Korea’s leading independent arts festival, the Seoul Fringe Festival, which champions experimentation across diverse art forms and supports free artistic expression, opened on July 31 and runs until August 17.
 
Now in its 28th edition, the Seoul Fringe Festival began in 1998 in Daehakro under the name ‘독립예술제 (Fringe Festival).’ Every summer since, it has showcased a wide range of artistic experiments spanning theater, dance, music, performance, film, visual arts, multidisciplinary practices, and works that defy categorization within a single genre.
 
This year’s Seoul Fringe Festival presents 95 works by 94 teams across 21 venues throughout Seoul, including Bokwang Theater, Seoul1969, and Platform Moon. Alongside the exhibitions and performances, a wide range of satellite programs are offered, including open talks with artists, group reading sessions featuring related literature, and discussions on themes such as creation, climate, locality, and ecofeminism.

Meanwhile, the ARKO Art Archives is hosting a special exhibition titled 《One Table: 4. Fringe, WWW》 from August 6 to November 28, highlighting the festival’s archival history.
 
《One Table》 is a curated exhibition series by the ARKO Art Archives that presents themed content based on its holdings. The fourth edition, “Fringe, WWW,” introduces the Seoul Fringe Festival Collection—systematically gathered and organized by the archive—to share the history and artistic spirit of the festival through records and documentation.

The exhibition opens at the Daehak-ro branch, the original birthplace of the festival, and continues at the Seocho-dong main archives, where it delves into the 28-year history of the Seoul Fringe Festival. To complement the exhibition, ARKO Art Archives is distributing a free handout titled “One Sheet,” designed to provide deeper access to the Seoul Fringe Festival Collection.
 
This handout features a detailed chronology extracted from archival materials, including the names of participating artists and volunteer “Indiest” members from 1998 to 2024, as well as key festival information.
 
“One Sheet” will be available at the ARKO Art Archives reading room and at various festival sites across 21 locations during the 2025 Seoul Fringe Festival, and can also be downloaded for free via the official website: artsarchive.arko.or.kr.

References

• 서울프린지페스티벌 (Seoul Fringe Festival)
• 한국문화예술위원회 보도자료 (Arts Council Korea Press Release)