President Lee Jae-myung recently emphasized that “in the international society of the 21st century, culture is at the core of national prestige and national power,” adding that “even an additional supplementary budget should be arranged if necessary to restore and strengthen the foundations of culture and the arts.”
2026.01.20In recent years, Korean contemporary art has no longer remained on the periphery of the global art world. Korean artists are continuously invited to major biennials and international museums, and in terms of both form and subject matter, Korean contemporary art has increasingly demonstrated the ability to respond to global artistic standards.
2026.01.06The partnership between Frieze Seoul and Kiaf SEOUL has been extended for an additional five years. Approved with near-unanimous support at an extraordinary general meeting of the Galleries Association of Korea, the decision represents more than a simple contract renewal. It signals how the association—which oversees and operates Kiaf—currently understands and positions the structure of the art fair within Korea’s art ecosystem.
2025.12.23Bradford’s work is often packaged under the label of “social abstraction.” Yet this term directly contradicts the foundations of abstraction itself and functions more as a sanitized institutional rhetoric that half-erases its ethical and political implications.
2025.12.02In Korean contemporary art, the dominance of external theories is not simply a matter of imitation or personal preference. It results from a long-accumulated structure shaped by art education, institutional frameworks, and evaluation systems within the art market and public institutions.
2025.11.18In contemporary Koren art, one fact stands out: despite countless exhibitions and projects held every week, very few artists have an official website that documents their practice in a structured and lasting way.
2025.10.28The Korean art market experienced significant shifts in 2024, with notable fluctuations in auction performance and art fair dynamics. In particular, the total hammer price in Korea’s domestic art auction market saw a 26% decline in the third quarter compared to the previous year, fueling concerns over an ‘art fair crisis.’
2025.03.11Ha Chong Hyun (b. 1935) is regarded as a pioneer of Dansaekhwa (Korean monochrome painting) in contemporary Korean art. His representative series, ‘Conjunction’, has played a crucial role in introducing Korean abstract painting to the global art scene.
2025.02.25In the contemporary art market, George Condo is recognized for his original style and strong portrayal of characters. His works fetch high prices at auction and often appear in the collections of high-profile collectors.
2024.12.03On November 20th, Maurizio Cattelan’s artwork, Comedian, once again stunned the world when it sold for $6.2 million (approximately KRW 8.67 billion) at Sotheby’s in New York. This event transcends mere sensationalism, offering a philosophical lens to reassess how contemporary art functions within the capitalist system.
2024.11.26Jong Oh has been creating work that involves staying in the space where his pieces will be installed, observing and feeling the architectural elements and invisible sensations of that place, and visualizing these through constructive forms.
2024.10.15What we commonly refer to as "art" (예술 in Korean) consists of "craft" (藝) and "technique" (術). The English word "art" originates from the Greek word "ars," meaning technique (techne). Before the 17th century, practical arts such as architecture, crafts, and design were all referred to as "art." However, as painting and sculpture separated from architecture, they came to be called fine art.
2024.10.08