4 Things That Happened in the Asian Art World This Fall
In the first of a new quarterly series, we hear from Hilary Joo, a Seoul-based sales manager and gallery partnerships lead at Artsy, for her thoughts on what has happened in the Asian art market this quarter.
Art Collaboration Kyoto’s appeal continues to soar
Interior view of Art Collaboration Kyoto. Photo by Moriya Yuki. Courtesy of Art Collaboration Kyoto.
With several art fairs happening almost every month, Art Collaboration Kyoto (ACK) stands out for its unique concept, where Japanese galleries invite an international counterpart to share a fair booth with.
This year was ACK’s third edition and the number of visitors has increased. What makes the fair so appealing to both galleries and visitors? Like much of the art world, I travel to multiple art fairs throughout the year and several of them are overwhelming to visitors, who are tasked with walking around a huge venue and trying to see as many artworks as possible.
ACK, on the other hand, is one of the most relaxing fairs I’ve been to. With 64 exhibitors, the fair is a comfortable size for visitors to enjoy in a more slow-paced environment. It’s also an ideal entry point for international galleries, too.
“It’s trustworthy for international galleries to be invited by their colleagues,” said Jeffrey Rosen, the director of Tokyo-based Misako & Rosen. “More people are interested in Asia and this system facilitates an introduction. Everyone visiting the fair knows the format and expectation is in the right place. The shared fair booth, making the booth fee a lot more affordable, is a plus.”
Shanghai Art Week returns
Exterior view of West Bund Art & Design, 2023. Courtesy of West Bund Art & Design.
Last year, a colleague based in Shanghai messaged me in shock saying that the ART021 Shanghai Contemporary Art Fair had closed after its first day due to COVID-19. This year’s Shanghai Art Week, however, was filled with collectors and gallerists visiting the city from different parts of the world. The opening of two major art fairs, West Bund Art & Design and ART021, coincided with the launch of the 14th Shanghai Biennale during the same week. Multiple museum exhibitions contributed to an artistic buzz across the city as well.
In total, 185 exhibitors, including major players like Pace Gallery, White Cube, and ShangArt Gallery, exhibited in West Bund Art & Design, while ART021 also made a successful comeback, with participants including Gagosian, David Zwirner, and Whitestone Gallery. The latter’s VIP day was so packed that visitors expressed difficulties walking around the fair venue.
China plays an important role in the art world. It’ll be interesting to see how the post-pandemic era will change the domestic art market after the successful comeback of its two major art fairs this year.
A new art fair arrives in Seoul
Exterior view of Define:Seoul, 2023. Courtesy of Define:Seoul.
A new fair, Define: Seoul, held its first edition in Seongsu in early November. The fair was launched by the Art Busan team, one of the largest art fairs in Korea that takes place in May.
The fair location added a uniqueness. Seongsu-dong is a part of Seoul that’s known to be a hip and trendy hub, with young designer brand studios and cool cafés aplenty. The fair was spread out in three different venues, allowing visitors to walk around the area and feel the buzz of the cool neighborhood.
It’s quite exciting to see an art fair taking a risk and exploring different territory. Despite the fact the Korean art market has risen to become the shining star in Asia, the opportunities for design art are still quite limited. I hope Define: Seoul continues to introduce different mediums to the Korean audience and keeps its unique point of view intact over the coming years.
Park Seo-bo remembered
Park Seo-bo, a famed master of the Dansaekhwa (Korean monochrome painting) movement, passed away on October 14th at the age of 91 from lung cancer. Park is a symbolic figure in Korean contemporary art. Born in 1931 in North Gyeongsang Province, he grew up under Japanese colonial rule. He is primarily known for his “Ecriture” series of paintings, which involve his technique of drawing lines repeated on canvas.
On the day he passed away, the art world was full of people expressing their condolences. I remember when he first revealed his lung cancer in a post on his Instagram in February 2022. It said the lung cancer was at an advanced stage, yet he expressed a strong will to continue painting. His passion and love for art will be dearly missed.
