SEOUL.- The National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea presents Sak-da: The Poetics of Decomposition from Friday, 30 January to Sunday, 3 May 2026 at MMCA Seoul.

Sak-da: The Poetics of Decomposition introduces works that openly reveal their own process of decay, brought together under the practice of “sak-da,” or decomposing art. In the era of the Anthropocene—in which human activity exerts a profound impact on the Earth’s environment—the exhibition examines the ways in which artworks are changing in the face of a comprehensive global crisis and explores the historical, aesthetic, and social meanings of these transformations.

We have traditionally referred to outstanding works of art as “timeless masterpieces.” In this expression, “timeless” carries the meaning of “never decaying.” This exhibition questions whether the long-held belief that a great work of art is something that does not change, or must not change, remains valid in the contemporary era. It presents works that choose to decay in order to co-live with diverse beings beyond the human. Just as the native Korean verb sak-da simultaneously conveys the meanings of “to become rotten” and “to ferment and develop flavor,” these works seek coexistence with nonhuman beings through decomposition and participation in the cycles of nature. The exhibition invites visitors to ponder compelling questions, such as how the future of museums might unfold if they were to embrace the transformation of such works.

Organized into four sections, “Prologue,” “Act 1: Moments of Becoming,” “Interlude,” and “Act 2: Sympoietic Landscape,” the exhibition presents approximately 50 works by 15 domestic and international artists (both individual and group), including paintings, sculptures, and installations.

“Prologue” introduces two core messages of decomposing art. Lee Eunjae’s painting Preface of "Now, Polish the Corners of Geundae" (2023), marked by cracking and fading, tells the story of an artist who continues to apply brushstrokes without stopping, despite the inherent limitations of painting as a medium. The work clearly demonstrates key attitudes of the practice of sak-da (decomposing art): the acknowledgment of limits, the persistence that follows nonetheless, and the possibility of aesthetic experience that flickers in between. Asad Raza’s Absorption (2026) is a work in which waste collected in Seoul is mixed to create fertile neosoil which the artist calls “neosoil” (produced through experiments and consultation with Seoul National University’s Soil Biogeochemistry Lab and the dedicated care of publicly recruited citizen cultivators), and this neosoil is distributed to any who wish to receive it. By regenerating and sharing soil—an archive and foundation imprinted with communal experience—the work reveals the sense of collectivity inherent in decomposing art.

“Act 1: Moments of Becoming,” brings together works that decompose in a variety of ways. These works share with their viewers the time it takes to transition from one material state to another, proposing that change be read not as decay, but through alternative perspectives. Lee Eunkyung’s eroding paintings remind us that painting is merely a temporary site where pigments, constantly transforming within geological time, briefly come to rest. Cecilia Vicuña’s ephemeral sculptures Precarios (which the artist has been creating since 1966), made of debris gathered from along the seashore, offer an occasion to read vulnerability not as futility, but as beauty. This insight continues in Yo Daham’s Moving Smoke (2025), which invites viewers to contemplate the dance of rising smoke, and Yuko Mohri’s Decomposition (2026), which generates light and sustains sound through energy derived from rotting fruit. While each work unfolds within a different temporal framework, all share a performative quality in that they come into being through constant change. Positioned at either end of Act 1, Delcy Morelos’s El Oscuro de Abajo (2023) and Kim Bangjoo’s Timber and Fire (2026) may initially appear to evoke death as the endpoint of decomposition’s downward curve. Yet the messages embedded within these works—connected to life as much as to death—invite viewers to reconsider that endpoint from a renewed perspective.

The “Interlude” section prepares for transition. In the Gallery Madang—the central atrium of the museum building—two works unfold in dialogue with this “garden,” a space that traverses the boundary between humans and nature: Gosari’s Grass Man (2021, remade in 2026), made from bundled grass, and Kim Juree’s Matter Ridge (2025, remade in 2026), formed from compacted soil. As the season shifts from winter to spring, the works gradually lose their form. In the places where they collapse, new shoots emerge, guiding viewers from disappearance toward generation.
“Act 2: Sympoietic Landscape,” presents landscapes formed through the collaboration of diverse nonhuman beings. Dan Lie’s work, created through the interplay of fabric, jars, dried flowers, fermented liquids, insects, and fungi, gradually transforms the museum into a living ecosystem.

Challenging the notion that humans are the sole bearers of creativity, the work positions nonhuman communities as agents of creation. Edgar Calel’s Ru k’ox k’obel jun ojer etemab’el (The Echo of an Ancient Form of Knowledge) (2021, remade in 2026) conveys the wisdom of the ancient Maya civilization, which lived in coexistence with nature, while offering an example of how new ways of sustaining and sharing the value of artworks might be imagined. Channeling House (2026) by the Rice Brewing Sisters Club brings together their ongoing practices centered on organic and inorganic materials, cycles, and social fermentation and explores the possibilities of circulation that extend beyond the production and decomposition of artworks through a range of programs. Meanwhile, Future Materials—a research institute under the Jan van Eyck Academie in the Netherlands that has explored alternative materials—and the Korean artist collective Green Recipe Lab present 16 materials focused on decomposability, developed through a cross-border collaboration. Following the opening of the exhibition, workshops led by Green Recipe Lab will continue, sharing ways of living together with the general public.

A variety of related programs will also be offered. Shortly after the exhibition opens, an Artist Talk will take place, and in April, the Creating a Grass Man workshop will be held for families and children. A symposium titled At the Intersection of Contemporary Art and Natural History will also provide a chance to reflect on human civilization and the Earth’s environment through the lens of contemporary art.

The museum continues its efforts toward building a more inclusive art museum through a range of accessibility initiatives. For this exhibition in particular, a tactile map has been created, enabling visitors to experience the alternative materials used by participating artists not only visually but also through touch. The exhibition’s circulation was also designed with consideration for visitors with limited mobility, enhancing accessibility throughout the gallery spaces.

In addition, actor Bong Tae-gyu lent his voice to the audio guide for this exhibition as a voluntary contributor. Drawing on a deep passion for art, he guides visitors through key works with his warm and approachable voice. The audio guide is available free of charge via the MMCA’s Exhibition Guide app.

Kim Sunghee, director of the MMCA, notes, “This exhibition draws attention to the ways in which artworks are evolving in response to contemporary environmental awareness and represents an effort to imagine a radical model for an art museum that can respond to these changes. The MMCA will continue to fulfill its public role by actively exploring a sustainable future.”