First, oldest in Korea, Galleries Art Fair returns in April
The Galleries Art Fair, Korea's oldest art fair, will return in April with an unprecedented number of participating galleries.
The 43rd edition of the art fair — started in 1979 and is run by the Galleries Association of Korea — will kick off April 16 at Coex in southern Seoul, with 168 galleries taking part, a 12 percent increase from last year.
Participating galleries rose as more galleries joined the Galleries Association of Korea. About 20 galleries joined the association over the past two years, and now the association boasts a membership of 184 galleries.
'This year's edition is aimed at introducing new artists who were selected based on evaluation not only by the association but also art experts from state or private museums,' said the association's chair Lee Sung-hoon at a press conference in Seoul on Monday.
All participating galleries' booths will be identical in size — six meters in length and seven meters in width.
The art fair's 'Zoom-In Edition' is to present 10 rising artists — Prettylinez Jung Hyun, Regina Kim, Minjung See, Park Bo-sun, Park Ji-sue, Bang Jin-tae, Shin Ye-rin, Lee Ji-woong, Choi Ji-one and Choo Sang-min — who were selected after a review by the association and curators from the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea, Seoul Museum of Art and Ilmin Museum of Art, among others.
The event's sponsorship was strengthened this year, according to the association, with KB Financial Group supporting the art fair. The Galleries Art Fair in Suwon, a spinoff of the art fair inaugurated last year, will be held in June.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Korea Herald
2 days ago
- Korea Herald
Art, music and memory mark 80th anniversary of liberation
Marking the 80th anniversary of its liberation from Japanese colonial rule this Friday, South Korea is hosting a rich program of exhibitions, concerts, performances and participatory art projects nationwide. Ranging from celebrations of Korea's Olympic achievements and independence movements to explorations of memory, hope and national identity, these events offer audiences a chance to honor the past, engage with the present and envision the future through music, art, invention and storytelling. At the National Museum of Korea, the special exhibition 'The Radiant Strides, Moving the World' celebrates Korean athletes who inspired generations. The exhibition, which runs through Dec. 28, traces the journey from Sohn Kee-chung's groundbreaking 1936 Olympic victory to the symbolic torch relay at the 1988 Seoul Olympics. Meanwhile, the 'Independence and Invention" exhibition -- held at the museum's annex until Aug. 31, organized with the Korean Intellectual Property Office -- explores the lives and innovations of five inventors who contributed to Korea's modernization. The National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Deoksugung, presents 'Landscape of Homeland and Longing' from Aug. 14 to Nov. 9, a special exhibition of Korean modern art exploring the longing for homeland through the lens of division, displacement and resilience. The exhibition will feature more than 200 pieces -- spanning painting, photography, sculpture and drawing -- by 86 artists. At the National Folk Museum's Paju branch, the video exhibition 'The Reclaimed Light, the Enduring Song, Arirang' (July 15-Aug. 31) examines how Korea's most iconic folk song has evolved through times of resistance, reunion and healing. A series of performances will be held to mark the 80th Liberation Day. On Liberation Day, Aug. 15, the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra will present a concert marking both the anniversary of Korea's liberation and the orchestra's own 80th founding year in 1945. Conducted by Choi Soo-yeoul, the program honors the spirit of the independence movement and the values of freedom and peace. The concert opens with the Adagietto from Mahler's Symphony No. 5, a movement famed for its depth and lyricism, followed by Ravel's Piano Concerto in G Major, performed by pianist Kim Tae-hyung. Geomungo master Oh Kyung-ja will join for 'Surijae,' a geomungo concerto by Jeong Dae-seok that reimagines traditional Korean music in a contemporary orchestral setting. The finale features the third and fourth movements of Sibelius' Symphony No. 2. On the same day, a history musical gala show will take place at the outdoor plaza of the National Museum of Korea in Seoul. The concert brings together powerful scenes from historical musicals such as 'Baekbeom,' 'Watch' and 'Shinheung Military Academy,' all productions based on Korea's independence movement and the lives of independence activists such as Kim Koo, Yun Bong-gil and others. The National Gugak Center offers two special concerts. On Aug. 14 and 15, 'The Light We Sing,' an evocative performance weaving together themes of harmony, memory, hope and future through traditional Korean music, will take place. On Aug. 16, the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts will present '8.15 Seoul, My Soul' at Seoul Plaza in front of City Hall. The free outdoor gala, starting at 7 p.m., pairs timeless songs from 'Les Miserables' and stirring numbers from the Korean hit musical 'Hero,' featuring top musical theater actors such as Yang Jun-mo, celebrated for his portrayal of Ahn Jung-geun in 'Hero,' and Min Woo-hyuk, acclaimed for his role as Jean Valjean in 'Les Miserables.' On Aug. 20, 'Harmony,' a large-scale commemorative concert featuring both Korean traditional instruments and a Western orchestra, will be staged at the National Theater of Korea, highlighting the meaning of liberation through musical unity. From Aug. 9 to 17, the Seoul Foundation for Arts and Culture will host a citywide program of exhibitions, performances and participatory events marking the 80th Liberation Day. At Nodeul Island, SFAC has organized large-scale Taegeukgi installations, including a facade display of the historic 1919 'Jingwansa Taegeukgi,' 16 period flags, and a 40-meter installation made with 1,000 pinwheels. An indoor exhibition will showcase historical photographs and portraits of 80 female independence activists. On Aug. 14 and 15 at Theater Quad in the theater district of Daehangno in central Seoul, SFAC presents 'Train No. 37,' a sung-through musical created with Kazakhstan's National Academic Koryo Theatre, memorializing the 1937 forced migration of Koreans to Central Asia and the survival of the Korean language and culture in exile. Until Aug. 16, 'My Taegeukgi, Our Taegeukgi' will run at SFAC's five regional culture and arts education centers, where participants can design their own artistic Taegeukgi using DIY kits, encouraging reflection on the flag's symbolism and Liberation Day's meaning. The National Asia Culture Center (ACC) in Gwangju will commemorate the 80th Liberation Day with two programs honoring independence activist Park Yeol. On Aug. 15 at 3 p.m., Theater 2 will stage the musical 'Park Yeol,' based on the true story of Park and Kaneko Fumiko following the 1923 Great Kanto Earthquake, blending traditional Korean arts with drama to portray their unwavering resistance under colonial rule. On Aug. 16 at 2 p.m., ACC's Theater 3 will screen Lee Joon-ik's award-winning 2017 film 'Anarchist from Colony,' starring Lee Je-hoon and Choi Hee-seo, which vividly depicts Park's courtroom defiance based on actual trial records.
Korea Herald
31-07-2025
- Korea Herald
JTBC's 'Beyond the Bar' promises to refresh crowded legal drama genre
Through the lens of the law, the series to offer viewers heartfelt look at human stories behind legal cases Amid a saturated market of legal dramas, "Beyond the Bar" aims to deliver healing stories that explore the emotional wounds behind legal cases. "Beyond the Bar" is an office drama centered on Hyo-min (Jung Chae-yeon), a rookie lawyer, and Seok-hoon (Lee Jin-wook), an elite attorney at the same firm. Despite the star power of Jung, known for "Family By Choice" and as a former member of the K-pop group I.O.I, and Lee, a seasoned actor with hit K-drama credits including "Sweet Home" and "Squid Game," the series risks encountering audience fatigue with lawyer-centered series. It is premiering in the wake of tvN's "Law and the City," which airs from July 5 through Aug. 10, and last year's successful courtroom drama "Good Partner." During a press conference in Seoul's Guro-gu on Thursday, director Kim Jae-hong addressed how "Beyond the Bar" distinguishes itself from typical legal fare. 'I haven't been directing for that long, but I've worked on two legal dramas. Still, when I first read the script for 'Beyond the Bar,' I thought, 'This is the real deal.' That's how detailed and realistic the litigation cases were,' he said. He elaborated that each of the 12 episodes features a distinct story revolving around the theme of love. "There are so many different forms of love in the world — and there are also those who have been hurt by it. I think what truly sets our series apart is the lawyers who, through these stories and lawsuits, try to heal people's wounds.' On casting Lee Jin-wook as Seok-hoon, Kim said, 'He's cool-headed when working, but when it comes to dealing with clients or his own people, a deep warmth comes through. I thought Lee Jin-wook embodied both the external and internal qualities that Seok-hoon needed.' Lee described Seok-hoon as 'a rational person who always has clear answers and makes quick decisions,' adding that he had to suppress his real-life personality — he likes to make people laugh — to portray Seok-hoon. "A lawyer isn't supposed to be funny. He's someone who handles cases logically and reasonably.' "Of course, I enjoy working on fantasy genres too and sometimes miss them, but I also believe it's important to bring realistic aspects like this into everyday life. This character is truly precious to me.' "Beyond the Bar" is set to premiere Saturday on JTBC, with streaming available on Netflix beginning Sunday.
Korea Herald
31-07-2025
- Korea Herald
Agarmon: monster 'born at the moment of orgasm' questions birth, existence
Inaugural MMCA x LG OLED series exhibition shows Tzusoo's new works A mysterious translucent object with moss on it occupies the center of the Seoul Box at the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea. The object is placed on a 9-meter-tall stainless steel installation with an overhead lamp. The floor of the installation is covered with stones. The creature, named 'Agarmon 5,' is composed of agar and moss, and the 'Agarmon Incubator' controls water, humidity and lighting, creating an artificial environment to sustain the creature's life. Korean artist Tzusoo, who chose the life of an artist while deferring pregnancy and childbirth, questions the meaning of existence and life by creating and caring for the creature. After the exhibition ends, the artist will take care of it for as long as she can. ''Agarmon 5 will be taken care of somewhere even after the show. Agarmon 1, 3 and 4 are already being looked after,' the artist said on Thursday. 'But Agarmon 2 died as the environment was not suitable, and my dad, who took care of it, felt so sad and buried it in a mountain behind his house.' The exhibition 'MMCA×LG OLED Series 2025 — Tzusoo Agarmon Encyclopedia: Leaked Edition' is the inaugural exhibition of the annual MMCA x LG OLED series, a collaborative project supporting digital art. The selected artist's works will be shown at the Seoul Box, the central exhibition space at the state museum. 'Agarmon is a monster born at the moment of orgasm — moments when sexual energy bursts. We are living in a world where childbirth is no longer seen as a necessity, and those beings become nothing if they are not fertilized. So I discovered these entities and felt that I needed to protect them,' she said. A pair of digital installations, 'The Eight Spirits of Flesh — TAE' and 'The Eight Spirits of Flesh — GAN' — on display reveal the world around the Agarmon. The concept of 'The Eight Spirits of Flesh' was derived from the 'eight trigrams,' the fundamental symbols in Chinese philosophy and cosmology, according to the museum. 'They are spiritual creatures, not necessarily holy,' the artist said, looking at the moving images of creatures in the digital works. 'Those spiritual creatures might appear again in my works in the future. Now there are two screens here, one for each spiritual creature, but it is interesting for me to imagine how they could make different synergy with more screens.' The exhibition will run through Feb. 1, 2026.
