Korea's First Art Fair 'Hwarang Art Festival' Opens March 3 at COEX

[Asia Economy Reporter Donghyun Choi] The Korea Gallery Association announced on the 26th that it will hold the '2021 Gallery Art Festival' on the 3rd floor of COEX in Samseong-dong, Seoul, starting with a VIP opening ceremony on March 3.

Despite concerns over COVID-19, 107 galleries affiliated with the association that decided to participate will showcase over 3,000 works including paintings, prints, sculptures, installations, and media art by about 500 artists. New member galleries such as Gallery Geurimson, Gallery Baum, Gallery Artsoop, Gallery Paljo, Gallery Planet, Gong Geunhye Gallery, Art Sohyang, and Olmi Art Space will also participate, injecting new vitality into the art festival.

Hwang Dalseong, president of the Gallery Association, said at a press conference held ahead of the festival opening, "We hope visitors receive positive energy through artworks in line with this year's theme of healing and art vaccine," adding, "This year marks the 39th event, and after successfully concluding it, we plan to expand the scale next year by renaming it the Asia Art Fair (tentative)."

Since last year, the special exhibition 'ZOOM-IN' has been established as a platform for discovering new artists. This year, 497 talented new artists applied. Curators Kim Seongwoo, Kim Handeul (also an author), and Lee Eunju, a research curator at the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, conducted the judging to select the final 10 artists from the 497 applicants.

At this art festival, Choi Jeong-jun, selected as one of the 10 emerging artists in 'Zoom In,' presents 're-Island (Icarus).' Oil on canvas. 130.0x130.0cm. 2021.

The 10 final selected artists?Kang Bora, Kim Minji, Kim Sunhee, Oh Seulgi, Woo Hyuna, Lim Jimin, Lim Ji-hye, Jung Jaewon, Jung Heeseung, and Choi Jeongjun?will present their works at the special exhibition during the festival. Prizes will be awarded to the top three through on-site and online voting after the event concludes. Among the artists who participated in ZOOM-IN last year, some works were acquired by major collectors on-site, and negotiations regarding exhibition schedules with participating galleries took place, establishing the platform as a practical gateway for emerging artists to enter the art market.

Art talks and artist talks, which received positive responses last year, will also be held online. Various experts will discuss art after COVID-19 through these talks. Those operating galleries or considering purchasing artworks should pay attention to lawyer Park Juhee's talk, "Art Law Checkpoints for Gallerists and Collectors," and Lee Kyungmin, Meeting Room Director's, "Key Issues in the Global Art Market in 2020 and Outlook for 2021."

The association plans to develop the digital art market through an online viewing room. Last year, the association held an online viewing room via Naver Art Window during the Gallery Art Festival. By launching the OVR (Online Viewing Room) of 'KIAF ART SEOUL 2020,' it is keeping pace with global standards. Recently, the association renewed its website and built a platform where domestic galleries' exhibitions and artwork information can be viewed online. Works exhibited at the Gallery Art Festival will also be available for online viewing, and inquiries can be made to participating galleries. The platform is scheduled to open on March 3, coinciding with the offline opening ceremony.

Kim Tschang-Yeul_Recurrence Acrylic and oil on canvas, 89 x 116cm_2016_Gallery Hyundai

The appraisal committee booth operated by the association will be set up inside the venue as it was last year. Established in 1982, the appraisal committee is one of the most important divisions of the Korea Gallery Association. It has appointed the most authoritative professional art experts as appraisers and has conducted authenticity and market value appraisals and advisory evaluations of artworks for museums, government agencies, cultural foundations, financial institutions, corporations, and individuals. Through this booth, the association plans to introduce the appraisal committee to not only collectors but also general visitors and raise awareness of the importance of art appraisal.

In accordance with COVID-19 prevention guidelines, all VIPs and visitors must receive wristbands with designated barcodes at the entrance. Visitors must verify their tickets at the information desk and undergo QR check-in, which was not required before, to receive the wristbands. To delight visitors during the entry process, a media exhibition wall featuring works by media artists will be installed.

President Hwang stated, "We will expand the domestic art market size fivefold and promote the implementation of art-backed loans and the system of paying inheritance and property taxes with artworks," adding, "We plan to actively pursue joint exhibitions with Frieze, one of the world's top three art fairs, and expand into art fairs held in Singapore and Dallas, USA."

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