The Korea Galleries Art Fair, an annual local art fair is set to begin Wednesday, bringing together major art galleries in Korea.

The 34th art fair will start Wednesday with a VIP preview event open exclusively to selected clients of participating galleries. It will be open to the public from Thursday to Sunday, showcasing some 2,500 works of art by 500 local and international artists represented by 89 major Korean galleries, including Kukje Gallery, Gallery Hyundai, Hakgojae and Arario Gallery. It is the second-largest art fair in the country, following the Korea International Art Fair in the fall.

This year’s Korea Galleries Art Fair will present artwork not only at the fair venue at Coex, but also at online portal Naver to allow easier access to art for a wider audience. 

The online exhibition “My Space, My Taste” will showcase some 120 artworks that range in price from 300,000 won ($242) to 2 million won. They will be on sale on Naver Shopping during the fair and will still be available online after the event. 

The online sales segment of the art fair seeks to create interest in art among young people and to make the art-buying experience more accessible to them.

“This is a chance for those who are interested in purchasing artworks, but are hesitant to visit art galleries or art fairs. We hope it will draw young people to make their first artwork purchase,” said Park Woo-hong, president of the Galleries Association of Korea, at a press conference last week. 

The fair will also highlight artwork from two major art movements in Korea from between the 1960s and 1980s -- dansaekhwa and minjung art. There will be works of major dansaekhwa monochromatic art, including from Lee Ufan, Park Seo-bo, Ha Chong-hyun and Chung Sang-hwa. Works of major minjung populist art from Kang Yo-bae, Ahn Chang-hong, Yoon Suk-nam and Lim Ock-sang will also be promoted by local galleries.

The fair will be open exclusively to VIP visitors Wednesday and will be open to the public from Thursday to Sunday. There will be guided tours six times a day between 11:30 a.m. and 7 p.m.

Tickets are 10,000 won for adults and 8,000 won for students, including college students. For more information, visit www.artkorea.info.

By Lee Woo-young (wylee@heraldcorp.com)