Insadong is an overcrowded tourist spot wherein small commercial galleries rented to relatively less renowned artists and stores of traditional goods coexist.  Young people in particular like to stroll about the tilt of Ssamziegil, the hot spot founded by Ssamzie corporate.  Personally, it is a good place to kill time, watching cute stuffs in shops, having a cup of tea and reading travel books leisurely in the book cafe.

In the midst of crowds of sightseers, Project Space Sarubia is located in the basement not far away from the main street.  Established in 1999, at the former site of Sarubia Coffee shop which used to be famous for its important role in the cultural scene of Seoul, Project Space Sarubia is now one of the alternative spaces for contemporary art of Korea.  Nonetheless the space does not have any website to publicize its events and visitors are just occasionally seen.  When there is no exhibition, this small and somewhat eerie place is usually closed.

The space is however one of my favorite art spaces that I love to anticipate.  Surrounded by the dark grey crude cement walls, its size is roughly 9 by 11 square meters.  I could see quite many artists rather prefer such unwieldy and characteristic spot to typical white cubes, and I am always exhilarated to see how artists utilize the space.  For sure the felicitous presentation can get synergy effect and this can also be a challenge to many artists.  Every year, regardless of the applicants' age, background and artistic styles, Sarubia selects up to 4 artists and invites each of them to hold an exhibition in their space.  To assure quality, each show is given a month period for production and another month for exhibition.  Since its inauguration, the space has been relied on the "Sarubia Donation Party", the annual event for fundraising, besides the aid from Arts Council Korea.

Recently in the space, Ahn Doojin the Changdong residence artist shows his two year devotion entitled Secret Party at Makom. In his installation, the strong fluorescent orange color structure and paintings with bright colors give viewers an impression of pop elements. The artist¡¦s intention is to represent Makom, the Hebrew term for sacred place, where people meet after death. The whole "space" becomes a stone chamber "place" in old tomb along with the paintings on the wall and uncountable grave goods, the small objects on the floor. In the inner space, a stained-glass work and another painting seem to depict the master's glorious and triumphant life. Viewers can feel the atmosphere of both mockery and respect to the masters at the same time.

While viewers are "intruders" from the Brobdingnag, they are lured to the secret party. The two different spaces are connected by a large window. Viewers can just stand next to it and look through the two spaces as if they can look through the two different worlds.

This sole alternative space in Insadong, which is 50 meters away from Ssamziegil, seems to be opposite in every sense. Ssamziegil (founded by Ssamzie corporate), on the other hand, aims for the public to enjoy and possess art in daily life devising diverse art relevant commodities. However, in spite of their efforts, some people doubt that the approach to revised "easy art" can be the only answer.