South Korea has been selected as the guest country at 《2007 Feria Internacional de Arte Contemporaneo (International Contemporary Art Fair)》, to be held from the 14th to the 19th of next month in Madrid, Spain, with around 90 Korean artists presenting their works.
 
According to the Guest Country Organizing Committee (Chairman Park Kwang Jin), 14 galleries will participate in the guest country program, including Gana Art Gallery, Gallery Simon, Gallery In, Gallery Hyundai, Kukje Gallery, Noh Gallery, Park Ryu Sook Gallery, Park Young Sook Gallery, Sun Gallery, Art Park, KAI Gallery, Hakgojae Gallery, Arario Gallery, and One and J.
 
These galleries will exhibit and sell works by 38 participating artists at a specially designated guest country pavilion within IFEMA, the ARCO exhibition venue.
 
Participating artists include Moon Kyungwon, Lee Jieun, Choi Sunmyung, Noh Sangkyun, Moon Beom, Choi U-ram, Hong Sungchul, Kim Jun, Bae Joon-sung, Park Jun-bum, Jung Yeondoo, Gimhongsok, Hong Seung-hye, Lee Kang-wook, Park Hyungjin, Kwon Kisoo, Kang Hyunkoo, Ham Seob, Kim Changyoung, Debbie Han, Chun Sungmyung, Lee Gilwoo, Lim Jaehyuk, Jung Gyuri, Kim Soon-rye, Hong Kyung-taek, Moon Seong-sik, Kang Ik-joong, Song Hyun-sook, Lee Bae, Kwon Osang, Park Yoon-young, Lee Dongwook, Lee Soogyeong, Yoo Seungho, and Sung Nakhee.
 
In addition to the guest country pavilion, several galleries—including Gana, Kukje, Arario, and Duru Art Space—will also operate booths in the general exhibition halls. In total, 15 Korean galleries will participate in ARCO.
 
Coinciding with the art fair, a special exhibition dedicated to the late Nam June Paik will be held from February 13 to May 20 at the Telefónica Foundation exhibition space in central Madrid, marking the first anniversary of his passing. Under the theme “A Fantastic and Hyper-Real Korean Vision of Nam June Paik,” the exhibition will present 86 works, including 108 Torments, Dolmen, and Zen for TV, with the cooperation of various Korean institutions.
 
In addition, seven special exhibitions will take place across Madrid in February and March, including 《In Search of Roots: Unfolding Korean Stories》, featuring works by 11 Korean artists from the 2006 Gwangju Biennale; 《Issues Surrounding Urbanity》, organized by alternative space artists; the media art exhibition 《Intermediae–Minbak》, co-organized by Art Center Nabi and Spanish partners; 《Korean Traditional Spatial Design through Photography》, featuring works by photographer Joo Myung-duk; 《Restarting Korean Design》; and 《Casa Encendida Invitation: Ahn Kyuchul Public Installation》. Through these exhibitions and the art fair, approximately 90 Korean artists will be introduced to Spain.
 
In addition to exhibitions, performances will include traditional shamanic rituals by Kim Keum-hwa, contemporary dance by the Ahn Eun-Me Dance Company, a concert by indie band UhUhBoo Project, and a contemporary music performance by Ensemble TIMF. The film program will feature a special screening of works by 10 Korean directors, as well as retrospectives of directors Kim Ki-duk and Hong Sangsoo.
 
The Literature Translation Institute of Korea will also hold its first event of the year during ARCO, with the participation of authors such as Ko Un, Hyun Ki-young, and Choi Seungho, who have been introduced to Spanish audiences.
 
Kim Jung-hwa, commissioner of the guest country program, stated, “We hope this event will serve as an opportunity to introduce Korean contemporary culture as a whole, centered around the visual arts,” under the overall theme “Corea Ahora (Korea Now).”
 
Although the organizing committee, supported by a budget of 3.5 billion KRW, had previously faced conflicts—including the resignation of former commissioner Kim Sunjung and disagreements over artist and gallery selection—the issues have recently been resolved, and the event plan has been finalized with about 40 days remaining before the opening.
 
ARCO is considered one of the world’s top five art fairs alongside the Chicago Art Fair, Art Basel, Art Cologne, and FIAC in France. Each year, it selects a guest country, offering free booths to participating galleries and supporting nationwide cultural events including exhibitions and performances across Spain.
 
Now in its 26th edition, this year’s ARCO is expected to feature 259 galleries from 30 countries, with an anticipated attendance of around 200,000 visitors.

References

• 스페인 아르코에 한국 미술가 90명 총출동
  90 Korean Artists to Participate in ARCO Art Fair in Spain