Galleries Art Fair set for largest edition yet amid market slowdown

A view of the Galleries Art Fair 2024 at COEX in southern Seoul / Courtesy of Galleries Association of Korea 20 Korean galleries head to Expo Chicago this April By Park Han-sol As Korea's longest-running homegrown art event, the Galleries Art Fair is gearing up for its biggest edition ever this April, even as the art market continues to face sluggish sales. “This year’s fair will feature 168 domestic exhibitors — the highest number (since its founding in 1979),” Sun Gallery CEO Lee Sung-hoon, the new chair of the Galleries Association of Korea, said Monday at a press conference in Seoul. “With the market slowdown, fewer visitors are making their way to individual galleries.

Through the fair, we aim to create a vital connection between collectors and participating dealers,” said Kim Jeung-sook, the association’s public relations board member. The five-day event will happen from April 16 to 20 at COEX in southern Seoul, with participation limited to the more than 180 Korean dealers that are members of the association. Among the big-name returnees are Kukje Gallery, Gallery Hyundai, Gallery Shilla, PKM Gallery, Hakgojae Gallery, Johyun Gallery and Leeahn Gallery.



The special “ZOOM-IN” exhibition makes its sixth appearance, spotlighting 10 promising Korean artists under the age of 49. The finalists — Prettylinez Jung Hyun, Regina Kim, Minjung See, Park Bo-sun, Park Ji-soo, Bang Jin-tae, Shin Ye-rin, Lee Ji-woong, Choi Ji-one and Choo Sang-min — were selected from a pool of nearly 600 applicants. The top three winners will be determined through on-site visitor votes and judge evaluations on the fair’s opening day.

“We’ve raised the age limit from 39 to 49 this year. With newly expanded corporate sponsorships, these creatives will now receive greater support, including exhibition opportunities, in addition to prize money,” Kim said, introducing KB Financial Group as the program’s key partner. A view of Expo Chicago 2024 at Navy Pier's Festival Hall in Chicago / Courtesy of Galleries Association of Korea and Expo Chicago Meanwhile, Kiaf Seoul — an international art fair hosted by the Galleries Association of Korea — has announced a new partnership with Expo Chicago next month.

The collaboration comes after Frieze acquired Expo Chicago in 2023. Since 2022, Kiaf Seoul has been held alongside Frieze Seoul every September. Twenty Korean galleries, including Gana Art, Gallery Baton and One and J.

Gallery, are set to participate in the main Galleries section of the Chicago fair, running from April 24 to 27 at Navy Pier’s Festival Hall. Of the approximately 300 featured artworks, more than 80 percent will be by Korean artists..