T(h)anks for Our Culture
Updated: Feb 2, 2025
Name of building: Oil Tank Culture Park
Architect/Designer: Unsangdong Architects
Date/year: Opened 2017, tanks were built 1976 & used till 2000
Materials: Reused oil storage tanks, steel, glass, and concrete
Location: 87 Jeungsan-ro, Mapo-gu, Seoul, South Korea
While visiting the recently opened gallery of my artist friend, SillySally, I found myself at Oil Tank Culture Park, the exhibition’s venue. The vast open space oversaw three levels of rusted, huge cylindrical tanks standing in harmony with the surrounding greenery while the weathered steel surface contrasted seamlessly with the clean-cut stone pathways of the landscape. It was only when I had heard from her the location’s history in which I was able to piece together why 5 former oil tanks were now a cultural hub of artworks, performances, and events all year round.
Oil Tank Culture Park was originally a series of… well, oil tanks. Since South Korea is a country that lacks domestic oil reserves, the country has constantly depended on foreign nations such as Saudi Arabia or the US in order to import its energy needs. But in 1973, during the Arab oil embargo, things took a sharp turn. The Organization of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries (OAPEC) cut off oil exports to countries that supported Israel, and South Korea, alongside major trade partners like the U.S. and Japan, found itself vulnerable. With oil prices soaring, South Korea’s government turned these five tanks into storage for 69.07 million liters of oil, a step taken to safeguard the nation against future uncertainty.
By 2000, these containers were abandoned. With Seoul preparing to host the FIFA World Cup, concerns over safety led to the tanks’ decommissioning, and for over a decade, they remained untouched—hulking, rusting giants left behind by a bygone era. Then, in 2014, the Seoul Metropolitan Government saw an opportunity. Instead of demolishing the tanks, they set out to transform them into something new: a cultural space that could breathe life back into this forgotten corner of the city.
The Oil Tank Culture Park is one of my favorite examples of “recycled” sites, or Adaptive Reuse, an architectural and urban planning movement known for repurposing outdated structures with new functionality. Much like Thomas Heatherwick’s Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa (Zeitz MOCAA) located in Cape Town, which carved old grain silos into the first contemporary museum in Africa, or Culture Station 284, the first train station connecting the Incheon port into the mainland of Seoul, which is now repurposed into a gallery space, the Oil Tank Culture Park exemplifies how industrial sites can be creatively reimagined into a place where culture can be shared among people.
Zeitz MOCAA (architectsjournal)
The Oil Tank Culture Park is a great representation of how structures can be reused amidst rapidly evolving cities such as Seoul. It’s a reminder that the past doesn’t have to be discarded to make way for the future, and hopefully prove that such initiatives serve a purpose to community and culture by fostering a harmonious blend of preservation and innovation.
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Dear Teresa, I found your article title very clever!
I appreciate how you provide a concise yet impactful narrative, blending historical context with the transformation of a physical space. You made the information engaging by not just stating facts but connecting global events. This storytelling style brings depth to what could have been a simple description of a location. I learned the term “recycled sites” and now I feel like I would like to visit this place.