The South Korean art scene in 2024 faced challenges due to economic stagnation, leading to a quieter atmosphere compared to the pandemic years. According to the Korea Art Appraisal Association and Artprice, the total sales from online and offline auctions at 10 major domestic auction houses amounted to approximately ₩115.1 billion, only 75% of last year’s total and the lowest in five years.

Despite this, art enthusiasts continued to visit museums to experience exhibitions that embraced diverse themes, including installations, video art, crafts, and landscape design. While international curators and overseas artists were prominently featured, the lack of major solo exhibitions by local fine artists highlighted a notable gap.

The National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art’s (MMCA) Things Dreaming: What Do Objects Dream Of? was the year’s most popular exhibition, attracting an average of 1,801 visitors per day, with a total of 221,542 attendees. This group exhibition invited audiences to see the world from the perspective of objects, stepping away from human-centric narratives. Its quirky video, installation, and photography works resonated strongly with younger audiences, with 20-somethings accounting for 55.5% of visitors and 30-somethings making up 20.7%.

Architecture and crafts exhibitions also drew significant attention. The Seoul Museum of Art’s Future Positive: Norman Foster and Foster + Partners, featuring the renowned architect behind Apple Park, was its most visited show, with 181,000 attendees. Meanwhile, the MMCA’s Deoksugung branch presented Modern and Contemporary Korean Embroidery: Birds Catching the Sun, the first exhibition to comprehensively showcase 20th-century Korean embroidery. It was highly praised for its cultural significance and drew 149,428 visitors.

The 15th Gwangju Biennale, Pansori: The Resonance of All (September 7 to December 1), curated by star curator Nicolas Bourriaud, garnered global attention. The main exhibition attracted 229,830 visitors, while its pavilion exhibitions, featuring participants from 31 countries and institutions, saw 490,881 attendees. Notably, the proportion of foreign visitors increased by 7% compared to previous editions. However, some criticized the disconnect between the exhibition’s use of the Korean term “pansori” and its focus on global issues like the Anthropocene and climate change, leaving the regional context of Korean art underexplored.

While international artists and curators took center stage, the absence of solo exhibitions highlighting local or Asian fine artists was apparent. Notable individual shows included Jung Youngsun: For Everything That Breathes on This Land (MMCA, Seoul), Anicka Yi (Leeum Museum), and Nicolas Party (Ho-Am Art Museum). These exhibitions focused on landscape architects or invited overseas artists, leaving fewer opportunities for domestic talents to showcase their work on a larger scale.

The Gwangju Biennale and Busan Biennale also appointed European curators, continuing a trend that prioritizes international perspectives. Critics pointed out that, unlike U.S. institutions that celebrate artists working within their cultural context, South Korea has yet to establish systematic research and exhibition frameworks to promote artists operating within Asian and Korean narratives.

An art industry insider noted, “U.S. museums often consider artists working within the country, regardless of nationality, as American artists and actively study and showcase them. South Korea could similarly nurture its artists and curators, offering opportunities for growth by highlighting regional contexts and perspectives.”

Sayart / Jason Yim, yimjongho1969@gmail.com