The beauty of rotting: MMCA's 'decay art' exhibit finds timeless wisdom in decomposition
Creatrip Team
a month ago
Seoul's National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art (MMCA) presents “Sak-da: The Poetics of Decomposition,” an exhibition centered on decay art—works designed to change, rot or dissolve over time. 'Sak-da' (Korean verb meaning to change shape or break down, also connoting fermentation and flavor development) frames the show’s exploration of vulnerability, time and coexistence with nonhuman agents. Historic precedents include Japan’s Kusōzu (Buddhist paintings of bodily decay) and Europe’s Vanitas, while modern examples span Arte Povera to Damien Hirst and Lee Bul. Contemporary works mix bio-art, ecology and ritual: Lee Eun-jae’s egg-yolk paintings visibly crack and fade; Asad Raza’s “Absorption” offers soil made from waste (including fried chicken bones) for visitors to take; Yuko Mohri’s pieces run on energy from rotting fruit; Edgar Calel displays decaying offerings activated by Mayan ritual under custodial care; Delcy Morelos and Dan Lie foreground soil, microbes and insects as collaborators. The show challenges museums’ preservation role and connects to a Korean cultural trend, muhaehan saram ("harmless person"), valuing gentle coexistence over lasting fame. The exhibition asks whether art—and institutions—can accept decomposition as a form of ethical living and shared creativity.
