LG Arts Center SEOUL Becomes Seoul’s New Landmark

Newly opened in Seoul’s Magok district in October 2022, LG Arts Center SEOUL has established itself as a new landmark of Seoul, attracting 600,000 visitors in its inaugural year. LG Arts Center SEOUL officially opened on October 13, 2022, and attracted 300,000 audiences with a total of 46 performances up until September 2023. LG Arts Center’s Contemporary Music and Performing Arts Season (CoMPAS) sold out 15 out of 30 programmes, with overall attendance reaching 91%.

Exterior (Photo credit: BaeJihun)

From London Symphony Orchestra, Paris Opera Ballet, Akram Khan, to Park Hae-Soo – Together with World-Class Artists

Sir Simon Rattle and the London Symphony Orchestra (LSO) with Cho Seong-Jin (piano), the opening performance drew attention by selling out all seats within 40 seconds. Maestro Sir Simon Rattle expressed that he is jealous that such a theatre was built in Korea. Following the LSO, the world’s most renowned orchestras and musicians performed in LG Arts Center, including Paavo Järvi and The Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen, Kammerorchester Wien-Berlin, Wynton Marsalis, and Al di Meola.

Opening Performance by LSO (Photo credit: Studio AL, LG Arts Center)

In March 2023, the Paris Opera Ballet visited Korea for the first time in 30 years and performed its signature work, Giselle. The performance became extra special when Guillaume Diop, who substituted for the injured Étoile Hugo Marchand, was appointed the first Black Étoile ever in the Paris Opera Ballet’s history. Furthermore, the latest works by renowned choreographers, such as Yoann Bourgeois, Akram Khan, Angelin Preljocaj, Damien Jalet, and Sharon Eyal, were presented on the stage of LG Arts Center.

Giselle (Photo credit: Studio AL, LG Arts Center)

Actor Park Hae-Soo, who gained worldwide recognition through Netflix’s Squid Game, came to LG Arts Center with his first theatrical return in five years. He amazed the audience with his perfect take on the devil Mephisto in Goethe’s Faust this year. In addition, outstanding Korean artists such as Son Seok-goo, Lee Jaram, Leenalchi, Lee Eunkyul, and Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra performed at LG Arts Center.

Park Hae-soo in Faust (Photo credit: SEM Company)

Beautiful Theatre Designed by Tadao Ando Awarded with Seoul Architecture Awards’ Grand Prize

LG Arts Center SEOUL is a newly built theatre relocating the previous LG Arts Center to the Magok district. The previous theatre operated in Yeoksam-dong, Gangnam-gu for 22 years. World-renowned architect Tadao Ando designed the theatre, and the UK’s Theatre Project consulted on the internal lighting, sound, and technical systems. Tadao Ando reflected the three unique architectural elements in the design, called Tube, Gate Arc, and Step Atrium, to maximise the artistic imagination and inspire visitors. Twice as large as the previous venue, LG Arts Center SEOUL is designed as a cultural complex with two performance halls, including the LG SIGNATURE Hall, a 1,300-seat multipurpose hall, and the U⁺ Stage, a Blackbox theatre with variable seating and a maximum capacity of 365 seats. The cultural complex contains two rehearsal rooms, a studio, three art education classrooms, and food and beverage facilities.

Step Artrium (Photo credit: BaeJihun)

Step Artrium (Photo credit): BaeJihun

Adjacent to the entrance of Seoul Botanic Park, visitors can enjoy a rich, natural environment. In addition, various attractions of LG Arts Center SEOUL entertain its visitors, such as Fragrance 136, LG Arts Center SEOUL’s unique fragrance released within the building; Meadow, a flower-shaped blooming installation; FOG CANNON: Passage, a canon diffusing a ring of steam; and ARK 23.5, a large-scale media art exhibit.

During the Seoul Architecture Awards held in August 2023, LG Arts Center SEOUL won the Grand Prize as “a private cultural facility open to public that organically connects with surrounding resources.” Upon Tadao Ando’s first visit after completion, the architect said that “LG Arts Center SEOUL has become much more profound in density and expected,” and “it is difficult to find a theatre donated to the public by a private company, as well as a theatre so deeply connected to the nature.”