Two expat artists’ groups will be joining an exhibition that starts this weekend in Jeonju, North Jeolla Province, as part of a collaborative effort with a local arts group in the city.

The show at Jeonbuk Art Gallery in Gyeongwon-dong will feature 14 artists from the Professional Arts Network Korea and the International Artists Community.

PANK founder Martyn Thompson said that his group had worked previously with the same people. Lee Taek-gu, who runs the Sadaemun Arts and Culture Institute, invited PANK to join an exhibition two years ago. 

“By incorporating international artists into their group and working with them, they are going to boost their chances of getting government funding in future,” said Thompson. “We worked with them in 2012 and they really liked working with us, so they offered us the opportunity again.”

“They are trying to grow their group to incorporate more international artists, and that’s what PANK is trying to do as well. So our end goal is very similar ― to be able to bring in more renowned artists into Korea. And it’s the money and the funding that is always the limitation.”

The exhibition will show 40 artists in total, with the 14 expat groups featuring artists from eight countries. They will present photography, painting, drawings and other media.

The exhibition’s opening ceremony is Friday at 6 p.m., and it runs through to Nov. 20.

The gallery is located near the Jeonju Gyeonggijeon Shrine, on Paldal-ro, next to Woori Bank.

By Paul Kerry (paulkerry@heraldcorp.com)