Held at COEX from April 16 to 20
168 Galleries to Participate
The Hwarang Art Festival, Korea's first art fair with a 43-year tradition, will open at COEX from April 16 to 20, the Korea Art Dealers Association announced on the 17th.
According to the Korea Art Dealers Association, this year's Hwarang Art Festival will be held on the largest scale ever, with 168 galleries participating. The key visual for this year captures 'a new beginning' and 'the vitality of spring' in emerald color. Using an octagonal structure and graphic elements of the consonants ‘ㅎ’ and ‘ㄹ’, it maintains the identity of the Hwarang Art Festival while adding a modern sensibility.
Major domestic galleries will introduce new trends in the Korean art scene. Gallery Hyundai will showcase works by Jung Sang-hwa, known for his strictly restrained monochromatic grid paintings, and Lee Kang-so, a leading figure in experimental art. Johyun Gallery will present works by Kasio Suga, who led the Mono-ha movement that explores objects and discovers their inherent beauty. Additionally, Bosco Sodi’s works, which focus on the changes of time in nature using unprocessed natural materials, will also be exhibited.
Young galleries opened since 2010 will focus on discovering emerging artists. 313 Art Project will introduce Grapples, who presents boundaryless art that crosses between graphics and graffiti. Atelier Aki will reveal works by Chae Ji-min, who has been active in Korea, London, and New York. Azulejo Gallery will exhibit works by Gary Komarin, well known for his Cake series.
This year, a new Solo Booth section focusing on individual artists has been established. It will broadly introduce the diverse aesthetic worlds and depths of contemporary art through multiple artists. Sixteen galleries, including Gana Art, Kimria Gallery, Art Space 3, PKM Gallery, Nine Gallery, and Seo Jang Art, will participate. PKM Gallery will introduce Lee Won-woo, who twists everyday life with humor and irony through installations and sculptures. Yewon Gallery will present works by artist Yoon Da-nya, who envisions a warm society where people with and without disabilities coexist.
A solo show space featuring works by established famous artists will also be prepared. BHAK Gallery will exclusively exhibit works by Kim Chang-young, who offers visual and tactile pleasures using sand. Gallery Mirunamu will showcase works by Choi Sung-hwan, who paints harmonious landscapes of nature and people.
The special exhibition for emerging artists, ZOOM-IN Edition 6, will feature works by artists selected as this year’s emerging artists after overcoming a competition ratio of 600 to 1 in February. The selected emerging artists PRETTYLINEZ Jung Hyun, Regina Kim, Minjung See, Park Bo-sun, Park Ji-soo, Bang Jin-tae, Shin Ye-rin, Lee Ji-woong, Choi Ji-won, and Chu Sang-min received evaluations from the judging panel stating that "there were attempts to find their own new thematic consciousness and language." The works of these artists will be revealed on the official social media channels of the Hwarang Art Festival starting in March, and a separate audio docent program will be conducted at the festival and released on YouTube.
KB Financial Group, a major sponsor, will select one artist participating in ZOOM-IN Edition 6 to award the KB Financial Group Special Prize, the ‘KB Star Award.’ The winning artist will participate in the production of the KB Financial Group calendar for 2027 and hold a solo exhibition at venues such as the ART Gallery on the first floor of the new KB Kookmin Bank building in Yeouido.
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