109 Galleries from 17 Countries Participate
Smaller in Scale than Last Year, but Higher in Quality
Major Domestic and International Galleries Join
It was small but substantial. This was the impression left by this year's Art Busan, held at BEXCO in Busan. This year, Art Busan featured 109 galleries from 17 countries, a slight decrease in scale compared to last year's 127 galleries from 20 countries, but the content was richer. By strengthening the screening criteria for participating galleries and diversifying both the content and its international scope, a wide array of works from around the world captivated visitors. Leading Korean galleries such as Kukje Gallery, Gallery Hyundai, Arario Gallery, Johyun Gallery, and Gana Art were present, as well as major international galleries like Massimo De Carlo from Italy, Kotaro Nukaga from Japan, and Tang Contemporary Art from Singapore, all setting up booths.
On May 9, the VIP day, the first booth to catch the eye in the exhibition hall was that of Tang Contemporary Art, located near the main entrance. Based in Singapore, Tang Contemporary Art is known for promoting exchanges between Asian and global artists and is regarded as a progressive gallery. This year, it once again showcased works by artists such as Yue Minjun and Zhao Zhao, who are classified as dissidents in China and face restrictions on their activities. The gallery also presented experimental works utilizing artificial intelligence (AI). Von Wolfe's work 'Ears to the Wild' (2025) is a collaboration between AI and the artist. According to the artist's detailed instructions, the AI created a draft, which the human artist then refined and completed. A gallery representative explained that this reflected the artist's determination not to be outdone by AI in terms of artistry.
Kukje Gallery, which set up the largest booth this year, drew attention with artist Jung Yeondoo's work 'Nap' (2004). As part of the 'Wonderland' series (2004), which transforms children's dream-inspired drawings into photographs, the work clearly reveals the artist's approach of empathizing with and matching the perspective of the subject. Jung Yeondoo reportedly collected over 1,200 drawings made by children at daycare centers for this project.
Rhee Hyeryung, the director of LEEAN Gallery, presented works by young artist Anna Park for the first time in Korea. Anna Park, who is 28 this year, recently signed an exclusive contract with Lehmann Maupin Gallery and has exhibited her works at Art Basel Hong Kong and in London this year, setting the record as the youngest artist in Lehmann Maupin's history.
She is noted for her large-scale charcoal drawings that dynamically capture contemporary American society.
Anna Park, originally from Daegu, established a connection with director Rhee Hyeryung by chance. Initially, Anna Park responded passively to a letter of invitation, but while visiting an ophthalmologist during her trip to Korea, she happened to meet Rhee, which led to their collaboration for this exhibition. In fact, acquaintances who highly valued Anna Park's artistry intentionally acted as intermediaries between the two. Anna Park admitted that she "feared the sudden attention at a young age," but was ultimately persuaded by Rhee. Fourteen works were exhibited, and thirteen were sold on the first day.
Busan Art, the largest domestic art fair in the first half of the year, will welcome visitors until May 11.
Meanwhile, nearby at the Busan Museum of Contemporary Art, a barrier-free exhibition titled 'Ten Eyes' is being held. The title 'Ten Eyes' likens ten fingers to two eyes, conveying the idea that bodily senses are not fixed but change with age, circumstances, and environment. The exhibition features about 70 works by 20 artists with and without disabilities from Korea and abroad. Kim Deokhee explores the latent possibility of recovery beneath division by utilizing the properties of paraffin, which melts and hardens depending on temperature. Eom Jeongsun, who has long explored the meaning of 'seeing,' combines eyeballs and telescopes to reveal the ambivalent emotions inherent in vision. The exhibition runs until September 7.
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