A promotional poster for Seoul Botanic Park's special exhibition, "Kind Balance: Reflecting One Another" / Courtesy of Seoul Botanic Park
Inside the humid, glass-domed sanctuary of the Seoul Botanic Park, the boundary between the organic and the artificial has begun to blur. The municipal institution unveiled its 2026 contemporary exhibition, "A Tender Balance: Reflecting Each Other," Tuesday, a sprawling site-specific project that positions cutting-edge digital technology and anthropogenic ruins directly alongside living flora.
The yearlong exhibition features major installations, media art and sculptures by four contemporary artists — Koo Ki-jeong, Um Ah-long, Lee Ji-yeon and Chang Han-na. Dispersed across four distinct zones of the botanic complex in western Seoul, the works serve as an active critique of the modern Anthropocene, challenging visitors to reconsider humanity's place within the natural order.
Inside the main greenhouse, artist Chang Han-na has deployed New Rock Inuksuk, a towering installation modeled after ancient Arctic stone landmarks. However, Chang’s stones are not natural. They are "New Rocks" — petrified amalgams of industrial plastic waste and shoreline debris harvested from local ecosystems. The sculptures force a jarring visual game of hide-and-seek, asking viewers to distinguish between genuine geological formations and human-made plastic pollution nestled among the tropical ferns.
