With new art director, Art Busan to highlight Asian female artists in May

By Woo Jae-yeon

SEOUL, April 2 (Yonhap) — The annual art fair Art Busan, set to open next month, will focus on the growing alliance and influence of Asian female artists, its organizer said Tuesday.

“Unlike the previous special fairs that focused on individual artists’ flair, we aim to convey a unified message to the global art scene this year,” Art Busan’s Managing Director Jeong Seok-ho said during a press conference in Seoul.

In pursuit of this objective, the organizer has named Joo Yeon-hwa, an art professor at Hongik University in Seoul, as the inaugural art director for the special exhibition section titled Connect, who is expected to provide the fair with “professional insight and fairness,” Jeong said.

“With the guidance of such a well-connected director, we can significantly elevate Art Busan’s prominence on the global art stage,” he said. “I feel a heavy sense of responsibility in ensuring the successful management of the fair, given its status as Asia’s second-largest fair, following Art Basel in Hong Kong.”

The Connect section will feature first-generation female contemporary artists, including Japanese artist Kusama Yayoi, Korean visual artist Jung Kang-ja and Chinese performance artist Xiao Lu. This presentation will be part of the program titled “Herstory.”

“Focus Asia: China” will highlight the trend of Chinese art through the works of established Chinese artists, such as Zhu Jinshi, Yan Lei and Ma Shuqing.

The organizer also unveiled a plan to transform the fair into a local festival, incorporating various cultural activities, such as food and accommodations, throughout the art fair week. Furthermore, they will introduce a mobile application called Art Round, enabling art patrons to navigate the fair online.

The director emphasized the shifting dynamics within the Asian art scene, highlighting South Korea’s ascent as one of the most influential art markets in the region over the past few years. This trend was underscored by Frieze’s inauguration of its Seoul edition in 2022, in collaboration with Kiaf, the nation’s largest annual art fair.

While collaborating with global fair brands has its own merits, growing and expanding a local brand is equally, if not more, important, he said.

Launched in 2012, Art Busan has rapidly grown to become one of the country’s premier annual art festivals, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with Kiaf Seoul. This growth has enticed major art galleries and influential collectors from both the domestic and international arenas to converge on the port city, 320 kilometers southeast of Seoul, every spring.

Art Busan claimed the top spot in the local art market last year, both in terms of visitor numbers and sales volume, according to Jeong.

Breaking away from its traditional boundaries, Art Busan ventured into new territory by hosting its first design festival, Define: Seoul, in October. This event aimed to spotlight contemporary design blending Eastern and Western aesthetics, while also celebrating Korean heritage.

During Tuesday’s event, Jeong shared his long-term vision to expand Art Busan into overseas markets.

“I believe in the idea of establishing our own art fair brand overseas, rather than relying solely on global names,” he said.

“When we try to do that, it is inevitable that other local players will join the competition, and eventually, someone will succeed in making it happen,” he said.

The 13th edition of the art fair will see participation from 127 galleries representing 20 countries. The event will be held in the city from May 9-12.

jaeyeon.woo@yna.co.kr
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