Gana Art will become the first Korean gallery to participate in “The Photography Show presented by AIPAD”, to be held in April 2026 at Park Avenue Armory in New York. This participation marks a key moment for Korean photography as it enters the U.S. photography scene and is introduced and evaluated in earnest.
 
“AIPAD” is an acronym for the Association of International Photography Art Dealers, a leading organization that has hosted international art fairs dedicated to the photographic medium since its founding in 1979. “The Photography Show”, organized by “AIPAD”, is widely regarded alongside Paris Photo as one of the major events representing the global photography landscape, distinguished by its presentation of both the historical genealogy of photography and contemporary experimental practices.
 
Through this participation, Gana Art presents the formation and development of Korean photography as a continuous trajectory. By placing side by side the shifting currents that extend from Korean War–era realist photography to social documentation, modernist perspectives, and conceptual experimentation, the gallery highlights how photography has expanded beyond simple representation toward questions of perception and structure. In doing so, the presentation brings into view both the historical depth and the contemporary condition of East Asian photography centered on Korea.
 
 
 
Participating Artists
 
Limb Eungsik (b. 1912)

A central figure in the formative period of modern Korean documentary photography, Limb Eungsik established photography as a medium of witnessing by recording the lives of people living through the postwar era. His work moved beyond personal narrative to capture the conditions of a particular historical moment and stands as an important example of how Korean photography emerged from a foundation of social realism.

Yook Myong-Shim (b.1932)

Yook Myong-Shim occupies an important place in the development of Korean modernist photography. With a restrained eye, he has consistently captured everyday life and the human figure. His work is valued for its structural and objective mode of observation, avoiding exaggeration or overt emotional intervention while articulating the identity of Korean society.

Lee Gap-chul (b.1959)

Lee Gap-chul has long pursued a practice that visualizes the inner elements of Korean society, including qi, shamanism, and the collective unconscious. Through his representative series Conflict and Reaction, he has developed a distinctive photographic language that reveals invisible psychic structures and social energies, capturing the deep tensions and sensibilities of Korean society.

KDK (Kim Do Kyun, b.1973)

KDK explores the compositional principles and perceptual mechanisms of photography through repeated images and geometric arrangements. His practice extends photography beyond a mere recording medium into a conceptual field in which issues of structure and perception are actively examined.

Nozomi Suzuki (b.1983)

Nozomi Suzuki develops works that evoke memories embedded in objects and vanished spaces through optical elements such as lenses and mirrors. By employing structures of reflection and superimposition, her practice reveals layered temporalities and spatialities while expanding the perceptual conditions of photography.

Talk Session: “Bridge to Asia: Asian Photography in Global Circulation”

During the fair, the talk session “Bridge to Asia: Asian Photography in Global Circulation” will take place. The session will be held on April 24, 2026, at 1 PM and will be moderated by Maggie J. Mustard, Curator of Photography at the New York Public Library.

The session will feature Director Kim Jeong Eun of The Reference and Jeehey Kim, Associate Professor in the Department of Art History at the University of Arizona. Kim Jeong Eun, who serves as Director of The Reference as well as Director of T3 Photo Asia, will lead the discussion, focusing on how East Asian photography has secured new visibility within the global context.

Drawing on leading research, emerging institutions, and a range of networks including platforms such as T3 Photo Asia, the session examines how East Asian photography is entering and transforming within the global photographic landscape. In particular, this session will serve as a special occasion to introduce K-Photo within the broader discourse of East Asian photography, highlighting the position of Korean contemporary photography within an international framework.


 
Gana Art

Gana Art is a gallery that has introduced modern and contemporary Korean art and artists to audiences both in Korea and abroad, while organizing a wide range of exhibitions and projects. Through a program encompassing painting, sculpture, photography, and other media, it has continually surveyed the trajectory of Korean art and expanded its global network through international art fairs and exhibitions. (https://www.ganaart.com)

The Reference

The Reference is a platform that integrates research, exhibitions, and publications with a focus on contemporary photography. Grounded in archival practice, it seeks to structurally connect artists, works, and discourse, contributing to the expansion of the critical and research foundations surrounding Korean photography. (https://www.the-ref.kr)

Park Avenue Armory

Park Avenue Armory is a historic architectural venue in Manhattan, New York, functioning as a multidisciplinary cultural institution capable of hosting large-scale exhibitions and performances. In particular, Wade Thompson Drill Hall, with its soaring ceiling and expansive interior, provides an ideal setting for art fairs and large-scale installations, and has been actively used to accommodate diverse formats of contemporary art exhibitions.

Event Information

Event: The Photography Show presented by AIPAD
Dates: April 22–26, 2026
Venue: Park Avenue Armory, New York
Booth: Gana Art, Booth D2
Official Website: https://www.aipad.com