The Sungkok Art Museum in Seoul is hosting a photography exhibition titled 'Paris Unseen' or 'Paris, Invisible Paris'. The show features works by 51 artists, including three Koreans, and was co-curated with Alain Sayag, former head of photography at the Centre Pompidou. It aims to move beyond the city's iconic tourist imagery to present lesser-known perspectives of Paris, coinciding with the 140th anniversary of Korea-France diplomatic relations.
The exhibition matters because it offers a critical, alternative visual narrative of a globally mythologized city. By focusing on unseen or overlooked aspects, it challenges clichés and engages in a deeper cultural dialogue between Korea and France, using photography as a medium for cross-cultural exchange and nuanced understanding beyond diplomatic anniversaries.