A Treasure Map

Face Art in Paju

Art is densely woven like a net across Paju. It ranges widely in genre from books and films to media art.
The warm scent of art prevails in Paju even in the midst of freezing winter winds.

📝Text by. Su-bin Cho  /  📷Photos by. Gap-soon Park / 
🎨Illustrated by. witheun

Forest of Wisdom

  • Address
    145 Hoedong-gil 145, Paju City, Gyeonggi-do
  • Operating Hours
    10:00~20:00 daily
  • Phone
    0507-1335-0144

A World Built with Books

Paju is a book city that epitomizes the dreams of publishers and artists. At the center of the city is Forest of Wisdom where people’s dreams bloom in print and turn into books. You will be amazed as soon as you step into Forest of Wisdom, a community study run by the Asia Publication Culture and Information Center. The corridor that runs from the entrance into the forest is lined with shelves taller than average adults and packed with books to match the name. There are some 130,000 books donated by individual scholars, experts, and publishers.
Forest of Wisdom consists of three halls. Hall 1 displays books donated by individuals and Hall 2 features books donated by publishers. The books range widely in genre including literature, history, social science, and art. There are broad desks across the hall. Just pick a book, sit at one of the broad desks, and enjoy reading it. If you want to have white noise and drink a cup of fragrant tea, go to the café in Hall 2. If you go through the long corridor-like gallery in Hall 2, you will get to Hall 3, a guesthouse where you can stay overnight reading while surrounded by books. The guesthouse that is open 24 hours is a dream space for people who want to indulge in reading until late at night. You can stay wrapped up in the scent of books and pleasure of reading throughout the night when the entire city becomes quiet.

Myung Film Art Center

  • Address
    530-20 Hoedong-gil, Paju City, Gyeonggi-do
  • Operating Hours
    Operating hours vary according to venues.
    Visit the website (http://mf-art.kr) for more information.
  • Phone
    031-930-6600

Passion for Films

While Forest of Wisdom is filled with books born out of people’s dreams, Myung Film Art Center is home to films that embody people’s dreams. As a complex cultural space established in 1995 and run by Myung Film, Myung Film Art Center deals with various kinds of content under the theme of films.
If you want to know more about Myung Film that has produced over 50 movies for 50 years, check out the Archive Room. The room offers an archive of major movies that represent Myung Film’s perspective including JSA, Forever the Moment, and I Can Speak and displays props, trophies, and other items from the movies, giving you a glimpse of their history and underlying philosophy.
The Screening Room is a small movie theater that is open and available to anyone for free. The room shows short films and documentaries all year round. You have no choice over which film to watch, but you may encounter the best film of your life as you get to see whatever movies you are shown.
Located on the basement floor, the theater shows movies only on Saturdays and Sundays. For this reason, the number of movies you can watch is limited, but the theater is as good as a large multiplex. Equipped with a 4k projector and 46 speakers, the theater is designed to reproduce meticulously the original sounds and images of each movie, showing just how passionate Myung Film is about films.

Museum Hei

  • Address
    885-43 Pyeonghwa-ro, Tanhyeon-myeon, Paju City, Gyeonggi-do
  • Operating Hours
    10:00~19:00 daily
  • Phone
    1588-4817

Borderline between Reality and Fantasy

Museum Hei is the largest media art museum in Seoul and Gyeonggi area. “Hei” is a Finnish word meaning “a welcoming, pleasant greeting.” Finland is listed as one of the happiest countries. Like the name says, the museum is full of pleasant experiences.
The moment you walk through the entrance, a whole new world unfolds before your eyes. The floor and walls are used as a giant canvas where artworks are created. These works are so huge and overwhelming in scale. Watching the works glowing in the dark, you feel like you are transcending time and space and exploring a new world.
Hei Park, Hei Theater, and Hei Square present over 20 different types of content including time and space, nature, and everyday activities under the theme “Beautiful Moments of Life” in a uniquely appealing way. There are chairs to sit on and appreciate some of the works for a while if you want to. Watching a work on display for some time, you will likely discover the hidden message that the artist intends to get cross and it begins to resonate with you. The short documentary film “The Moments of Renoir” is shown every 30 minutes. The film is about the life and works of French artist Pierre Aguste Renoir. You will have the magical experience of becoming one of the characters in one of his works while watching the film. The highlight is the 70m-square that goes through the exhibition hall. Mirrors are used to create an expansive, infinite space where you feel like you are walking somewhere between reality and fantasy.

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