Art experts will gather in Seoul to talk about Asian art trends at an international forum next week.

The forum, organized by Seoul-based Art Platform Asia, will feature curators, museum directors and artists who will discuss Asian art trends at the one-day event on April 29 at JCC Culture Center in Seoul.

Titled “Fracturing Conceptual Art: The Asian Turn,” the forum will feature Charles Merewether, former director of the Institute of Contemporary Arts in Singapore; artist Fre Ilgen, whose work was featured in Venice Biennale exhibition last year; Shuyin Yang, associate director at Sundaram Tagore Gallery in Singapore; Kate Lim, head of the APA and art writer; and Yun Hyeong-ju, former editor-in-chief of Public Design and curator of Gaain Gallery in Seoul.

Merewether will offer insights into the distinctive characteristics in the use of artistic materials by Asian artists in the Philippines, Korea and Japan, and attempt to trace their origin to Western modernism since the early 20th century. Ilgen will offer criticism on “elite art,” which he argues is responsible for widening the gap between the art world and its audience.

Yang will talk about the artistic practices of Southeast Asian artists and their use of materials in diverse genres. Lim, meanwhile, will offer her interpretation of Dansaekhwa, or Korean monochrome artworks, in relation to distinct artistic practices of Korean artists.

For more information, email gy.lee.apa@gmail.com.

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