Breaking Free from Commercial Pressures:
Support for Exhibition Planning and Academic Activities
Publishing English Catalogs to Promote Overseas Exchanges
New Three-Year Support Program Established Last Year
“Increased Stability for Mid- to Long-Term Projects”
Introducing Photography Art Capturing Diverse Lives
Awakening the "Power of Storytelling"
Supporting Overseas Touring Exhibitions
Expanding Global Exchanges
Establishing Multi-Year Support System and Increasing Support Amounts
The space support project by the Korea Arts & Culture Education Service under the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, aimed at fostering the visual and multidisciplinary arts sectors, is gaining attention. The Arts Council Korea (ARK) comprehensively supports various art projects such as curated exhibitions and performances, expanding its scale annually. This is recognized as a practical support measure that preserves the intrinsic value of art.
Support for the visual arts sector is provided by ARK in a way that, when private art museums or private exhibition spaces prepare spatial plans, ARK comprehensively supports project production, space operation, and exchanges and collaborations with external institutions. This year, the total support amount is approximately 1.9 billion KRW, with the individual support limit raised from 100 million KRW to 200 million KRW. An ARK official stated, "We continue multifaceted support aiming to broaden the scope of artistic creation, form contemporary discourse, and expand criticism and research through diverse domestic and international exchanges."
Breaking Free from Commercial Burdens to Challenge Exhibitions and Academic Activities... Publishing English Catalogs to Promote Overseas Exchanges
Sabina Museum of Art, which received support last year, is cited as a successful example of realizing these goals. Through the exhibition ‘Hogokjang (好哭場) - The Power of Tears,’ the museum explored the issues of ‘loneliness and social isolation’ in contemporary society, drawing significant attention. It was also praised for effectively highlighting the emotional, social, and psychological meanings of tears and conveying how art can offer opportunities for comfort and self-reflection.
In the solo exhibition ‘Shining, Flowing, and Eternal’ by artist Lee Sehyun, intense colors were used to express social issues such as domestic political division and security concerns. This exhibition was well-received for its meticulous analysis of how art affects human emotions and sentiments. Recognizing the museum’s contributions to exhibitions, academia, research, and archiving, Curator Kang, who has been in charge of exhibitions, received the ‘2024 Museum Work Promotion Merit’ Ministerial Commendation in January.
Curator Kang said, "I wanted to plan an exhibition that fully embodied the artist’s philosophy. Although Lee is well-known for the ‘Red Landscape’ series, this exhibition allowed him to take on new challenges as an international artist." He added, "As a result, in May, Lee will hold a solo exhibition at the renowned Swiss gallery Peter Kilchmann."
New Three-Year Support Program Established Last Year “Increased Stability for Mid- to Long-Term Projects”
ARK established a three-year support program last year in addition to the existing one-year program to expand these achievements. This measure aims to maximize the support effect by guaranteeing continuity in artwork planning, production, and academic activities. The art community welcomes this change. Curator Kang explained, "With the possibility of three-year support, mid- to long-term project planning has become realistically feasible. Usually, exhibition planning and preparation take more than a year, but multi-year support ensures operational stability."
Introducing Photography Art Capturing Diverse Lives... Awakening the ‘Power of Storytelling’
Last year, Dot Press, which received support, formed a creative community consisting of curators, designers, and photographers as book artists, operating publishing, exhibitions, and programs. Notably, they secured an exclusive contract to translate and publish ‘Publish Your Photography Book,’ originally published by Princeton Architectural Press in 2011, marking the first Korean edition. This book has been a bestseller in the Anglo-American photography industry for over ten years and introduces photographs and stories selected by 20 photographers from the U.S. West Coast nonprofit photography organization ‘Photo Alliance.’
Dot Press also hosted book talks inviting overseas artists. In October last year, photographer Mary Virginia Swanson visited Korea, sharing the power of photography and the value of photo books, receiving high praise from over 40 readers.
Joo Sangyeon, CEO of Dot Press, emphasized, "Artist books have a long history overseas but remain an unexplored field domestically. This year, we laid the foundation to make them more accessible to the public, and next year, we plan to publish books by major domestic photographers to continue deeper work."
Supporting Overseas Touring Exhibitions... Expanding Global Exchanges
ARK plans to actively support global exchanges of artists and artworks this year as well. Following last year’s support for participation in the ‘Shanghai Art Fair West Bund Art & Design,’ this year it will support overseas touring exhibitions by three organizations. ‘Space Illi’ and ‘Ilmin Museum of Art,’ selected for the ‘2025 Touring K-Arts’ project, will hold exhibitions in Mexico and Argentina, and Japan (Osaka and Tokyo), respectively.
Establishing Multi-Year Support System and Increasing Support Amounts
The scale of ARK’s support continues to increase annually. For the visual arts sector, the average support amount per organization this year is 200 million KRW, double that of last year, while the multidisciplinary arts sector maintains about 100 million KRW. This year, a total of 32 organizations were selected: 14 for one-year visual arts support, 14 for three-year visual arts support, and 4 for one-year multidisciplinary arts support.
Jung Byungguk, Chairperson of the Arts Council Korea, stated, "We will continue to actively support space entities that serve as core platforms in the visual and multidisciplinary arts sectors through the space support project. We will strive to create an environment where artists can freely create and continuously work to spread the social value of art."
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