make a girl feel special.
In general, my time in South Korea was such a buzz for me, feeling excited to wake up every morning and discover something new. By the time I had to leave, I simply wasn’t ready! I am so grateful for this opportunity and I’m just itching to go back, so I better start saving now and put it in my diary for 2027, if not earlier.
Plus I need to know how that sitcom turns out!
Photos by Susannah Kings-Lynne