“Platform: Still Human” exhibition in Seoul – Polish VR art on the world stage

From 30 September 2025, artistic VR works will be presented at the “Platform: Still Human” (Korean: ‘플랫폼: 보다 인간적인’) exhibition in Seoul. Maciej Czuchryta and Marta Wieczorek’s VR meditation on death, “Simple Songs about Death”, Monika Masłoń’s interactive VR experience “Control Negative”, and Weronika Lewandowska and Sandra Frydrysiak’s virtual VR poem “Nightsss” will represent Polish art at the international KF XR Gallery – a platform where creativity and solidarity intertwine in global dialogue.

What does it mean to “remain human” in the digital world? – VR as a tool for reflection

Amid global concerns about the digital dilemma and the risks posed by artificial intelligence, technology is often seen as a force that weakens or alienates people. Paradoxically, however, it can also serve as a mirror – reflecting our innermost selves, capturing subtle shades of emotion, and prompting reflection on the condition of human existence. At the same time, digital technologies are transforming human senses, ways of thinking, and social relationships.

In response to this ambivalent landscape shaped by digital civilisation, the exhibition explores contemporary humanity through international collaboration and an artistic lens, inviting debate on the meaning of values such as dignity, coexistence, and solidarity. In today’s technological world, people are unambiguously referred to as “human beings” – but what exactly does “humanity” mean? How is it defined, perceived, and sustained in digital environments?

VR art in the face of the challenges of the Anthropocene and the climate crisis

The word “platform” in the exhibition title refers to a space — both online and offline — where diverse experiences, languages, and cultural contexts converge and interact through the senses. This reflects the idea of the KF XR Gallery as an experimental arena of digital public diplomacy, fostering mutual understanding and solidarity through new digital technologies.

The word “still” in the English title highlights the permanence of human beings — the conviction that we must remain human even amid rapid change. At the same time, it evokes the value of pause in the rush of everyday life: silence, contemplative stillness, and reflection, which make possible a deeper consideration of contemporary humanity. The Korean title of the exhibition, 플랫폼: 보다 인간적인 (Boda Inganjeogin, lit. “more human”), also carries a dual meaning: on the one hand, it suggests observing humanity; on the other, it expresses the aspiration to strengthen universal humanistic values — the process of becoming more human.

Interactivity, immersion, and emotions in VR experiences – an international perspective

The exhibition serves as an international platform for the exchange of ideas, made possible through the cooperation of institutions from different countries. The event is hosted by the Korea Foundation. The Czech Centre in Seoul presents a VR film encouraging reflection on the global discourse on mental health. The Adam Mickiewicz Institute presents three VR works which, by probing the depths of human existence, heighten the audiovisual experience and offer an immersive perspective on fundamental questions of life and death. The Korean National University of Arts showcases works created within a course led by Hoonida Kim on haptic sound interfaces. These experimental projects examine how contemporary digital technologies influence human senses and modes of cognition, blurring the boundaries between body and technology and envisioning the future of sensory communication. The Experience Design Laboratory (XD Lab) at KAIST, directed by Dr Yiyun Kang, presents four works at the intersection of science and art, addressing the global discourse on the Anthropocene and climate change.

Together, these works demonstrate how technology enables deeper self-reflection, fosters empathy towards others, and helps to seek and affirm universal values vital to the future of the Earth. Technology is not only a tool for innovation but also a means of building a better world. Combined with art, it deconstructs and reshapes the human condition, jointly asking anew: what does it mean to be “still human”?

Art as a modern form of cultural diplomacy – virtual reality as a language of communication

Thanks to the cooperation between the Korea Foundation and the Adam Mickiewicz Institute, Poland is represented at the “Platform: Still Human” exhibition by three VR works created by Polish artists and the vnLab at the Łódź Film School. These works will have their Korean premieres, enriched with Korean dubbing and subtitles.

• Maciej Czuchryta and Marta Wieczorek’s “Simple Songs about Death” seeks to break the social taboo surrounding dead bodies. To reveal death as part of a natural cycle, the artists transform a forbidden and silenced subject into a carefully constructed virtual environment, inviting viewers to enter. The experience unfolds as a meditative journey through misty landscapes, in which the viewer is only an observer, unable to intervene in the successive encounters. As landscapes and objects appear and fade, lifeless bodies slowly emerge on the surrounding islands — yet the atmosphere remains calm. This technological meditation creates space for reflection on mortality and transience.

• Monika Masłoń, “Control Negative” – this interactive work explores the experience of loss. Using VR techniques, the artist places the viewer in an emotional state where frustration, helplessness, anger, and sadness undermine basic human convictions — such as the illusory belief in complete control over one’s life. The unreal world of this piece functions as a negative of reality — a training ground where viewers can confront and better understand themselves and their emotions. Participants are guided through seven chapters, moving gradually from physical activity to contemplation.

• Weronika Lewandowska and Sandra Frydrysiak, “Nightsss” – beginning with a poem by Polish spoken-word poet Weronika Lewandowska, this work translates the onomatopoeic textures of the Polish language into virtual reality. Spatially composed, three-dimensional voices draw the audience into an imaginary night-time landscape, where they encounter a dancing figure. At times the dancer becomes the poem itself, dissolving its materiality; at others her body fragments into shifting forms — in one scene condensing into hundreds of drops that illuminate plants, spilling colour across the nocturnal space. Through these fluid transitions, the work unfolds as a sensual poem in virtual reality, continuously expanding the synaesthetic landscapes of the night.

Poland – Korea: cultural bridges built by art

The “Platform: Still Human” exhibition does not frame technology and humanity as opposing forces; instead, it creates a meeting ground — a space for reflection and mutual understanding. At the same time, it offers tangible examples of how art rooted in new digital technologies, and shaped by participation, can serve as a contemporary language of public diplomacy. Participation in the exhibition is one of the artistic initiatives promoting the Polish contemporary art scene, supported by the Adam Mickiewicz Institute in the Republic of Korea. 

Until October, the Seoul Museum of Craft Art is hosting a unique Polish-Korean edition of the exhibition “The Clothed Home” – a project that brings traditional textile crafts into the context of contemporary challenges related to climate change and architectural design. Polish artists are also presenting their works inspired by East Asian brush and ink traditions at the prestigious Jeonnam International Sumuk Biennale and Craft Biennale in Cheongju. Polish film art was showcased in Seoul and Gwangju, with the 7th edition of the Polish Film Festival focusing on the work of Wojciech Jerzy Has, commemorating the 100th anniversary of his birth. In October, the Seoul Performing Arts Festival 2025 featured a performance of “The Employees”, directed by the renowned Polish artist Łukasz Twarkowski. Information about events is regularly updated on the website: https://iam.pl/en.

“Platform: Still Human” (Korean: 플랫폼: 보다 인간적인) exhibition in Seoul 

• Duration: 30 September 2025 – 27 February 2026

• Venue: KF XR Gallery, 1F, Mirae Asset CENTER1, 26 Euljiro 5-gil, Jung-gu, Seoul, Republic of Korea

• Opening hours: Monday – Saturday, 10:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m.

• Artists: Yiyun Kang, Marta Wieczorek, Maciej Czuchryta, Monika Masłon, Weronika Lewandowska, Sandra Frydrysiak, SANGHEE, Minhyeok Seo, Ondrej Moravec, Junyeong Im, Jeanyoon Choi, Intae Hwang, Hoonida Kim, 401Hz

• Host: The Korea Foundation

• In cooperation with: Ministry of Culture and National Heritage of the Republic of Poland, Adam Mickiewicz Institute, Czech Centre Seoul, Korea National University of Arts, KAIST Experience Design Lab (XD Lab)

• More information: www.kf.or.kr