Exposure "Seokguram Cave: The Millennium Secret of Buddhist Art"
When: 02.10.2026 00:00
Where: 48.874164, 2.316729
Organizer: Admin
Located in the south-east of the Korean peninsula, Gyeongju was for nearly a thousand years the capital of the Kingdom of Silla (57 BC – 935 BC). It is home to many archaeological sites and remains that bear witness to the cultural richness and traditions of this period.
Seokguram, located on Mount Toham in Gyeongju, is an artificial cave built from finely cut granite blocks assembled with remarkable precision. A true masterpiece of the Buddhist art of the unified Silla kingdom (668-935), it bears witness to the artistic refinement, architectural mastery and openness to the world that characterized this period. In 1995, Seokguram was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in recognition of its outstanding heritage value.
This exhibition was designed to offer visitors a more immersive discovery of Seokguram, a true jewel of Silla culture and a reflection of the Buddhist universe. It presents the original architecture and the remarkable construction techniques of the monument. Thanks to the photographs made by Han Seokhong, who dedicated his life to immortalizing the Korean cultural heritage, visitors will also appreciate the beauty of the sculptures that make up the cave. Among them, the statues of monks, bodhisattvas and Buddhas bear witness to the sacred dimension of religious art.
The exhibition also offers an immersive and sensory experience thanks to various digital and educational devices. An LED screen allows you to discover the main historical sites of Gyeongju, including the Bulguksa Temple and the Seokguram Cave, while braille supports and tactile devices invite you to grasp the works by touch. These different approaches thus offer a concrete and accessible discovery of Korean cultural heritage.
The exhibition also highlights the Buddhist culture of the Kingdom of Silla through the presentation of emblematic sites and objects. Seokguram embodies the ideal vision of the Buddhist world to which the united Silla kingdom aspired; varnished wall bricks decorated with guardian motifs of the Sacheonwangsa site evoke the protection of the Buddhist Law; The pond and lotus, which connect the Buddha world to the earthly world; as well as Sūtra of the Great Dharani of pure and immaculate Light, which represents the realization of the Buddha world through the sacred writings.
Finally, the exhibition proposes to connect past and present through the installations and works of contemporary artists who reinterpret the Buddhist culture and aesthetics of Silla. With Yeonji, Kim Eun-ha gives a new life to pottery, fragments of tiles discovered in temples and recycled fibres, gathered in a poetic creation. Lee Seung-chul revisits traditional Buddhist sculpture through hanji paper reproductions, while Sohn Dae Hyun highlights the richness of Korean craftsmanship with Buddha sculptures made using various techniques, including lacquer, ivory, mother-of-pearl and gilding. Finally, Studio Shinyoo offers a contemporary reinterpretation of the Buddhist pagoda, a symbol of the relics of the Buddha, the practice of Dharma and the vows formulated by the faithful. Together with objects dating back to the Silla period, this facility invites visitors to linger around the works, make their own wishes and gather.
From November 23, a new immersive exhibition will complete the discovery of Seokguram. Thanks to a hyperrealistic reconstruction and a mapping projection on four canvases, the public will be able to explore the cave virtually and discover this iconic site under a new look.
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Tags: history, exhibition, art, culture
Source: https://www.paris.fr/evenements/exposition-la-grotte-de-seokguram-le-secret-millenaire-de-l-art-bouddhique-123073
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