2020 Hwarang Art Festival Opens at COEX... BTS RM Visits Exhibition Hall

[Photo by Korea Art Dealers Association]

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Byung-hee] The 2020 Hwarang Art Fair, the oldest art fair in Korea, opened on the 19th at COEX Hall C.

The Korea Art Dealers Association, which hosted the Hwarang Art Fair, announced that on the opening day, famous and invited guests including BTS's RM, Park Byung-won, Honorary Chairman of the Korea Employers Federation, Yoon Bum-mo, Director of the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, and Juan Carlos Caicedo Rosero, Ambassador of Colombia to Korea, visited the exhibition hall.

The Korea Art Dealers Association stated that they thoroughly prepared for COVID-19 in collaboration with COEX. They provided masks to all visitors and required their use. At the main entrance, they installed a walk-through clean disinfectant device, thermal cameras, and contactless thermometers to prevent entry of individuals with high fever. They also supplied hand sanitizers to participating galleries so visitors could sanitize their hands anytime while visiting booths. Additionally, they conducted special disinfection inside the exhibition hall twice daily after closing and kept an ambulance on standby at all times.

The Hwarang Art Fair was established in 1979 to popularize Korean art and revitalize the art market. This year, 110 member galleries of the Korea Art Dealers Association participated, exhibiting over 3,000 works across various genres such as sculpture, installation, media, and painting by approximately 530 artists.

The Korea Art Dealers Association, in particular, collaborated with Korea's largest portal Naver to open the '2020 Hwarang Art Fair X Naver Art Window Special Exhibition' on the same day, allowing people to view and purchase works online without visiting the venue. The exhibition hall and individual booths of participating galleries were filmed so that visitors could appreciate and buy artworks online. Using the '2020 Hwarang Art Fair x Naver Art Window Special Exhibition,' visitors can purchase works exhibited at the fair with a 10% discount until the end of this month.

Additionally, in collaboration with Naver Grafolio, a new artist contest called 'ZOOM-IN' was prepared. A special exhibition was organized with Art Gyeonggi (Gyeonggi Cultural Foundation) to support Gyeonggi Province artists' entry into the art market and promote market activation. A talk program featuring participating artists from 'ZOOM-IN' and Art Gyeonggi special exhibitions, as well as prominent figures in the art world, will also be held.