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Sak-da: The Poetics of Decomposition

  • 2026-01-30 ~ 2026-05-03
  • Seoul B1 Gallery 6, Gallery 7, Gallery Madang

Exhibition Overview

Sak-da: The Poetics of Decomposition

An outstanding work of art is often referred to as a “timeless masterpiece.” Here, the term timeless (不朽) carries a literal sense of “not decaying.” If a great work of art is something that does not change, or must not change, then why do artists deliberately create works that inevitably change and disappear?

Sak-da: The Poetics of Decomposition introduces works that acknowledge a fate of eventual decay, works that intentionally leave nothing behind, and works that perform their own decomposition, brought together under the practice of “Sak-da.” This approach arises from a desire to examine the changing nature of artworks amid contemporary critiques of anthropocentrism and the backlash against advanced capitalism and technocracy, and from a faint hope that wisdom for navigating the current crisis might emerge from such change.

The native Korean verb “Sak-da” encompasses meanings such as “to become rotten,” “to lose vitality,” as well as “to be digested” and “to ferment and develop flavor.” This multiplicity of meanings offers a productive way to interpret the transformations of contemporary works. Beyond the negative connotations of decay, “Sak-da” evokes both the descent and ascent of energy, as well as qualitative enhancement achieved in collaboration with nonhuman beings. What occurs when an “artwork” decays as evidence of human creation? If plants grow, wind blows, and invisible life stirs in the place where the piece falls apart, can it still be called an “artwork”? And if so, whose work is it?

Museums, as repositories of timeless masterpieces, have long devoted themselves to preserving the value of great works unchanged. The practice of Sak-da asks whether museums are prepared to embrace works that choose to decay in order to co-live with diverse beings beyond humans. In these uncertain times, can we acknowledge that the moment may call not for better conservation, but for better ways to decompose?

  • Artist
    Gosari, Kim Bangjoo, Kim Juree, Dan Lie, Delcy Morelos, Rice Brewing Sisters Club, Yuko Mohri, Future Material×Green Recipe Lab, Cecilia Vicuña, Asad Raza, Edgar Calel, Yo Daham, Lee Eunkyung, Lee Eunjae
  • Numbers of artworks
    50

Related Materials

Sak-da The Poetics of Decomposition_Brochure.pdf

Audio Guide

#1. Greeting Welcome to ‹Sak-da: The Poetics of Decomposition›. Before we begin, I’d like to start with a simple question. What comes to mind when you think of the word “masterpiece”? Of course, the answer will differ depending on your taste and perspective. But many of us would probably agree on one thing: a masterpiece is something that carries value that outlives its time. That’s why we often describe great works as “immortal” or “timeless”— as if they’ll never decay. We also hope that great works remain unchanged and will be passed down through generations. The artists and works you will encounter in this exhibition, however, take the opposite path. These are works that choose, from the very beginning, to change, to fade, and eventually to disappear. Artworks that decide to leave nothing behind. We call this approach “art that practices ‹Sak-da›.” In Korean, the word ‹sak-da› carries many layers. It can mean to rot or to wear down, but it can also mean to ferment and transform—like kimchi that has ‘sak‑at‑da(삭았다),’ ripened into a deeper flavor. It speaks of cycles, of renewal, and of processes that require the collaboration of non-human forces. So then, if a work is created through such processes, can we still say it belongs entirely to humans? If grass grows where the artwork once stood, if wind moves through it, if life begins to stir— to what extent can we still call it ‘a work of art?’ ? Let us now begin the journey to explore that question together.
Greeting

1.Greeting

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