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Museum_News Photography Seoul Museum of Art, Korea’s First Public Museum Dedicated to Photographic Media, Opens on May 29
The Seoul Museum of Art (SeMA) will open the Photography Seoul Museum of Art (Photo SeMA) on May 29, marking the launch of Korea’s only public art museum dedicated to photographic media. Located in Chang-dong, Dobong-gu, the newly built museum will serve as a branch of SeMA and has been in development for over a decade in preparation for its opening.
Artist_News ‘The Home’ by BOO Jihyun, Permanently Installed at Uno Port, Setouchi, Japan
Korean artist BOO Jihyun, the sole Korean participant in the Setouchi Triennale 2025, has permanently installed her large-scale installation The Home at Uno Port in Setouchi, Japan.
Born in 1979 on Jeju Island, BOO Jihyun has continued to create works that amplify her autobiographical memories and experiences of the sea, visually reconstructing them within space to awaken aesthetic sensibilities. The artist reinterprets the use of fishing lamps and other objects by creating atmospheric and immersive installations to materialize the intangible elements of the sea, such as darkness, sound, and the horizon.
2025.05.13
Artist_News Artist Zadie Xa Named Finalist for the Turner Prize 2025
Korean-Canadian artist Zadie Xa (Korean name Yumi Cha; b. 1983) has been shortlisted for this year's Turner Prize, the UK’s most prestigious contemporary art award.
On April 23, Tate Britain, which organizes the Turner Prize, announced the four finalists for the 2025 edition: Scottish artist Nnena Kalu, Iraqi artist Mohammed Sami, Korean-Canadian artist Zadie Xa, and British artist Rene Matić.
2025.05.06
Artist_News Suki Seokyeong Kang, a leading figure in Korean contemporary art, died at the age of 48
Suki Seokyeong Kang, a leading figure in Korean contemporary art, died at the age of 48. Throughout her career, Kang explored the expanded possibilities of painting while seeking to reconstruct new spatial and temporal dimensions by bringing tradition into the present. Over more than two decades of artistic practice, she consistently contemplated the space granted to individuals within society, the existence of others living alongside oneself, and the ways in which their movements are perceived and interconnected, a vision she called the "True-View Landscape (眞景)."
2025.05.06
Artist_News Lim Heejae, Cho Kiseob, and GR1 Selected for ‘Chongkundang Yesuljisang 2025’
On April 21, Chongkundang Holdings held the ‘Chongkundang Yesuljisang 2025 Artist of the Year Certificate Ceremony’ at its headquarters in Chungjeongno, Seoul, selecting Lim Heejae, Cho Kiseob, and GR1 as this year’s awardees.
2025.04.29
Artist_News Theresa Hak Kyung Cha’s Largest Retrospective in Over 20 Years to Open at BAMPFA Next Year
A major retrospective of artist Theresa Hak Kyung Cha will be held at the Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive (BAMPFA) in California, USA, from January to April 2026. Titled 《Multiple Offerings》, the exhibition marks the first large-scale retrospective of Cha’s work in over two decades and is expected to travel internationally following its debut in the U.S.
Museum_News Photography Seoul Museum of Art, Korea’s First Public Museum Dedicated to Photographic Media, Opens on May 29
The Seoul Museum of Art (SeMA) will open the Photography Seoul Museum of Art (Photo SeMA) on May 29, marking the launch of Korea’s only public art museum dedicated to photographic media. Located in Chang-dong, Dobong-gu, the newly built museum will serve as a branch of SeMA and has been in development for over a decade in preparation for its opening.
2025.05.27
Museum_News MMCA’s “Ron Mueck” Exhibition Draws Over 210,000 Visitors in First Month
The National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea (MMCA) announced that its exhibition 《Ron Mueck》, currently on view at the Seoul branch, has attracted more than 210,000 visitors within just over 30 days since its opening.
Museum_News Hong Ra-hee, Former Director of Leeum Museum of Art, Returns as Honorary Director After 8 Years
Hong Ra-hee, who resigned from the position of director at the Leeum Museum of Art in 2017, has returned to the art world as an honorary director after eight years. On April 2, the Samsung Foundation of Culture announced this news in conjunction with the opening of the special exhibition 《Gyeomjae Jeong Seon》at the Hoam Museum of Art, celebrating its 60th anniversary.
2025.04.08
Museum_News MMCA Launches Eco-Friendly Living Products Made from Exhibition Waste
The National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea (MMCA) has launched three types of eco-friendly everyday living products made from discarded exhibition waste, reflecting ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) values.
2025.03.11
Museum_News The World’s First ‘Floating Museum’ in Shinan County to Open This May
The world's first floating museum is set to open this May in Anjwa Island, Shinan County, Jeollanam-do. The "Floating Museum" is located near the birthplace of Kim Whanki, a pioneer of Korean abstract art, on a reservoir in the town of Eopdong, Anjwa-myeon.
Nonprofit_News ACC Launches ‘ACC CREATORS 2025 Residency’ Open Call Program
The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism’s National Asian Culture Center (ACC) is launching a global open call for creators to participate in the “ACC CREATORS 2025 Residency,” a support program for interdisciplinary content creation and production. Applications will be accepted until April 30.
Nonprofit_News Corporate Cultural Foundations Triple Their Contribution to Arts and Culture Over the Past Decade
On the 11th, the Arts Council Korea (ARKO) released a report on the state of arts and culture sponsorship by corporate cultural foundations—nonprofit organizations established by domestic companies to support arts and culture. The report revealed that corporate contributions have tripled over the past decade.
Biennale_News Binna Choi Appointed as Artistic Director for the 61st Venice Biennale Korean Pavilion
The Arts Council Korea (ARKO) has appointed curator Binna Choi as the Artistic Director for the Korean Pavilion at the 61st International Art Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia (Venice Biennale) in 2026.
Binna Choi previously served as a curator for the 2016 Gwangju Biennale and as a co-artistic director for the 2022 Singapore Biennale. She was the Director of Casco Art Institute in the Netherlands from 2008 to 2023. She is currently serving as a co-artistic director for the Hawai‘i Triennial 2025, which runs until May 4 this year.
Biennale_News 2025 Sea Art Festival to Be Held Under Joint Artistic Directorship for the First Time
On February 26, the Busan Biennale Organizing Committee announced the artistic directors who will lead the 2025 Sea Art Festival. For the first time in the festival’s history, three co-artistic directors have been appointed: Keumhwa Kim, Bernard Vienat, and Sara Kim.
Art Market_News South Korea’s MCST Plans to Implement Art Policies for the Continued Growth of the Korean Art Market, Which Exceeded 1 Trillion KRW in 2022
Over the past year, many local experts predicted that the size of the Korean art market would surpass 1 trillion KRW (Korean won) in 2022. This speculation has turned out to be true, as the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (MCST) and the Korea Arts Management Service (KAMS) announced on January 4, 2023, that the size of the art market in 2022 was estimated to be 1.0377 trillion KRW (approximately $1 billion USD).
Gallery_News Busan’s Representative Gallery ‘Johyun Gallery’ Opens Its Seoul Branch
Busan-based gallery ‘Johyun Gallery’ opened a new location in Seoul’s Shilla Hotel on May 23. The new location marks the gallery’s return to Seoul nine years after closing its Seoul exhibition space in 2015, which was located in the Nature Poem building in Cheongdam-dong, Seoul.
2024.05.27
Gallery_News ARTnews Interview: Tina Kim Discusses the Korean Art Market
As the Korean art market garners increasing attention within the global art world, ARTnews, a leading international art media outlet, conducted an interview with Tina Kim, owner of the Tina Kim Gallery in New York and a member of the Frieze Committee. Tina Kim, the daughter of Hyun-Sook Lee, founder of the Kukje Gallery, shared insights into the growing interest in Seoul, which is starting to gain recognition on the international art scene, as well as 20th-century Korean artists.
2023.09.04
Gallery_News Perrotin Will Open Its Second Space in the Gangnam District
The increasing number of international galleries in Seoul is one of the best indicators of South Korea’s potential in the art market. This recent art market boom has attracted numerous international galleries to the country’s capital city, including New York-based Gladstone Gallery, Berlin-based König Galerie, Austria-based Thaddaeus Ropac, Los Angeles-based Various Small Fires, Beijing-based Tang Contemporary, and Berlin-based Peres Projects.
2022.07.25
Gallery_News Inside South Korea's Art Scene: Five Young Contemporary Art Galleries
The number of art galleries in Korea has reached 503 as of 2020, according to the Korea Arts Management Service (KAMS). Among them, young galleries that have been established after the 2000s are expanding the boundaries of the Korean contemporary art world with living artists.
Gallery_News International Galleries Flocking to Seoul
As the global art market has shifted towards Asia, especially after the outbreak of COVID-19, global interest in the Korean art market has also been increasing.
Auction_News Seoul Auction to Host ‘Connect Seoul 2024’ During Frieze·Kiaf Seoul Week
Seoul Auctions hosts ‘Connect Seoul 2024,’ a series of exhibitions and events from August 24 to September 13 at its Gangnam Center, to coincide with Frieze-Kiaf Seoul Week. Connect Seoul consists of two special exhibitions highlighting major Korean and international artists of modern and contemporary art, a group exhibition of media art, and a preview of upcoming auctions.
2024.09.03
Auction_News SBI Art Auction to Host Its First Overseas Auction Preview at Art Chosun Space in Seoul
Japan’s SBI Art Auction will present its first overseas auction preview, "Early Highlight Viewing in Seoul," from October 1 to 6 at Art Chosun Space (ACS) in Gwanghwamun, Seoul. The preview is part of the "68th SBI Art Auction | MODERN AND CONTEMPORARY ART" to be held on October 25 and 26.
2024.08.13
Auction_News Global Auction House Phillips Appoints Lim Yeon-ah to Lead the Korean office
On the 5th, Phillips, one of the world’s top three auction houses, appointed Lim Yeon-ah as the head of its Korean office.
Since joining Phillips in 2020, she has overseen Phillips exhibitions during the Frieze Seoul art fair over the past two years.
Auction_News Christie’s First Exhibition in South Korea, What Does This Mean for the Local Art Market?
The booming Korean art market attracts many international art galleries and art fairs to Seoul. World-renowned galleries, including König Galerie, Thaddeus Ropac, and Gladstone Gallery, have opened a branch in Seoul, and Frieze has partnered with Kiaf SEOUL to hold art fairs in Seoul for five years from this year.
Art Fair_News Korean Galleries Make Strong Statement at Art Basel Hong Kong 2025 Amid Market Slowdown
Art Basel Hong Kong 2025 officially opened on March 26 with a VIP preview at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, drawing attention as Asia’s largest art fair resumes at full scale. Despite a global art market slowdown, Korean galleries are showing remarkable presence and vitality at this year’s event.
Art Fair_News Highlights at Frieze Seoul 2024
Highlights of Frieze Seoul 2024, taking place September 4-7 at COEX, Gangnam, Seoul, have been revealed. The world's leading galleries participating in Frieze Seoul 2024 are highlighting a wide range of distinguished artists in the Solo, Group, Frieze Masters, and Focus Asia sections.
2024.09.03
Art Fair_News Kiaf SEOUL 2024 to Host Special Exhibition “Kiaf onSITE: Invisible Transitions”
The Galleries Association of Korea announced that it will present the special exhibition “Kiaf onSITE: Invisible Transitions” at Kiaf SEOUL 2024, which will be held for five days from September 4 to 8. “Kiaf onSITE” is a special exhibition showcasing the
2024.08.27
Art Fair_News How to Enjoy Frieze Seoul 2024 to the Fullest
Frieze Seoul 2024 will not only feature a fair showcasing globally acclaimed artworks but also present the most extensive and diverse Frieze Week to date, featuring a variety of programs including cultural events in collaboration with galleries and nonprofit organizations.
Art+_News World’s Largest Media Art Festival, ‘ISEA 2025’ Opens on May 23
The International Symposium on Electronic/Emerging Art (ISEA), a global media art festival that serves as a multidisciplinary platform for the convergence of art, science, and technology, will take place across Seoul from May 23 to 29.
2025.05.13
Art+_News ‘2025 Museum Week’ Opens with Participation from 260 Institutions Nationwide
The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, in collaboration with ICOM Korea (International Council of Museums – Korean Committee) and the Korean Museum Association, is hosting ‘2025 Museum Week’ from May 2 to 31, with participation from over 260 museums and art institutions across the country.
Art+_News Hyundai Blue Prize+ 2025 Calls for Emerging Curators
On March 20th, the open call for Hyundai Blue Prize+ began, supporting emerging curators. This year's open call has expanded eligibility, allowing any emerging curators residing in Asia or working with themes related to Asia to apply.
2025.04.01
Art+_News Emma Son, Senior Director of Lehmann Maupin Seoul, Promoted to Global Partner
On the 6th, Emma Son, Senior Director of Lehmann Maupin Seoul, was promoted to Global Partner at Lehmann Maupin. The role of a partner involves making all key decisions for the gallery in collaboration with senior directors through strategic meetings.
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