Sayart.net - Korean Art and Architecture Scene Marks Transformative Year with Museums, Biennales, and Market Recovery in 2025

South Korea's cultural landscape experienced a remarkable evolution throughout 2025, with groundbreaking developments in photography, architecture, and the art market that positioned the nation as an increasingly influential force in the global creative community. The year witnessed the opening of the country's first public museum dedicated exclusively to photography, the celebration of three decades of Korean representation at the Venice Biennale, and a much-needed rebound in domestic art sales that signaled renewed confidence among collectors and institutions. These milestones collectively demonstrated Korea's maturing cultural infrastructure and its growing commitment to preserving and promoting contemporary artistic expression on both national and international stages. The Photography Seoul Museum of Art emerged as one of the year's most significant cultural additions when it opened its doors in May in Dobong-gu, a district in northern Seoul that had long been underserved by major cultural institutions. Operated under the umbrella of the Seoul Museum of Art, this pioneering facility spans four above-ground floors and two basement levels, housing an impressive collection of over 20,000 photographic works and archival materials. The museum's inaugural exhibition, "All That Photography," traces the trajectory of Korean contemporary photography from the 1960s through the 2010s, featuring contributions from 36 established and emerging Korean artists. Located just a ten-minute drive from the Buk-Seoul Museum of Art in neighboring Nowon-gu, the photography museum has created a new cultural corridor in northern Seoul, fostering synergistic relationships between institutions and bringing world-class art experiences to previously overlooked communities. The Korean Pavilion at the Venice Biennale reached its 30th anniversary in 2025, prompting unprecedented reflection on the nation's artistic legacy at the world's most prestigious international art exhibition. In May, Korean architects, curators, and cultural experts convened in Venice for a landmark forum at the Fondazione Querini Stampalia to examine the pavilion's significance since its establishment as the final permanent national pavilion in the Giardini in 1995. The anniversary celebration featured presentations from key figures including Franco Mancuso, the Italian architect who collaborated with the late Korean architect Kim Seok-chul on the pavilion's design, as well as former commissioners Kimm Jong Soung (2002) and Cho Min-suk (2014). Meanwhile, the 2025 Korean Pavilion exhibition "Little Toad, Little Toad, Unbuilding Pavilion," curated by the Curating Architecture Collective, demonstrated the country's continued innovative approach to architectural discourse. The Seoul Biennale of Architecture and Urbanism returned for its fifth edition in September, with British architect Thomas Heatherwick serving as general director and introducing the provocative theme "Radically More Human." The biennale, widely recognized as one of Asia's largest public architecture events, featured the ambitious installation "Humanise Wall" at Songhyeon Green Plaza, created through collaboration among nine diverse creative communities including artists, academics, activists, and architects. Heatherwick described the project as "a manifesto for the change that needs to happen in cities, which is asking, 'How do we make the buildings around us radically more human and more engaging for us?'" The event ran through November 18 across multiple venues, including the Seoul Hall of Urbanism and Architecture, and attracted international attention for its focus on human-centered urban design solutions. The Korean art market showed promising signs of recovery after nearly two years of downturn, with several high-profile sales restoring confidence in the sector's viability. Korean abstract art master Kim Whan-ki's painting "19-VI-71 206" achieved $8.4 million at Christie's 20th Century Evening Sale in New York on November 17, becoming one of the year's most significant achievements for Korean art on the global stage. While this fell short of the record $11.3 million paid for Kim's "05-IV-71 200 (Universe)" in Hong Kong in 2019, it nonetheless demonstrated strong international demand for Korean modern masters. Additionally, Seoul Auction's evening sale on November 24 generated total sales of 23.3 billion won ($16.2 million), marking the first time since August 2021 that a domestic auction surpassed the 20 billion won threshold, with Marc Chagall's "Bouquet de Fleurs" setting a new Korean auction record at 9.4 billion won. In a move that solidified Seoul's position as an emerging art fair destination, Frieze Seoul and Kiaf Seoul announced a five-year extension of their partnership, ensuring their collaborative events will continue through 2031. The Galleries Association of Korea, which operates Kiaf Seoul, unanimously approved the renewal on December 18, with only one abstention among 110 member galleries. The partnership, which began in 2022, has successfully positioned Seoul as a crucial stop on the international art fair circuit. Association President Lee Sanag-hoon emphasized the commitment to "strengthening Kiaf Seoul's global competitiveness while supporting Korean galleries and artists in expanding overseas," while Frieze CEO Simon Fox praised the "shared commitment to continuity and to strengthening international exchange" that the renewal represents.