Old meets new on the grounds of the MMCA Seoul, where low-slung exhibition halls clad in terra-cotta tiles share space with several heritage structures, including a pair of traditional Joseon-era buildings that once served as a royal office. The latest branch of South Korea’s National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art opened in November in one of Seoul’s most historic neighborhoods—the 14th-century Gyeongbokgung Palace is just across the street—and credit goes to architect Mihn Hyun-jun for the complex’s subtle juxtaposition of past and present. Three of the museum’s six floors are underground, as is half of its centermost gallery, the Seoul Box, a 17-meter-high space built to hold giant installations. To ensure equal attention for its curatorial program, the MMCA opened with five concurrent (and ongoing) exhibitions, the most ambitious of which is “Connecting_Unfolding,” a collection of works by a who’s who of international artists including Tacita Dean and Amar Kanwar. –David Tse

This article originally appeared in the December 2013/January2014 print issue of DestinAsian magazine (“Seoul Modern”)