Nationwide Biennales and Art Fairs to Host Art Festival... "Regionally Distinct Content Is Crucial"

Korea Art Festival Launch Ceremony
Seven Biennales, Three Art Fairs, and Related Organizations Join
A Month-Long Art Festival to Be Held in September

With the launch ceremony for the 2025 Korea Art Festival, preparations for a large-scale, nationwide art festival have officially begun.

Yoon Inchon, Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism, is having a meeting with representatives of participating organizations at the '2025 Korea Art Festival Launch Ceremony' held on the 29th at Art Korea Lab Agora in Jongno-gu, Seoul. Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism

On April 29, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism held the launch ceremony for the 2025 Korea Art Festival at Art Korea Lab Agora in Jongno, Seoul, and shared this year's direction and plans with representatives of related organizations.

Now in its second year, the Korea Art Festival is a collaborative event organized by both public and private sectors, including the hosts of seven biennales (Seoul Mediacity Biennale, Cheongju Craft Biennale, 2025 Sea Art Festival, Daegu Photo Biennale, Gwangju Design Biennale, Jeonnam International Ink Biennale, World Calligraphy Jeonbuk Biennale), three art fairs (KIAF Seoul, Frieze Seoul, Asiaf), and related organizations in tourism, transportation, and regional culture (such as Korea Tourism Organization, Korea Railroad Corporation, Korea Airports Corporation, and Korea Regional Culture Foundation Association).

Throughout September this year, special discounts and exhibitions featuring Korea's next-generation artists will be held at biennales and art fairs across the country. The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism will oversee the event and conduct integrated domestic and international promotional activities.

This year, improvements have been made to address shortcomings pointed out last year, including increasing promotional and exhibition opportunities for young domestic artists and expanding opportunities for participation in regional art events. Young artists will be selected nationwide in fields such as photography, crafts, calligraphy, and design for focused promotion. During the festival, exhibitions introducing promising next-generation artists will be held at Seoul venues such as Bukchon Whigyeomjae, Art Sonje Center, and Zaha Museum of Art.

The ministry will offer special commemorative ticket discounts to allow more people to enjoy the events. From June 16, tickets for major events such as KIAF Seoul, Frieze Seoul, Cheongju Craft Biennale, and Gwangju Design Biennale will be sold at a 30 to 50 percent discount off the regular price. The ministry expects approximately 37,000 people to benefit from these discounts.

This year's art travel programs have been designed by local organizations themselves to enhance understanding of each region. Visitors will tour museums, galleries, and nearby tourist attractions with professional guides. In addition to the existing walking tours, long-distance bus tours have been newly added this year. During the art festival period, programs such as a photography exhibition tour capturing the history and memories of Jeju, exhibition tours and Mudeul-gil walking tours at the Gwangju Design Biennale, and others will take place in five regions (Gyeonggi-Gangwon, Chungcheong, Jeolla, Gyeongsang, and Jeju).

Online promotion will be ramped up. Leading Korean art magazines such as 'Monthly Art' and 'Public Art', and art journalists will recommend 'must-see exhibitions', which will be featured on the festival website and social media channels.

The ministry will also support Korean artists in entering the global stage. Through 'Dive into Korean Art: Seoul', an event introducing Korean artists to key figures in the international art world, nine teams of emerging and mid-career Korean artists, including Ikkibawikururu, Lee Jooyo, and Kwon Byungjun, will be showcased. For this purpose, twelve international art professionals?including museum directors, curators, and visual arts media journalists?will be invited.

At the launch ceremony held on this day, representatives from biennales located in regional areas expressed difficulties in securing train tickets, pointing out that KTX tickets sell out too quickly, making it challenging for regional events. There was also a suggestion that instead of each organization promoting separately, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism should take the lead in nationwide promotion targeting the entire population.

Yoon Inchon, Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism, promised to actively address these requests and find solutions, and urged each organization to develop attractive content to draw visitors. Minister Yoon said, "Each region needs to have something unique. If everything is similar wherever you go, it can't be interesting," and asked that efforts be made to create challenging and diverse content with a focus on regional specialization.

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