[International Galleries in Seoul] Tang Contemporary Art takes Seoul as bridge to wider international market

The following is part of a series that explores international galleries that have opened a location in Seoul, as a new art hub in Asia. --Ed. Tang Contemporary Art started engaging with South Korea five years ago, after joining the annual Art Busan. One of Asia’s major art galleries, the Beijing-based institution solidified ties with the fast-rising art market last year, presenting works both at Kiaf SEOUL and Art Busan. “Art fairs in South Korea in the past five years got us t

April 11, 2022

MMCA to build Daejeon venue, host joint shows with world’s renowned museums

The National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea will build its fifth venue in Daejeon and cement ties with internationally renowned museums to promote Korean art as part of its new plan to reach local and international audiences. The museum’s venue in Daejeon -- the country’s fifth-largest city -- will open in early 2026, occupying the building of the former South Chungcheong provincial government office. Renovation of the modernist building first built in 1932 will sta

April 6, 2022

Busan to become popular art destination with easing of pandemic restrictions

The southern port city of Busan expects to draw art lovers from home and abroad with two major art events that will kick off in May and September -- Art Busan and Busan Biennale -- as the government eases restrictions against the pandemic. Art Busan, scheduled to open on May 12 for VVIPs and run from May 13 to 15 for the general public, will be joined by 134 galleries from 21 countries at the Busan Exhibition and Convention Center. The number of international galleries from abroad jumped to 3

April 5, 2022

[International Galleries in Seoul] Thaddaeus Ropac Gallery open to working with Korean artists

The following is part of a series that explores international galleries that have opened in Seoul, a new art hub in Asia. --Ed. Thaddaeus Ropac Seoul opened in October 2021 at the heart of Hannam-dong as Korea and the world were hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic. The move may have seemed foolhardy, but Thaddaeus Ropac, the Austrian gallerist who has run the gallery for almost 40 years, did not hesitate to expand its presence in Asian market. “Though the pandemic was unprecedented in

April 4, 2022

Kansong Art Museum to open for first time in seven years

Kansong Art Museum -- South Korea’s first private museum and home to some 5,000 artifacts including 10 state-designated national treasures -- will open its doors for the first time in seven years on April 16. A new exhibition at Bohwagak, the museum’s original building, coincides with the recent completion of a new storage facility on the museum grounds. The exhibition will showcase 44 artifacts from the museum’s collection at Bohwagak, which was listed as a state-registere

April 3, 2022

Exhibition featuring sexual slavery statue kicks off in Tokyo

TOKYO -- An exhibition featuring art works on victims of the Japanese military sexual slavery kicked off in Tokyo on Saturday despite protests from Japanese right-wing activists. "Non-Freedom of Expression Exhibition" opened for a four-day run at a public gallery in Kunitachi, Tokyo Prefecture, to showcase works by 16 artist collectives, including a statue symbolizing victims of the Japanese military sexual slavery during the World War II. "The Statue of Peace" symbolizes w

April 2, 2022

Korean pavilion at Venice Biennale will feature the theme ‘Gyre’ as world’s disorder

The Korean Pavilion at the 59th Venice Biennale in April will be held under the theme of “Gyre,” as a metaphor for the confusion that the world goes through with seven installations created by artist Kim Yun-chul. “The word ‘Gyre’ connotes multiple meanings. The Korean Pavilion will become a massive work itself, organically combined with Kim’s works. We will tear off the pavilion ceiling, so that the space mingles with nature with smell and natural light,&r

March 30, 2022

Signs of return to normalcy at Leeum Museum of Art

Leeum Museum of Art opened its first exhibitions of the year, “Artspectrum2022” and “Ian Cheng: Worlding,” featuring young artists at home and abroad who are pushing the boundary of conventional art genres. A total of eight emerging Korean artists are featured at “Artspectrum2022,” the seventh edition of the museum’s biannual exhibition that aims to introduce emerging young Korean artists. A panel of four curators from the museum, four critics and out

March 29, 2022

[Herald Interview] Artist Heo Wook cries out ‘no war’ in Ukraine through ‘Cheomcheom’

Artist Heo Wook is happiest when he draws lines to connect edges in his works. He has pursued an artistic concept of his own, which he calls “Cheomcheom,” that has evolved throughout his artistic career. After graduating from Beaux-Arts de Paris with degrees in drawing, painting, architecture and multimedia, Heo has explored how relationships are created among objects or people. The concept “Cheomcheom” literally means to constantly lay one thing upon another in Korea

March 27, 2022

[Eye Interview] Working to turn Lie Sang-bong, LIE into global family brands

A growing number of Korea’s fashion brands and designers are expanding their presence in the global market, showcasing their collections at major fashion weeks and launching flagship stores overseas.  Lee Chung-chung, chief executive officer and creative director of LIE, and son of veteran fashion designer Lie Sang-bong, the founder of Korean fashion house Lie Sangbong, aims to grow both his brand and his father’s brand into globally known labels. “One of my dreams is to

March 26, 2022

[Eye Plus] Colorful and elegant royal hanbok sweep down runway

Hanbok is Korea’s traditional costume and has been a part of the country’s culture for over 5,000 years. It has been praised for the beauty of its colorful and unique design. Traditional costumes worn by royal families were even more elegant. Models wearing royal hanbok from different periods in Korean history appeared at “The Hanbok” held Wednesday in front of Gyeonghoeru located in Gyeongbokgung, central Seoul. While the event was held to promote Korea’s traditi

March 26, 2022

S. Korean art market makes upbeat start in 2022

The boom of the local art market is expected to continue this year thanks to swelling demand for artworks from individual investors amid the protracted pandemic, industry data showed Friday. The 2022 Galleries Art Fair, one of the biggest art trade fairs in South Korea held from March 16-20, posted 17.7 billion won ($14.5 million) in sales over the five-day period, up sharply from 7.2 billion a year ago. The number beat the forecast of some 15 trillion won in sales by the Galleries Association o

March 25, 2022

Physical shows’ return at Seoul Fashion Week reinvigorates stagnant fashion industry

Seoul Fashion Week, South Korea’s biggest fashion event held every March and October, wrapped up its six-day fashion extravaganza on Wednesday. By holding in-person shows and events for the first time in three years, it revived the stagnant local fashion industry, which has been hard hit by the COVID-19 pandemic. The 2022 fall-winter Seoul Fashion Week ran in an online-offline hybrid format to avoid crowds amid the COVID-19 pandemic. A total of 35 fashion brands -- 23 established designer

March 24, 2022

Beauty of royal hanbok presented at ‘The Hanbok’ show at Gyeongbokgung

“The Hanbok,” a fashion show event promoting Korea’s traditional costume, hanbok, was held Wednesday in front of Gyeonghoeru, a two-story pavilion structure located inside Gyeongbokgung, a Joseon-period royal palace. In a declaration, the event announced hanbok as Korea’s native culture with a 5,000-year story. The history behind hanbok and its distinctive features were also shared, along with distinguishing it from two Chinese costumes -- qipao and hanfu. Oxford Engli

March 23, 2022

Seoul signs deal with Parisian trade show Tranoi to promote Korean designers' European inroads

The Seoul city government on Wednesday signed an agreement with Tranoi, the official trade fair of Paris Fashion Week, to help South Korean designers expand to the European fashion market, officials said. Under the memorandum of understanding on the "nurturing of global fashion brands and development of the fashion industry," the two sides will pick promising Korean fashion brands and support their European inroads through various channels, including fashion shows, the city officials s

March 23, 2022

[International Galleries in Seoul] Lehmann Maupin continues to ‘break the mold’ in global art scene

The following is part of a series that explores international galleries that have opened in Seoul, a new art hub in Asia. --Ed. Lehmann Maupin is one of the pioneers exploring the potential of the Korean art market from a global perspective. The 26-year-old gallery based in New York opened its Seoul venue in 2017 in Samcheong-dong in central Seoul, a cozy neighborhood located right next to Gyeongbokgung. The gallery’s relationship with Korea dates back more than two decades when it sta

March 22, 2022

Galleries Art Fair 2022 a big success with record sales

The Galleries Art Fair 2022 closed Sunday with a record number of visitors and sales, continuing the ongoing art fever in South Korea. Some 143 galleries participated in the country’s oldest art fair, making it the largest in its history. The five-day art fair kicked off Wednesday at Seoul Trade Exhibition Convention in Gangnam-gu, southern Seoul. It attracted some 5,300 visitors and clinched 17.7 billion won ($14.5 million) in sales, more than twice last year’s sales figure of 7.

March 22, 2022

[From the Scene] Seoul Fashion Week kicks off with in-person catwalk shows

Seoul Fashion Week, South Korea’s biggest fashion event held every March and October, kicked off Friday with physical catwalk shows and offline events for the first time in three years. The opening ceremony of 2022 fall-winter Seoul Fashion Week took place at the Seoul Museum of Craft Art in central Seoul and about 150 people -- including Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon, big-name celebrities and buyers – were in attendance. The six-day fashion extravaganza marked opened up with a performa

March 18, 2022

Seoul Fashion Week to return with first in-person shows since pandemic

Undeterred by the raging spread of the omicron variant, Seoul Fashion Week, South Korea’s biggest fashion event held every March and October, is set to kick off Friday with in-person shows and events for the first time in three years. Seoul Metropolitan Government, which organizes the biannual fashion event, said the 2022 fall-winter Seoul Fashion Week will run from March 18 to 23 in an online-offline hybrid format. On account of the limited number of on-site participants due to antivirus

March 17, 2022

Kansong Art Museum sells national treasure to Heritage DAO

A national treasure that failed to find a new owner after the Kangsong Art Museum put it up for auction in January has been bought by a cryptocurrency-based decentralized autonomous organization. Heritage DAO purchased National Treasure No.73, Portable Shrine of Gilt-Bronze Buddha Triad, and permanently entrusted the Buddhist relic to the museum for physical exhibitions, the museum announced Wednesday. “We were surprised by the offer to buy the national treasure from the cryptocurrency-

March 16, 2022