A collective of French-speaking artists based in South Korea will bring its first group exhibition to Seoul this October, exploring the rapid transformation of contemporary Korean society through photography, drawing, film and installation.
Founded in 2025, Nuances is a multidisciplinary collective of Francophone artists living and working in Korea. Influenced by both French and Korean cultures, the group focuses on the contrasts between tradition and modernity and the social and cultural changes taking place across the country.
Its inaugural group exhibition, “Archaeology of the Present” (Archéologie du Présent / 현재의 고고학), will run from October 1 to 14 at KOTE in Insadong. The exhibition follows an earlier presentation at the Alliance Française Busan in August.
Presented during the 140th anniversary year of diplomatic relations between France and South Korea, the exhibition approaches contemporary Korea as if it were an archaeological site. Artists examine the historical, social and cultural layers that remain visible even as rapid development continually reshapes the country.
The exhibition brings together 15 artists who use different media to document and interpret changes in Korea’s cities and society. Their works explore the coexistence of longstanding traditions and a highly modernized society, while considering what may be preserved, transformed or lost in the process.
Participating artists are Célia Brisot, Elodie Catherine, Zoé Constans, Salomé Dubois-Han, Kämy Dobi, Tim Franco, Sébastien Simon, Alaric Hamacher, Stéphane Mot, Romain Tenot, Emmanuel L. M. Wolfs, Jung Ran Kim, Pascal Belmas, Nils Bouvyer and L’Atelier Pieprzov.
Nuances will also host a series of cultural events at KOTE during the two-week exhibition.
Archaeology of the Present runs from October 1 to 14, 2026, at KOTE, 7 Insadong 1-gil, Jongno-gu, Seoul.
