"Dodo in the jungles" by Kim Sun-woo (Provided by the Galleries Association of Korea)
The Galleries Art Fair, Korea’s oldest art fair, will return in April with an unprecedented number of participating galleries.
The 43rd edition of the art fair — started in 1979 and is run by the Galleries Association of Korea — will kick off April 16 at Coex in southern Seoul, with 168 galleries taking part, a 12 percent increase from last year.
Participating galleries rose as more galleries joined the Galleries Association of Korea. About 20 galleries joined the association over the past two years, and now the association boasts a membership of 184 galleries.
“This year’s edition is aimed at introducing new artists who were selected based on evaluation not only by the association but also art experts from state or private museums,” said the association's chair Lee Sung-hoon at a press conference in Seoul on Monday.
All participating galleries' booths will be identical in size — six meters in length and seven meters in width.
"Vernacular Space" by Choo Sang-min (Provided by the Galleries Association of Korea)
The art fair’s “Zoom-In Edition” is to present 10 rising artists — Prettylinez Jung Hyun, Regina Kim, Minjung See, Park Bo-sun, Park Ji-sue, Bang Jin-tae, Shin Ye-rin, Lee Ji-woong, Choi Ji-one and Choo Sang-min — who were selected after a review by the association and curators from the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea, Seoul Museum of Art and Ilmin Museum of Art, among others.
The event's sponsorship was strengthened this year, according to the association, with KB Financial Group supporting the art fair. The Galleries Art Fair in Suwon, a spinoff of the art fair inaugurated last year, will be held in June.
