The Hwarang Art Fair, boasting the longest history in Korea, opened on the 16th at COEX Hall A and B. This year's event, co-hosted by the Korea Art Dealers Association and COEX, was presented on the largest scale ever.
This year, a record 168 galleries participated in the Hwarang Art Fair. It was the first time both COEX Hall A and B were used. The visitor flow was expanded, and rest areas were set up throughout the venue. A booth search system was introduced for the convenience of visitors.
On the VIP Day, held on the 16th, over 6,100 visitors attended, marking a 30% increase compared to the previous year.
The opening ceremony, held at 3 PM in Hall B's Talk Lounge, was attended by notable figures including Yoon Jong-won, former Chief Presidential Secretary for Economic Affairs; Lee Jung-woo, Director of Culture and Arts Policy at the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism; Cho Sang-hyun, CEO of COEX; Song Hyung-jong, CEO of Seoul Foundation for Arts and Culture; Jeon Kwang-chun, Vice President of Leading Investment Securities; Kim Byung-soo, President of the Korean Art Critics Association; Park Jin-young, Executive Director of KB Financial Group; and Kim Jang-ho, CEO of the Arts Management Support Center. Specially, actress Kim Hee-sun participated as an Art Worker.
The special exhibition for emerging artists, ZOOM-IN, a major highlight of the Hwarang Art Fair, is held for the sixth time this year. Selected through an open call, PRETTYLINEZ artists Jeong Hyun, Regina Kim, Minjeong See, Park Bo-sun, Park Ji-soo, Bang Jin-tae, Shin Ye-rin, Lee Ji-woong, Choi Ji-won, and Chu Sang-min showcase diverse artistic visions. Many visitors commented that this year’s works are "elegantly handled in terms of media, highly complete, and interestingly composed of various media including three-dimensional video."
During the exhibition period, final winners will be selected through on-site visitor voting and expert judging, with three recipients to be awarded the 2025 ZOOM-IN Award and prize money on the 20th.
The discussion corner 'ART&ARTIST TALK,' featuring experts from various fields of the art market, will be held from the 17th to the 19th. Notably, the 'Artist Talk - Park Bo-sun x Ahn Jin-guk' session on April 19 at 1 PM will have actress Kim Hee-sun, the Art Worker of the 2025 Hwarang Art Fair, as the MC.
A representative from the Art Dealers Association stated, "Overall, the quality of works from participating galleries has improved, and with diverse programs such as the ZOOM-IN special exhibition and solo booths, along with a comfortable and convenient visitor flow, the fair has received positive feedback from visitors as the highest-level Hwarang Art Fair ever."
Held annually in the first half of the year and regarded as a barometer for the domestic art market trends, this year’s Hwarang Art Fair will continue until the 20th.
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
