Logo Goethe-Institut

Korea

The 13th Seoul Mediacity Biennale

Art Exhibition / Biennale|Séance: Technology of the Spirit

  • Seoul Museum of Art

  • Korean, English
  • Free Admission

The 13th Seoul Mediacity Biennale Design: nonsplace

The 13th Seoul Mediacity Biennale Design: nonsplace

Since its inauguration in 2000 as an initiative of the Seoul Metropolitan Government, Seoul Mediacity Biennale has earned international recognition for its experimental engagement with the conditions of the contemporary, new developments in media, and the changing fabric of the city.

Open to the public from August 26 to November 23, 2025 at Seoul Museum of Art, NAKWON SANGGA, the Cinematheque Seoul Art Cinema, and the Seoul Artists' Platform_New&Young, Séance: Technology of the Spirit will present new and existing work from artists around the world, past and present, who have drawn on occult, mystical, and spiritual traditions. Key to the 13th edition is that these alternative “technologies” contest the accelerationist and rationalistic logics of capitalist modernity, and might therefore resist—and reconfigure—the political and intellectual structures that shape our experience. This “exhibition-as-séance” draws on the long history of attempts to contact worlds beyond waking life and seeks to outline how this engagement transformed the languages and methods of artistic production.

This year's Biennale features artists based in Germany and ORTA collective, supported by the Goethe-Institut Korea and the Goethe-Institut Kazakhstan.

The New Genius Temple of the Great Atomic Bombreflector is a device created according to the principles of “New Genius Theory.” Its central element is the tus kiiz carpet—an portal between dimensions in traditional Kazakh culture—which is embroidered with the magical words of Kalmykov. Built of 5,000 disposable aluminum containers, the temple was designed specifically for the Crystal Gallery at Seoul Museum of Art, which ORTA treats as a “crystal that collects and focuses the flows of the museum’s artistic energy”. Inside it, visitors are able to connect their genius to “the Spectacular Channel” that transforms violence into creativity.

The New Genius Temple of the Great Atomic Bombreflector

Atomic Inhumanity © ORTA

2025.08.26-09.07
Tue, Wed, Fri 19.30-21.00 Sat 13.00-14.30, 19.30-21.00 Sun 13.00-14.30
※ No performances on Mondays and Thursdays
Duration: 90-100 min. (no intermission)
Venue: Seoul Artists' Platform_New&Young

The New Genius Experience of the Great Atomic Bombreflector is a ritualistic, theatrical, and playful sci-fi experiment exploring Universal Composition, the Power of Genius, and other concepts from ORTA’s New Genius Theory, an artistic-philosophical system inspired by the Kazakhstani visionary Sergey Kalmykov (1891–1967).

Audiences are guided through a multi-phase ritual involving the transcendence of visible reality, a confrontation with Atomic Inhumanity, the worship of each individual’s Inner Genius, and a collective transformation from darkness to light. Incorporating Kalmykov’s transcendental texts, ancient folk songs, Zhuangzi’s philosophy, and testimonies from survivors of atomic tests in Kazakhstan, the performance—led by guide-performer Alexandra Morozova and a Seoul-based team of researchers—unfolds in an immersive environment constructed from 15,000 disposable aluminum containers. Spectators become full participants in the experiment, whose ultimate aim is the creation of a revolutionary invention: the Great Atomic Bombreflector.

* Both pre-registration and on-site registration are available.

ORTA

Founded in Almaty by actor Alexandra Morozova and director Rustem Begenov, ORTA is a collective expounding “New Genius Theory,” an artistic-philosophical system inspired by the Kazakhstani visionary Sergey Kalmykov (1891-1967). Their theatrical and playful espousal of such concepts as “the Power of Everyone’s Genius” address the traumatic history of atomic bomb testing in Kazakhstan by transforming destructive power into positive energy.

Credits

Artists: ORTA (Alexandra Morozova and Rustem Begenov) Guide-performer: Alexandra Morozova
Concept, dramaturgy, set, and light design: Alexandra Morozova and Rustem Begenov
Direction, music, and sound design: Rustem Begenov
Video documentation in Seoul: Cristián Tàpies
Photo and video experiments in Almaty: Nurtas Sissekenov
Seoul production assistant: Seohyun Park
Seoul stage technician: Baejun Kim
Host & Organizer: Seoul Museum of Art
SeMA Partners: Seoul Culture and Arts Support System, Seoul Artists' Platform_New&Young

Related links