Landscapes once confined to the flat surface of Korean paintings now spread through space in the form of fragrance. The collaborative exhibition “Fragrance Colors the Mountains and Waters,” presented for the 12th anniversary of Jongno-gu Park No-soo Art Museum, transforms the quiet aesthetics and natural sensibilities of Korean painting into an immersive sensory experience shaped by scent and atmosphere.
Opening on May 15 and running through December 6, the exhibition turns the museum itself into a large-scale sensory environment. On opening day, participating artist Han Seo-hyung will lead two special docent tours at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m., personally guiding visitors through the meanings embedded in both the artworks and the fragrances.
Collaborative exhibition “Fragrance Colors the Mountains and Waters.” Photo by Jongno-gu Park No-soo Art Museum.
Inside the exhibition halls, different scents have been carefully designed to match the character of each space. As visitors move through key areas such as Dacheon Seook, they encounter fragrances that evoke the lingering atmosphere of ink painting and traditional Korean landscapes. Two signature scents inspired by the museum’s identity and the understated beauty of Korean painting’s empty space aesthetic are being unveiled for the first time.
The exhibition also features sculptural fragrance installations that transform scent into visual form, allowing olfactory experiences to circle back into visual appreciation. Rather than functioning as a conventional exhibition, the project operates as a multisensory experiment where painting, scent, and architectural space continuously interact.
Park No-soo is regarded as one of the major figures who modernized traditional ink-and-color Korean painting after Korea’s liberation. He became known for his clear cobalt-blue tones, restrained yet bold brushwork, and highly distinctive visual language.
Han Seo-hyung, widely recognized as Korea’s first fragrance artist, is known for translating the textures and energies of nature into contemporary olfactory language. Her works often incorporate natural materials such as wood and stone, reshaping empty spaces into places of meditation and quiet healing through subtle, non-artificial scents.
Park No-soo Art Museum itself carries historical significance. Built around 1937 in an eclectic architectural style, the house served as Park No-soo’s actual residence and studio for roughly four decades. It was designated as a Seoul cultural heritage property in 1991 and reopened in 2013 as Jongno-gu’s first public art museum. Surrounded by a carefully preserved garden, the building itself is often regarded as a work of art.
Reported by News Culture M.J._mj94070777@nc.press
* This article was manually prepared as a translated piece and later proofread and reviewed with the assistance of AI.
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