Former Busan Nam High School

About

Busan Biennale art in a closed high school, with installations in classrooms, a tunnel and a hilltop sea view.

The classrooms of a closed high school become part of the exhibition at the former Busan Namgo High School: art fills the main building’s classrooms, auditorium, laboratory and library, and continues into the cafeteria, annex and connecting tunnel. The hilltop campus looks out to the sea, a striking view between rooms of dim installations and works using sound and light. The school’s empty corridors feel less like a neutral gallery than a place still carrying its old purpose; the setting gives the art room to ask questions about what we learn and from whom. This is a venue for looking and listening rather than eating. The Biennale works can be eerie, and some are unsettling; sound and lighting installations may make the atmosphere feel especially intense. It is a large site, so allow time to move between buildings and floors rather than expecting a quick visit. The 2026 Busan Biennale exhibition, themed “Discordant Chorus,” is scheduled here from August 29 to November 1, 2026. The venue is open 10:00–18:00, with last entry at 17:00, and closes on Mondays. Docent tours run Tuesday through Sunday at 11:30, 13:30 and 15:30, starting on the first floor and lasting about an hour. Admission is reported as free. Arriving at opening has meant a quiet visit, useful in a space where you may want time to take in each room and the sea views. Art visitors and anyone curious about re-used buildings will get the most from the site. Families can visit, but some works may frighten young children; one visitor found parts too grotesque for a toddler. If you are bringing a child, be ready to skip a room or move on when an installation feels too intense.

Opening hours

10:00-18:00 (last entry 17:00), closed Mondays; docent tours Tue-Sun 11:30/13:30/15:30