On July 26, 2026, the Art Services Business Registration System came into effect under the Art Promotion Act. Businesses operating in six categories—galleries, art auctions, art advisory services, art rental and sales, art appraisal, and art exhibitions—are now required to register with the relevant local authority.
2026.08.04
Art spaces are more than venues for exhibiting works of art. They serve as vital intermediaries that discover new artists, generate critical discourse, and connect audiences, markets, and institutions. Changes in these spaces, therefore, are not simply matters of individual organizations adopting different modes of operation. They are important indicators of how the contemporary art ecosystem has evolved and the direction in which it is moving.
2026.07.21
In Korean society, internationalization and globalization emerged as major national agendas between the late 1980s and the mid-1990s. The 1988 Seoul Olympics was a symbolic event through which Korea began to present itself to the international community in a more visible and active way. In the 1990s, Korea rapidly entered the global order through democratization, market liberalization, cultural exchange, and participation in international organizations.
2026.07.07
One of the most significant stories in the global art world recently has been Pace Gallery’s large-scale staff reductions and restructuring of its artist roster. Across the international art community, the news was widely interpreted as a sign of crisis within the mega-gallery model.
2026.06.23
Recently, major media outlets including The New York Times, the international contemporary art platform Ocula, and ARTnews have extensively reported on the large-scale restructuring of Pace Gallery, one of the world’s leading mega-galleries. In particular, remarks by Pace CEO Marc Glimcher describing the current gallery model as not merely “broken” but effectively “unfixable” have sent ripples throughout the global art world.
2026.06.09
Fine art engages with society, the market, and institutions, but its mode of existence cannot be reduced to commodity production or the provision of services. An artist is not someone who produces works in order to satisfy the demands of a specific customer, and an artwork is not a product made to provide functional utility
2026.05.26
Public support was once the final bastion of art. It served as the only mechanism through which art could defend itself from the logic of the market—a space where the essence of artistic creation could be protected from the accelerating demands of capital.
2025.06.17
In today’s global art market, auctions and art fairs are no longer simply distribution channels or temporary festivities. Auctions reduce art to quantifiable numbers, while art fairs promote the rapid reproduction and immediate consumption of market-friendly works. Empowered by capital, these two forces now dictate not only the market’s direction but also the survival conditions of artists themselves.
2025.06.03
The Korean contemporary art scene today is enveloped in a profound silence—the absence of art criticism. Exhibitions abound, artworks circulate rapidly through the market, and artists are consumed at speed, but there is scarcely a voice that interprets, questions, or inscribes meaning into these movements.
2025.05.20
At some point, the phrase “good artwork” quietly disappeared from the art market’s vocabulary. In its place came expressions like “rising artist,” “sold-out exhibition,” and “best-selling series.” The value of an artwork is no longer judged by the emotions it evokes or the meaning it holds.
2025.04.29
In contemporary life, we often speak of “value,” yet rarely do we pause to examine what we mean by it. Under capitalism, value is almost instinctively reduced to a single measure: price. Art is no exception. The inherent meaning of a work—its inner necessity and expressive urgency—has gradually been pushed aside, while marketability and investment potential increasingly dictate how art is evaluated and consumed.
2025.04.15
At the dawn of the 21st century, the art world is undergoing a profound transformation, shaped by the rapidly evolving forces of capitalism, technological revolutions, and globalization. This transformation is not merely a sign of the times but a seismic shift that shakes the very foundation upon which art exists.
2025.03.25
