from September 2 to 6, COEX 3F Halls A and B
164 galleries from 17 countries, From rookie to legend
KiafPLUS with 73 galleries at SETEC

Sayart.net 

Jason Yim yimjongho1969@gmail.com 

Kiaf SEOUL, the largest art fair in Korea, is near at hand. It will be held from September 2 to 6 at COEX 3F. 164 famous galleries from 17 countries have confirmed their participation.

In addition, 73 galleries are expected to participate in Kiaf PLUS, which will be opened for the first time at SETEC from September 1 to 5. They will present various genres such as contemporary art, media art, and NFT.

Among Korean galleries, 12 major galleries such as Kukje, Hyundai, PKM, Hakgojae, and Leeahn ill also brighten up the event. They will be exhibiting at Freeze Seoul at the same time.

Ticket prices are not cheap. Early bird tickets are already sold out and only on-site sales are left. At the site, you can buy a preview ticket that can be seen every day from 11 am on September 3 until the closing of the two exhibitions (Frieze and Kiaf). The price is 200,000 won. The same-day ticket, which can be entered from 1 pm, costs 70,000 won.
 

The Korean art world expects the Korean art market to prosper with this big event as a starting point. This is because most experts believe that this event is a great opportunity to introduce Korean art and Korean artists to the world. 

▲ Mr. Misang, Modern Life is Rubbish #05, (2021), Courtesy of Kiaf SEOUL

 

On the other hand, There is an opinion that the future Korean art market may be subordinated to the overseas art world because of this huge art fair. The reason for this is the opinion that it is still too early for Korean art to compete with the world.

Combining the opinions of both sides, it is the opinion that the next five years will be the time to decide whether Korean art survives independently or is subordinated to foreign countries in the future.

Regarding the controversy, CEO Paik Hae-young, a major gallerist in Korea, said, “The results of this year’s art fair will all be good. But the problem is the next 5 years. The Korean art world needs to do deep research on how Korean content will survive in the increasingly fierce international art fair. Of course, the word ‘crisis’ is synonymous with "opportunity". In a word, her opinion means that Korean art is at a crossroads, meaning that this opportunity should be used as a stepping stone for leaps and bounds and growth.

▲ Lee Seung-Jo's work Nucleus 77. Courtesy of Kukje Gallery

 

At a press conference on the 22nd, Hwang Dal-Seong, president of the Korea Gallery Association, who operates Kiaf Seoul 2022, said,“Korea has a well-developed art infrastructure and the related tax rates are not high, so it can become a hub for the Asian art market. We are also co-hosting this year with Frieze and are working to improve the Korean art world system. Of course, Frieze is bigger and better than us. But we will compete in good faith with our own unique colors, creative spirit, and solid identities.”

Kiaf Seoul, which celebrates its 21st anniversary this year, will exhibit works that are unimaginable.

First of all, Korea's representative gallery, PKM Gallery, will present masters such as Hyung-Geun Yoon, Seung-won SEO, and Jin-Gyu Kwon, as well as mid-level artists such as Hyun-Jin Baek and Jeong-ah Koo. 

Gallery Hyundai will introduce Lee Kun-Yong, a member of the Korean avant-garde avant-garde group, scheduled for a group exhibition at The Guggenheim, New York, USA next year.

Kim Soo-ja, Korea's representative conceptual artist with the ‘Bottari’ series, will prepare a solo exhibition with the Belgian gallery, Axel Verfort.

Ghana Art will set up a booth focusing on the works of Kim Gulim, another figure who led the Korean avant-garde.

Asia's largest gallery, Tang Contemporary Art, will present the new works of the world-famous Chinese master, Ai Weiwei for the first time.

▲ Antony Gormley, ‘Stretch’ 2012, Courtesy of Kiaf SEOUL

 

The Italian art gallery Galleria Continua is expected to draw attention with installations and sculptures by internationally renowned contemporary artists such as Anish Kapoor and Anthony Gormley.