Top News Picks - K-ARTNOW
Top News Picks
Delivering essential Korean contemporary art news every week.

Latest News

Museum_News Leeum Museum of Art Announces Its 2025 Major Exhibition Plans The Samsung Foundation of Culture, celebrating its 60th anniversary next year, has unveiled the exhibition plans for the Leeum Museum of Art in 2025, encompassing both traditional and contemporary art.
2024.12.17
Art+_News Most Influential Koreans in the Art World This Year: ArtReview ‘2024 Power 100’ On the 5th, the renowned British art magazine ArtReview unveiled its ‘2024 Power 100’ list. Since 2002, the annual ‘Power 100’ has involved experts from around the globe in an in-depth and comprehensive evaluation to select 100 individuals who have made significant contributions to the global art and cultural scene through their activities and influence.
2024.12.17
Art never stopped a war and never got anybody a job. That was never its function. Art cannot change events, but it can change people. It can affect people so that they are changed.

Leonard Bernstein (1918-1990, Musician)

Artist

Artist_News Artist Chung Hyun Named One of the ‘Editor’s Picks’ at Art Basel Miami Beach 2024 Chung Hyun, an artist represented by PKM Gallery, was featured on the Editor’s Picks list for Art Basel Miami Beach 2024, held from December 4 to 8.
2024.12.17
Artist_News Artist Chung Seoyoung Participated in Asia Pacific Triennial 11 One of South Korea’s leading contemporary sculptors, Chung Seoyoung, is participating in the 11th Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art (APT11). Held at the Queensland Art Gallery and Gallery of Modern Art (QAGOMA) in Brisbane, Australia, APT11 has been underway since November 30 and features 70 artists and collectives from more than 30 countries.
2024.12.10
Artist_News Artist Keem Jiyoung Is Holding Her First Overseas Solo Exhibition, “Breath of the Month” at PHILIPPZOLLINGER The first overseas solo exhibition of Korean artist Keem Jiyoung (b. 1987), “Breath of the Month”, is holding at the PHILIPPZOLLINGER in Zürich, Switzerland, until January 18 next year.
2024.12.03
Artist_News Artist Seulgi Lee Presents Her Performance Work at the 17th Lyon Biennale Seulgi Lee is participating in the 17th Lyon Biennale, “Les voix des fleuves, Crossing the Water,” where she will present her performance SOUPE (2024) on November 8 and December 13, 2024.
2024.11.26
Artist_News Artist Moka Lee Has Been Selected as One of the 10 Artists of “The Artsy Vanguard 2025” The global online art platform Artsy has selected artist Moka Lee as one of the "Artsy Vanguard 2025" artists, highlighting the most promising talents working today. Among the 10 artists chosen this year, Moka Lee is the only Korean artist featured.
2024.11.12
Artist_News Lee Bul’s New Sculpture ‘Long Tail Halo’ Installed on the Facade of the Metropolitan Museum of Art Four new sculptures from Long Tail Halo, a series by renowned Korean artist Lee Bul, have been installed on the facade of the Metropolitan Museum of Art (the Met) in New York.
2024.11.12

Museum

Museum_News Leeum Museum of Art Announces Its 2025 Major Exhibition Plans The Samsung Foundation of Culture, celebrating its 60th anniversary next year, has unveiled the exhibition plans for the Leeum Museum of Art in 2025, encompassing both traditional and contemporary art.
2024.12.17
Museum_News Art Sonje Center Announces Its 2025 Exhibition and Program Plans Art Sonje Center unveiled its 2025 exhibition program during a press conference held on December 2. The 2025 program spans a wide range of media and genres, from live contemporary music performances to large-scale installations that use the museum building and its surroundings as artistic media.
2024.12.10
Museum_News Set to Open in 2025, What Would the ‘Centre Pompidou Hanwha Seoul’ Look Like? The design concept of ‘Centre Pompidou Hanwha Seoul,’ the Seoul branch of France's world-renowned contemporary art institution Centre Pompidou set to open next October, has been unveiled.
2024.11.26
Museum_News Leeum Museum of Art Launches ‘Leeum Archive,’ Unveiling Significant Materials Related to Korean Modern and Contemporary Art On October 21, the Leeum Museum of Art opened the ‘Leeum Archive’ service, a collection of previously unreleased materials related to modern and contemporary Korean art.
2024.10.29
Museum_News MMCA Announces a New Partnership with LG Electronics The National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea (MMCA) announces a new partnership with LG Electronics. This collaboration aims to advance the development of contemporary art and other arts and cultural initiatives across Korea. Under this agreement, LG Electronics will exclusively provide exhibition sponsorship and technical support for the ‘MMCA X LG OLED’ Series over the next three years.
2024.08.20
Museum_News Seoul Museum of Photography Pre-opening Program, “Photo SeMA Spotlight 1: A Place for Photography”, to Be Held on September 3 The Seoul Museum of Art will host an international seminar, “Photo SeMA Spotlight 1: A Place for Photography”, in advance of the opening of the Photography Seoul Museum of Art (Photo SeMA; 70, Madeul-ro 13-gil, Dobong-gu, Seoul, in the first half of 2025). The seminar, which will take place on September 3 at the Buk-Seoul Museum of Art, will commemorate the establishment of Photo SeMA, Korea’s first public photography museum, and also serve as a place to share the visions of international photography institutions in Europe and Asia, along with their programs for contemporary photographers.
2024.08.20

Nonprofit

Nonprofit_News Olafur Eliason’s Latest Work ‘Breathing earth sphere’ Has Been Unveiled on Docho Island in Shinan County On the 15th, world-renowned Icelandic-Danish artist Olafur Eliasson (b. 1967) unveiled his latest work, 숨결의 지구 (Breathing earth sphere), on Docho Island, Shinan County, Jeollanam-do, South Korea. The installation, part of a larger initiative by Shinan County that celebrates the region's natural beauty, centers around public art projects that draw attention to reimagining the immediate environment.
2024.12.03
Nonprofit_News ‘Project Space Line’, a New Exhibition Space of Line Cultural Foundation, Opens On November 12, the Line Cultural Foundation opened a new exhibition space, ‘Project Space Line,’ in Samseong-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul.
2024.11.19
Nonprofit_News Bio Art Workshops to Launch at Paradise Art Lab’s New Experimental Space, ‘Art & Bio Lab Seoul’ Opened last September on the first floor of the Paradise Building (299 Toegye-ro, Jung-gu, Seoul), ‘Art & Bio Lab Seoul’ will host a Bio Art Workshop program from November 6 to December 24.
2024.11.05
Nonprofit_News The National Asian Culture Center to Host international Symposium as Part of Its 10th Anniversary Special Project, “Manifesto of Spring” Ahead of its 10th anniversary in 2025, the National Asian Culture Center (ACC) will host an international symposium from October 24 to 25 as a pre-program for the special exhibition "Manifesto of Spring," which will take place in September next year.
2024.10.15
Nonprofit_News ‘FUTURA SEOUL,’ a New Large-scale Exhibition Space, Opens on September 5 On September 5, ‘FUTURA SEOUL,’ a new large-scale exhibition space (around 1,157m2), will open in Bukchon, Seoul. FUTURA SEOUL will present a new artistic experience based on the rich history of Bukchon, which was once the living space of the noble families in the Joseon dynasty.
2024.08.13
Nonprofit_News Gwangyang City Will Co-host Media Art Exchange Exhibition with Ars Electronica Center Gwangyang City will host the media art exchange exhibition “8637 from Light” from October 2 to 10 in collaboration with the Ars Electronica Center, which hosts the world’s largest new media art festival, Ars Electronica.
2024.07.15

Biennale

Biennale_News The 13th Seoul Mediacity Biennale Will Announce Exhibition Theme Through Pre-Biennale Program “Notes for a Séance” The Seoul Museum of Art (SeMA) will host a pre-biennale program titled "Notes for a Séance” on November 30 at SeMA Hall, introducing the curatorial direction and concept of the 13th Seoul Mediacity Biennale.
2024.11.26
Biennale_News 2024 Daejeon Art and Science Biennale Spin Off “Magnum Opus” on View Through February 2, 2025 Marking its fourth edition, the Daejeon Art and Science Biennale opened on October 25 under the title “Magnum Opus” As the only biennale in Korea dedicated to the theme of science and art, it will run until February 2 of next year at the Daejeon Museum of Art, Daejeon Creative Center, from the corner (Jeong-dong, Dong-gu), and GONGGAN55 (Seonhwa-dong, Jung-gu).
2024.11.12
Biennale_News Anton Vidokle, Hallie Ayres, and Lukas Brasiskis Appointed as the Artistic Directors of the 13th Seoul Mediacity Biennale On October 14, the Seoul Museum of Art announced the appointment of Anton Vidokle, Hallie Ayres, and Lukas Brasiskis as the artistic directors for the 13th Seoul Mediacity Biennale, scheduled for August 2025.
2024.10.22
Biennale_News Gangwon International Triennale 2024 “Ecological Art from the Beneath”, on View Through October 27 The Gangwon International Triennale 2024, hosted by Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province and organized by the Gangwon Art & Cultural Foundation and Pyeongchang County, opened on September 26 and will run until October 27 across various locations in Pyeongchang County.
2024.10.08
Biennale_News The 7th Changwon Sculpture Biennale’s Various Programs Are Unveiled Starting on September 28, the symposium program “Seed and Peel” will be held at the Small Theater of Seongsan Art Hall. The symposium is scheduled for September 28 from 10 am to 4 pm and on September 29 from 1 pm to 4 pm, with simultaneous English translation available.
2024.09.24
Biennale_News The 7th Changwon Sculpture Biennale’s Pre-Exhibition Programs Successfully Concludes Since last July, the pre-exhibition programs for the Changwon Sculpture Biennale have been underway. The first citizen-participation program, “AVP X Muhayu” (July 15-18), took place at Audio Visual Pavilion (AVP) in Seoul and Muhayu in Changwon, featuring Jeuno JE Kim & Ewa Einhorn, who are based in Copenhagen, Denmark, and Malmö, Sweden, and Sooncheon No, an artist based in Changwon.
2024.09.24

Art Market

Art Market_News The Korean Art Auction Market in the 3rd Quarter of 2024 Saw 26% Decrease Compared to the Previous Year The "2024 3rd Quarter Art Market Report," released on October 31 by the Korea Art Authentication & Appraisal Research Center's corporate research lab KAAI, indicated that the slump in the Korean art market continues.
2024.11.19
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).
2023.01.09
Art Market_News "Korea Art Market 2022" Delivers Various Trends and Issues in the Korean Art Market in English The most-searched term in the Korean art world in 2022 was “Frieze Seoul.” The inaugural fair received not only explosive attention from the domestic art world but also aroused international interest in the Korean art market, bringing many global artists to Korea.
2023.01.02
Art Market_News Korean Arts Management Services Estimates the Size of the Korean Art Market in 2021 The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Korea (MCST) and the Korean Arts Management Services (KAMS) have been publishing a report on the previous year’s Korean art market since 2008.
2022.02.21

Auction

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.
2023.12.11
Auction_News 3 Korean Women Leaders Who Are Demonstrating Their Leadership at the Asian Offices of the World's Top 3 Art Auction Houses Today, many women figures are active in the contemporary art world, trying to reflect diversity and fostering Korean art.
2022.11.28
Auction_News Phillips Will Hold Its First Exhibition in South Korea during the Frieze Art Fair in Seoul Phillips, one of the three largest auction houses in the world with headquarters in London, has announced that it will hold its first exhibition in Seoul concurrently with the Frieze Seoul and Kiaf Seoul art fairs.
2022.08.15
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.
2022.08.01

Art Fair

Art Fair_News 'The Preview Seongsu with ShinhanCard' on View Through April 23, 2023, at S Factory Following Hannam in 2021 and Seongsu in 2022, ‘The Preview Seongsu with ShinhanCard’ will be held for the third time this year, starting with a VIP preview on April 19 and running through April 23 at S Factory D in Seongsu-dong.
2024.04.07
Art Fair_News The 41st Annual Domestic Art Fair ‘Galleries Art Fair 2023’ on View Through April 16, 2023, at COEX Organized by the Galleries Association of Korea, ‘Galleries Art Fair’ is Korea’s longest-running art fair, celebrating its 41st edition this year and will be held at COEX, Seoul, starting with a VIP preview on April 12 and running through April 16.
2023.04.07
Art Fair_News FRIEZE’s Top Exhibitions of 2022: The Busan Biennale 2022, Sung Hwan Kim’s Solo Exhibition, and More The year 2023 has arrived, and the art world is analyzing the keywords and trends that characterized the art world in 2022. It is impossible to discuss the Korean art world of 2022 without mentioning Kiaf and Frieze Seoul’s joint art fair, as many of the events in the country revolved around this inaugural edition. For thematic shows, Sculptural Impulse at the Seoul Museum of Art was frequently mentioned as the most noteworthy contemporary art exhibition, while MMCA Hyundai Motor Series 2022: Choe U-Ram – Little Ark was one of the most mentioned solo exhibitions last year.
2023.01.09
Art Fair_News Frieze Reveals the Participants of the Very First Frieze Seoul Frieze Seoul is approaching in just two months. As one of the largest global art fairs, Frieze has been making its way to Asia and announced its entry into South Korea last year. And finally, the inaugural edition of the fair’s programs and gallery list was revealed on June 29.
2022.11.07
Art Fair_News Art Basel’s Swiss Fair Returned "In Person" Art Basel, one of the world’s largest international art fairs, was held from September 24 to 26 in Messe Basel, Switzerland. Originally scheduled for June, Art Basel in Basel canceled last year’s edition and postponed this year’s fair to September due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
2021.11.15
Art Fair_News Frieze Seoul Appoints Gallery Hyundai’s Patrick Lee as Its New Director Frieze, the London-based international art fair, has appointed Patrick Lee as director of Frieze Seoul, which will take place alongside KIAF, Korea’s largest art fair, from September 2 to 5, 2022.
2021.11.08

Art+

Art+_News Most Influential Koreans in the Art World This Year: ArtReview ‘2024 Power 100’ On the 5th, the renowned British art magazine ArtReview unveiled its ‘2024 Power 100’ list. Since 2002, the annual ‘Power 100’ has involved experts from around the globe in an in-depth and comprehensive evaluation to select 100 individuals who have made significant contributions to the global art and cultural scene through their activities and influence.
2024.12.17
Art+_News “Braiding Sweetgrass,” an Exhibition of Korean and Thai Artists Curated by Independent Curator Nayun Lee, held at Mana Art Gallery in Bangkok The exhibition “Braiding Sweetgrass”, curated by Independent curator Nayun Lee, will be held at Mana Art Gallery in Bangkok from November 22 to December 8. This exhibition provides a space to reflect on and imagine coexistence between humans and non-humans through the works of five artists from Korea and Thailand.
2024.11.19
Art+_News The Book titled “Korean Feminist Artists”, Offering an In-depth Look at the Current State of Feminist Art in Korea, Has Been Published Dr. Kim Hong-Hee, a former director of the Seoul Museum of Art, has published a book titled Korean Feminist Artists: Confront and Deconstruct, which examines the current landscape of feminist art in Korea as of 2024.
2024.10.22
Art+_News The First Case of the Inheritance Tax Payment with Artworks in Korea: Four Artworks Accepted in Lieu On October 7, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (MCST) approved the first-ever payment of inheritance tax with four artworks in Korea.
2024.10.15
Art+_News ‘The ISEA 2025,’ a Large-scale Media Arts Festival, to Be Held in Seoul Next May Next May, the International Symposium on Electronic Art (ISEA) will be held at the Seoul Arts Center.
2024.10.01
Art+_News “Forms of the Shadow”, the First Large-scale Exhibition of Korean Contemporary Art in Vienna, Is Held “Forms of the Shadow”, curated by Sunjung Kim, the Artistic Director of the Art Sonje Center, is on view at the Vienna Secession and the Korean Cultural Centre Austria from September 20 to November 17.
2024.10.01