Daegu Art Factory
A five-storey contemporary-art center in a former Daegu tobacco complex, with public galleries and media spaces below active artist-residency studios
Contemporary exhibitions, media art, resident-artist programs, performances, talks, experimental projects and citizen art programs
A five-storey reused industrial building with exhibition halls on floors 1–2, media, archive and performance spaces on floor 3, and artist studios on floors 4–5
Daegu Art Factory is both a public exhibition venue and a working base for resident artists. Galleries and media rooms occupy the lower floors while residency studios continue the creative work above them
Character
Daegu Art Factory puts public exhibition spaces on the lower floors and working artist studios above them. The five-storey building contains two galleries, media and performance spaces, an archive, shared work areas and residency studios, so artists can produce work in the same institution that presents it to visitors
Exhibition Hall 1 is on the ground floor and Exhibition Hall 2 is on the second. The third floor holds Suchang Hall, the open archive, Media Factory, Media Wall and creation spaces. Residency studios and support rooms occupy the fourth and fifth floors
The experience
For an ordinary visit, most public-facing activity is concentrated on the first three floors. Exhibitions change, and the media facilities allow video, sound and technology-based work alongside other contemporary art. The upper floors remain working studios. Open-studio events are when visitors can see that part of the residency program
The building also hosts talks, performances and citizen programs around the galleries. Suchang Youth Mansion, in former staff housing next door, adds another exhibition stop within the same arts cluster
History
Daegu Art Factory occupies part of the former KT&G tobacco-manufacturing complex in Suchang-dong. In 2007, Daegu City and KT&G agreed on the donation of the site. The following year, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism selected the project as a pilot for turning regional modern industrial heritage into an arts-creation belt
Remodeling began in 2011, and Daegu Art Factory opened in March 2013. Residency studios were part of the program alongside galleries and performance rooms, placing artistic production and public exhibition in the same building from the start
Current operations include resident-artist support, experimental projects, technology-convergence exhibitions, media-production facilities and projects that bring artists and citizens together. Open-studio programs periodically bring visitors onto the residency floors
Before you go
On an ordinary day, plan around the first three floors. The upper residency studios open to visitors during designated programs such as open studios, so access there depends on the event calendar
Suchang Youth Mansion is next door and Dalseong Park is close by. Both are easy additions if you want a longer walk through this part of Jung-gu
- Hours
- Open April–October 10:00–19:00 and November–March 10:00–18:00. Closed Mondays, January 1, Seollal and Chuseok
- Admission
- Regular admission is free. Special exhibitions or events may charge separately
- Access
- Residency studios occupy floors 4–5; public access to the studios is provided through designated programs such as open-studio events
- Transit
- Dalseong Park Station on Daegu Metro Line 3 is the simplest subway anchor, about five minutes away on foot