From October 2, 2026, to March 13, 2027, the Korean Cultural Center is dedicating a free exhibition to the Seokguram Grotto, a jewel of Buddhist art from the Unified Silla period (668-935). The exhibition details its architecture and the craftsmanship of the builders who erected it in Gyeongju.

How do you bring a sanctuary perched on Mount Toham to life? Built by hand in the 8th century from granite blocks, and inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1995, the Seokguram Grotto couldn't possibly come to Paris. The Korean Cultural Center offers us a different way to discover it, through photographs, screens, tactile experiences, and contemporary creations.

Han Seok-hong dedicated his life to photographing Korean heritage, and it is his images of the majestic main Buddha, surrounded by bodhisattvas, disciples, and protective figures carved in granite, that form the heart of the exhibition. A screen leads to other sites in Gyeongju, the capital of the Silla kingdom for nearly a thousand years, and glazed bricks with guardian motifs stand alongside the Great Dharani Sutra. Braille displays make this stone art tangible.

Contemporary artists reinterpret Silla’s Buddhist aesthetic, from Lee Seung-chul’s hanji paper sculptures to Sohn Dae Hyun’s lacquer, mother-of-pearl, and gilt Buddhas. Starting November 23, an immersive projection on four screens will open the cave's interior to us, without leaving Paris.