My Korea: Soar Gallery

Let me introduce you to my Korea!

I went to the Soar Gallery this past autumn. Soar is an abbreviation. It means Space of Art Research. The Soar Gallery is located in Hwasun-gun, Jeonnam. This place is special to me because I was able to meet Professor Jo Ui-hyeon. Nature and art co-exist in this place; it makes me feel so refreshed and happy.

The Soar Gallery was made by the artist Jo Ui-hyeon. Jo Ui-hyeon is a professor of fine art at Chosun University. Professor Jo wanted to show that an artist can come to any space and turn it into art if the artist’s hand touches it. He employed workmen for the architecture and landscaping and he directly purchased the land and then planned the design of the buildings. The gallery exhibits only the works of artists under the age of 40, which is considered a young artist. I had the pleasure of meeting Artist Jo. He gave me a tour of the gallery and explained things along the way. He is very kind.

Soar Galley is composed of the gallery, Box coffee, an art shop and an office. Also, many sculptures are in harmony with nature outside the buildings.

The Gallery is open every day except Monday from 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Admission is free. When I visited Seojeongbong’s work was being exhibited. It was cool. The scent in the gallery makes you feel better.

The cafe’s name is Box coffee. The cafe has two floors. There are a variety of menu items like coffee, pasta and toast. You can order on the first floor. Also, there are many works in the cafe and you can get refreshed by the decorative plants inside. I drank an Americano. The barista directly roasted the premium grade coffee beans, so the coffee flavor was delicious.

Through this tour, I felt really amazed! I live in Hwasun and here I can find a wonderful gallery about nature and harmony. The impression that I received I hope to deliver to others and I hope a lot of people will visit this place.

To go to the Soar Gallery, take a bus from Gwangju to Hwasun. You should get off at the Neoritjae Park. If you do, you will be right in front of the gallery.

Address : 전남 화순군 화순읍 이십곡리 601-12