March 8–July 19, 2026
Lugano CH – 6900
Switzerland
Hours: Tuesday–Wednesday and Friday 11am–6pm
Thursday 11am–8pm
Saturday–Sunday 10am–6pm
Artists: Chan-kyong Park, Jane Jin Kaisen, Ayoung Kim, eobchae, Sungsil Ryu, Heecheon Kim, Onejoon Che and Sojung Jun
K-NOW! Korean Video Art Today at Museo d’arte della Svizzera italiana (MASI Lugano) presents a selection of works by contemporary South Korean video artists, highlighting a language that is closely intertwined with the country’s history and society.
The exhibition features works by Chan-kyong Park, Jane Jin Kaisen, Ayoung Kim, eobchae, Sungsil Ryu, Heecheon Kim, Onejoon Che and Sojung Jun. These artists, shaped by the shadow of an unresolved war and rapid social change, address key cultural, historical and existential issues of the globalised era.
The exhibition invites visitors to experience video in multiple ways, from traditional projections to virtual-reality headsets, reflecting a medium continually transformed by technology and expanding its expressive possibilities.
Citizen’s Forest (2016) by Park Chan-kyong combines panoramic video, sound and ritual elements in a reflection on collective memory and historical trauma. Jane Jin Kaisen’s Offering (2023) and Wreckage (2024) draw on Jeju Island’s history and mythology, creating immersive environments where submerged voices resurface. Ayoung Kim’s Delivery Dancer’s Sphere (2022) follows a courier navigating an algorithmic Seoul, reflecting on labour and technology. eobchae imagines dystopian and ecological futures. Sungsil Ryu brings satire and performance to explore identity, hierarchy, and online attention through the character of Cherry Jang, and Onejoon Che investigates migration and social structures across local and global networks. Heecheon Kim evokes memory, vulnerability, and the body through immersive video and sound, while Sojung Jun’s Green Screen (2021) reconstructs personal and historical narratives into meditative reflections on division, memory, and ecological renewal.
The exhibition highlights the extent to which video functions as a key expressive medium in South Korea, shaped by the country's technological infrastructure and contemporary social conditions. By connecting local histories with global concerns, K-NOW! Korean Video Art Today highlights the transnational reach of Korean video art and its capacity to address pressing historical, political and social questions, revealing the richness of contemporary artistic practice.
Curated by Francesca Benini and Je Yun Moon
2026 exhibition programme
Jean-Frédéric Schnyder. La pittura 2024/25
March 15, 2026–August 9, 2026
Umberto Boccioni
August 7, 2026–January 24, 2027
Kaari Upson. Dollhouse – A Retrospective
September 6, 2026–January 10, 2027
Kaspar Ludwig. Manor Art Prize Ticino 2026
October 17, 2026–April 4, 2027
Re-imaginings. Mai-Thu Perret and Una Szeemann
November 15, 2026–May 16, 2027
Sentiment and observation. Art in Ticino 1850–1950
April 18, 2025–July 26, 2026
Self-Portraits from the Collection 1928–2021
December 26, 2025–June 21, 2026
