A window to another place: “Il fascino di Seoul” exibition in Rome

“Il fascino di Seoul” exibition in Rome

A Window to another place

To discover another city, sometimes you do not need to leave Rome.

Until 4 December, the Istituto Culturale Coreano presents Il fascino di Seoul, an exhibition that follows the Korean capital through centuries of history, from the Joseon dynasty to the vibrant and constantly evolving Seoul of today.

At its heart is the concept of Pungryu: a traditional Korean way of experiencing life through beauty, harmony, nature, music, and the pleasure of simply being present. It is not only an aesthetic idea, but a way of looking at the world, one that values balance, contemplation, and the beauty found in everyday moments.

The exhibition moves between ancient paintings and contemporary interpretations, traditional objects and modern design, the atmosphere of Euljiro and the energy of the Han River. Among its most fascinating elements is the dialogue between tradition and Newtro, the contemporary Korean tendency to rediscover and reinterpret elements of the past through a modern sensibility.

Even the Hanbok, one of Korea’s most recognisable traditional garments, becomes part of this conversation between past and present, showing how heritage can be preserved without remaining still.
Seoul emerges as a city in constant transformation.
A place where centuries-old traditions coexist with contemporary creativity, where ancient aesthetics find new forms, and where the past is not something to leave behind, but something to reinterpret.

For a visitor in Rome, it is also an invitation to travel without moving very far.
To enter the exhibition is, in a way, to open a window onto another city, to experience its colours, its rhythms, its traditions, and its way of seeing beauty.

Because culture has the extraordinary ability to make distant places feel unexpectedly close.

And sometimes, looking at another city helps us look at our own with new eyes.