Art Busan Organizing Committee "Art Busan Postponed to Fall Due to COVID-19 Impact"

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Byung-hee] The Art Busan Organizing Committee announced on the 18th that the 9th Art Busan, originally scheduled to be held from May 14 to 17, will be tentatively postponed to the fall due to the impact of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19).

Art Busan stated that it decided to postpone the event after comprehensively considering the seriousness of the situation following the World Health Organization (WHO)'s official pandemic declaration, participant safety management, and the event's outcomes, and sent an official letter to 160 participating galleries.

From the early stages of the virus outbreak, Art Busan sought countermeasures in collaboration with Busan City, BEXCO, and medical experts, and actively reviewed the possibility of proceeding with the event as planned as the domestic situation entered a stabilization phase over the past two weeks. However, with the recent rapid global deterioration of the situation, disruptions in international travel and logistics have become inevitable, making it difficult for 40% of overseas galleries to prepare for the fair normally. Additionally, the committee explained that the postponement was decided considering that the economic downturn and the resulting contraction in consumer sentiment in the first half of the year would also affect the fair's outcomes.

The organizing committee announced that the postponed Art Busan will be held at a new venue rather than the convention center, and the exact schedule and location will be announced at the end of March.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.