Over the past 20 years, the Coreana Museum of Art has been exploring the multidimensional aspects of the 'body' through continuous curatorial practices. Through Step X Step, the museum aims to focus on the gestures and performativity associated with the movement of two feet and to examine what emerges from them. The repetition of the word 'step' in the exhibition title refers to the unit of movement in dance, signifying the motion of the feet in walking and dancing. The steps of walking and dancing intersect in the exhibition, forming a shared choreography.

We move forward by moving our two feet. We place one foot in front of the other and then move the other foot forward. The movement and stride of our legs create the rhythm of walking. Various expressions in Korean language describe different walking styles, such as "jong-jong" for brisk steps with frequent lifting of the feet, "jean-jean" for quick and short steps, "teobuk-teobuk" for a thudding sound of walking slowly, and "sappun-sappun" for a light and gentle step.

Through the artworks of seven international artists/teams, each exploring the everyday act of 'walking' from different choreographic perspectives, the exhibition hopes to help visitors discover the diverse meanings and artistic strategies that individual gestures evoke. All the while, it encourages them to confront and embrace these meanings with their own steps.

Participating Artists

Bruce Nauman

Suki Seokyeong Kang 

Tsai Ming-liang 

Pauline Boudry/Renate Lorenz

Klara Lidén 

Jehyun Shin 

Every Ocean Hughes

《Step X Step》 tour video

※ The video was supported by the Seoul Council of Art Museums and the Seoul Metropolitan Government.

Step X Step

Installation view, Coreana Museum of Art, 2023

[B1 corridor]