4. Rapport: Seoul

By Insun Woo

^{Originally Published on September 3rd, 2024}
^{Updated on September 23rd, 2024}
In recent years, the world has been swept up by all things Korean – from music and TV shows to beauty products and cuisine. The impact of K-culture is palpable in the UAE as well, with events such as the Korean Film Festival and K-Lover’s Night taking place. If Korean contemporary art had lingered just out of view for years, it became the latest to join the internationally celebrated list of K-culture with the launch of Frieze Seoul in 2022.

As major magazines and newspapers such as Ocula Magazine, The Arts Newspaper, and the New York Times continue to pump out news on the latest developments in the Korean art scene, this Rapport distinguishes itself as a report on different aspects of Seoul’s art scene born from a personal engagement with it between Fall 2023 to Summer 2024 – yet another pivotal year for Korean contemporary art with major exhibitions happening at institutions like the Philadelphia Museum of Art in Pennsylvania, Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York, and Victoria & Albert Museum in London.

During this period, I had the opportunity to explore the nooks and crannies of the city and first-hand experience the diverse works created by artists, curators, and writers, as well as the challenges they face. This Rapport begins by tracing Frieze Seoul’s rippling effects, followed by an examination of a defining characteristic of the Korean art scene: substantial funding provided by governmental institutions. Next is a highlight of the history and contributions of independent art spaces across the city, which serve as the heartbeat of Seoul’s vibrant art scene. The final section delves into a specific social media phenomenon that appears to be unique to the Korean art scene.

Frieze Seoul and its Ripple Effect

Since its inaugural edition, Frieze Seoul has taken place at the COEX Convention & Exhibition Center in southern Seoul, alongside Korea’s largest homegrown art fair, Kiaf Seoul. While the joint opening has posed certain challenges for the latter in terms of securing attention, the benefits of the cooperation have also been clear. “I believe the influx of international visitors ultimately had a beneficial effect on the domestic galleries participating in Kiaf,” says Ryan Choi, Associate Director of Joong Jung Gallery, located in the scenic Pyeongchang-dong neighborhood, home to several other galleries. “Joong Jung Gallery was able to connect with and make sales to new international clients and dealers who visited Kiaf in conjunction with attending Frieze Seoul.”

1. G Gallery exhibiting WOO Hannah, Focus section. Photo by Lets Studio. Courtesy of Lets Studio and Frieze.

The magic of Frieze and Kiaf is amplified outside where the madness on the art fair grounds erupts into a whirlwind of exhibitions, cocktail receptions, parties, talks, and programs organized by various art spaces across the city. The UAE-born and based artist Sarah Almehairi’s first solo exhibition in Korea, for example, was organized in alignment with the dates of Frieze Seoul 2023. “The UAE embassy of Korea recognized its significance as well, and the ambassador H.E. Abdulla Saif Al Nuaimi and the representatives of the media department attended the opening of the exhibition,” shares Choi.

2. View from the opening of Off Centered Pauses, solo exhibition of Sara Almehairi at Joong Jung Gallery, Seoul, Korea, September 4 - October 7, 2023. Image courtesy of Joong Jung Gallery.

“We’re trying to pack as many exhibition openings and public programs as possible into this period to give visibility to as many local artists as possible when international visitors come.”

_{– Sola Jung, Chief Curator at Seoul Museum of Art}

Catching international curators and collectors as they wander onto the streets of Seoul is an opportunity that cannot be missed by museums as well. “We’re trying to pack as many exhibition openings and public programs as possible into this period so that we can give visibility to as many local artists as possible when international visitors come,” says Sola Jung, Chief Curator at Seoul Museum of Art (SeMA).

This year, the museum has partnered up with Seoul Art Week, an initiative introduced in 2021 by the Seoul Metropolitan Government to promote contemporary art in the city, complementing its nation-wide counterpart, Korea Art Week (est. 2015).

Artistic Production + Curatorial Initiatives + Generous Public Support = Creative Flourishing

The frenzy of Seoul Art Week is just an amplified version of what the city offers year-round. With over 350 art museums, galleries, and independent spaces, Seoul brims with captivating exhibitions and programs. This vibrant activity is driven by the confluence of artistic production, independent curatorial initiatives, and support from both public and private organizations.

Generous public support is a striking aspect of Korea’s art scene. “Among Asian countries, we have the most government support; the amount and method of funding for the arts are highly diverse, which greatly shapes the condition for artistic production,” says Ji Yoon Yang, Director of Alternative Space LOOP.

Active support for contemporary art is tied to South Korea’s cultural policy, which recognizes culture as the key means to growing its economy and soft power. The state has actively promoted the arts through financial investments, active collaboration with the private sector, and establishment of cultural export agencies – the result of which is the global success of K-POP, K-Drama, and Korean film, a phenomenon known as Hallyu, today.

“Among Asian countries, we have the most government support; the amount and method of funding for the arts are highly diverse, which greatly shapes the condition for artistic production.”

– Ji Yoon Yang, Director of Alternative Space LOOP

The systems driving Hallyu are also what support contemporary art in Korea. Indeed, grants are given out by government bodies such as the Art Council of Korea (ARKO), Korea Arts Management Service (KAMS), and various cultural foundations for artists to publish catalogs and organize exhibitions.

“Usually, a third of my grant is dedicated to renting an exhibition space.”

_{— Minji Kim, Artist}

Unfortunately, ample support doesn’t necessarily translate into financial security for artists. In most cases, grants cover only the production cost of an exhibition, especially due to the pricey real estate in Seoul. “Usually, a third of my grant is dedicated to renting an exhibition space,” said Minji Kim, a young multidisciplinary artist interested in exploring the human body, image-text relationships, and imaginaries of technology-invaded futures. “While it depends on the space, to rent one for three to four weeks requires around 3-5 million Korean won” (equivalent to approximately 2,200-3,700 USD).

Artists are required to figure out a system that would sustain their practice and livelihoods. Outside of her time in the studio, Minji Kim teaches art to adults and children and gives yoga lessons.

Public funding comes with other kinds of challenges. Not only does applying for grants involve onerous paperwork, but it is also emotionally taxing due to what may be called a “language barrier” between artists and grant administrators. In many cases, the latter come from non-art backgrounds and lack an understanding of artistic processes, requiring artists to provide painstaking justification for changes made in expenditure throughout the creative process.

Yet, it is undeniable that such proactive support continues to attract and cultivate artists to the South Korean capital, buttressing robust artistic production in Korea.

The Heartbeat of Seoul’s Art Scene: Independent Spaces

Exhibitions and programs held at large institutions certainly have their own charm. Yet, the pulse of Seoul’s art scene lies in its independent art spaces. Concentrated in neighborhoods such as Hongdae, Euljiro, and Seochon, but also sprouting in less popular, low-rent neighborhoods across Seoul, these fringe spaces offer artists the opportunity to stage bold experiments.

3. Naver Map of art spaces across Seoul, including museums, galleries, and independent spaces. Courtesy of the author. Click on the image or link to view the map: https://naver.me/xdpp5Inw. Courtesy of Insun Woo.

As illuminated by independent curator Sung Woo Kim and Sungah Serena Choo, curator at Leeum Museum of Art, in an interview with Frieze, the origin of independent art spaces in Korea dates back to the late 1990s, when the economic slump caused by the 1997-8 Asian financial crisis also put a severe strain on the country’s art market.

Declaring themselves as “alternatives” to the mainstream art institutions that favored established artists, several independent spaces opened up to support young artists pursuing experimental practices. A few standing strong today include Alternative Space LOOP, Insa Art Space, and Project Sarubia, whose operational structures (and scales) have come to approach the institutional.

Second- and third-generations of independent spaces, which arose throughout the early and mid-2010s, continued to support young artists but with a slightly different operating system. Very few spaces operate as non-profits, and most function as “mixed bag[s],” as phrased by Choo, with some selling works and others running programs for hire. This choice is inevitable in the face of spiraling rents across Seoul that are wiping out small businesses and independent (nonprofit) spaces alike. Forced to prioritize financial needs over clear curatorial directions, many independent spaces show artists who can bear rental expenses.

Spotlight: Independent Spaces in Seoul

BOAN1942 | Located in the Tongui-dong neighborhood, BOAN1942 is a cultural space consisting of exhibition spaces, a bookstore, and a guest house, which reflects its history as an inn that served as a gathering spot for Korean writers, poets, and artists. Describing itself as an “accommodation of culture,” BOAN1942 has focused on showing life-based and site-specific multimedia art since 2007 to defamiliarize the ecosystem of cultural populism.

AMADO ART SPACE | Established in 2013 by art critics and curators, Amado Art Space has firmly rooted itself as an alternative to the mainstream contemporary art system. It maintains a sustained focus on process-oriented artistic and curatorial practices that challenge the visually and result-oriented values of the art market. One of its signature programs, Amado Annualnale, encourages artists and curators to collaboratively develop exhibitions.

YPC SPACE | YPC Space functions as a platform for Yellow Pen Club – a collective consisting of Junghyun Kwon, Areum Lee, and Jiwon Yu – to present its projects. Beginning in 2015 as a small group studying art criticism, YPC has since expanded its activities to produce writings, exhibitions, and publications about art made by young, emerging artists. Reflecting the origins of YPC as an art criticism study group, YPC Space regularly organizes lectures, study groups, and reading sessions.

In addition to independent art spaces, there are significant initiatives that enrich Seoul's art landscape. One notable example is Seoul Reading Room, a semi-public library of contemporary art and theory established in 2016 focusing on collecting ephemeral materials oft-neglected by institutions. Describing itself as “located somewhere between a public library and a personal study,” it is run collectively by Jaeyong Park, Sejin Park, Hayeon Lee, Saerom Suh, Yeongeun Cha, and Yoonjoo Seung – each of whom is an arts and cultural professional.

Like many other independent initiatives, Seoul Reading Room emerged from a blend of personal need and chance. Its beginnings stretch back to a library of art-related books built by Work on Work – a curatorial collective led by Jaeyong Park from 2011 to 2016 – to fulfill Park’s need for access to such a resource. After the collective disbanded in 2016, Park established Seoul Reading Room as he needed to register as a business to collaborate with institutions under Korean law.

“I want Seoul Reading Room to be a place where my non-art friends can come and talk about what we are doing.”

_{– Jaeyong Park, Curator, Writer, and Translator}

8. “Book and Coffee” organized by Youngeun Cha and Jaeyong Park in May 2023. Image courtesy of Seoul Reading Room.

The beauty of Seoul Reading Room lies in its openness to people of all ages and backgrounds, as it organizes an eclectic set of programs such as Art Cornucopia, Books and Coffee, Photo Album Unboxing, SCHOOL Translation Draft Reading Group, and Visual Art Writing Seminar. “I want Seoul Reading Room to be a place where my non-art friends can come and talk about what we are doing,” says Jaeyong Park.

This commitment to greater accessibility also informs its financial model. The NPNL (No Profit No Loss) system allows participants to contribute any amount they wish, including nothing, ensuring the space operates sustainably while preserving its spirit as a gathering place free from commercial logic. “You could be an artist or a student for whom a 20,000-won entrance fee (approximately 14 USD) for a public program is a lot. If you wish to attend, you should be able to do so. It’s important to have the option,” states Park.

Artists also find ways to organize participatory workshops beyond the walls of traditional art spaces. The second edition of OHM Project, held on March 23, 2024, is one such case. Conceived collaboratively by artists Minji Kim, Jooyeon Cho, and Shantal Jiwon Kim, the workshop centered on rethinking natural disasters as ongoing events in the everyday and sensitizing participants to their eating habits.

“It started with this desire to do something different than a typical gallery exhibition to talk about ‘the experience of food,’ which is shared by everyone,” says Minji Kim. “We wanted to create a space for people to sit together, eat, and talk about food.”

Digital Influence: Contemporary Art Social Media Influencers

There are contemporary art social media influencers such as Crakti (@crakti), CUSA (@magazine.curator), and Oottoogi (@oottoogi) who have gained clout in recent years – a phenomenon that is perhaps unique to Korea’s art scene.

“With @crakti, I wanted to draw attention to exhibitions featuring young and emerging Korean artists and those held at lesser-known galleries or institutions, rather than just the more commercial and Instagrammable ones already popular among the general public.”

^{– Summer Jimin Park, Curator}

Motivations driving these accounts vary. “My initial motivation for starting @crakti was personal—I wanted a space to document and share my exhibition experiences,” said Summer Jimin Park, who recently began her Master’s studies at Columbia University after working as an arts professional in Korea for six years. “As my audience grew, I realized how my account could serve a broader purpose: sharing information with a much wider audience, from art professionals to anyone with even a casual interest in visual art.”

“With @crakti, I wanted to draw attention to exhibitions featuring young and emerging Korean artists and those held at lesser-known galleries or institutions, rather than just the more commercial and Instagrammable ones already popular among the general public.” I also put a lot of effort into translating the often complex and unintelligible language of the art world into more accessible terms.”

9. @crakti on Instagram shares information about the latest exhibition in Korea and across the world. Image courtesy of @crakti

This year, the power of online influence was brought into an offline space at the Daegu International Art Fair (DIAF), where four influencers, including Crakti, were invited to curate a booth titled POSTING COLLECTION. The section aimed to attract younger visitors and encourage them to see themselves as potential collectors. The invited art enthusiasts contributed written accounts of their favorite artists at the fair, explaining what made these artists stand out. Additionally, the booth featured a recording of a casual Zoom discussion, where the influencers shared their ways of researching and collecting art, as well as how they use social media to document and share their experiences.

“This initiative was all about making the idea of collecting art feel more relatable, encouraging visitors to engage with the fair on a more personal level. Many responded by taking photos of the booth and tagging the influencers they followed on Instagram,” said Summer Jimin Park.

The growing impact of Instagram on the art world is regarded with concern and apprehension at times, and it is true that those who use the platform – whether they be artists sharing their works or arts professionals promoting art appreciation – should do so with a degree of self-reflexivity. Yet, it is also true that Instagram carries much potential to enhance the experience of art and grow the audience pool. Examining specific case studies that demonstrate the relationship between social media and the artworld to determine best practices seems to be an important task for the moment.

Acknowledgements. Grateful to:
Chan Sook Choi (artist), Dasle Seok (artist), Jay Junghee Kim (curator), Ji Yoon Yang (curator), Jaeyong Park (writer), Minji Kim (artist), Ryan Choi (curator), Sejin Park (curator), Summer Jimin Park (curator and @crakti), Sola Jung (curator), and Yedong Yoo (curator) for kindly providing your insights through spoken and/or written interviews.

About the writer:
Insun Woo, based between Abu Dhabi and Seoul, is a writer and researcher with a B.A. Art History from NYU Abu Dhabi. Her life experience of growing up in cities across the world—from London, Sofia, Seoul, Moscow, and Osaka to Abu Dhabi, New York, and Istanbul—as an East Asian woman informs her present-day interest in contemporary art that explores urban culture and history, memory studies, feminist thought, and the history of modern Korea. Currently an editor at Global Art Daily, Insun has previously managed a professional enrichment program for arts students at NYUAD Career Development Center; created a project related to “comfort women” survivors as part of the Guggenheim Museum’s Summer College Workshop; and contributed to Art in Culture, Canvas Magazine, Fiker Institute, and Guggenheim Blog.

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🔍 Legal

4. Rapport: Seoul

Frieze Seoul and its Ripple Effect

“We’re trying to pack as many exhibition openings and public programs as possible into this period to give visibility to as many local artists as possible when international visitors come.”

Artistic Production + Curatorial Initiatives + Generous Public Support = Creative Flourishing

“Among Asian countries, we have the most government support; the amount and method of funding for the arts are highly diverse, which greatly shapes the condition for artistic production.”

“Usually, a third of my grant is dedicated to renting an exhibition space.”

The Heartbeat of Seoul’s Art Scene: Independent Spaces

Spotlight: Independent Spaces in Seoul

“I want Seoul Reading Room to be a place where my non-art friends can come and talk about what we are doing.”

Digital Influence: Contemporary Art Social Media Influencers

“With @crakti, I wanted to draw attention to exhibitions featuring young and emerging Korean artists and those held at lesser-known galleries or institutions, rather than just the more commercial and Instagrammable ones already popular among the general public.”

︎︎︎Previous Next︎

E-Issue 08 –– SELSummer/Fall 2024

E-08++ Summer/Fall 2024

About ––

Interviews ––

Open Call ––

Newsletter ––

Chronological Archive ––

E-Issue 01 –– AUH/DXB Summer 2020

E-01++ Fall/Winter 2020-21

🎙️GAD Talk Series –– Season 1 2020

E-Issue 02 –– NYC Spring 2021

E-02++ Spring/Summer 2021

E-Issue 03 ––TYO Fall 2021

E-03++ Fall/Winter 2021-22

E-Issue 04 –– IST Spring 2022

E-04++ Spring/Summer 2022

E-Issue 05 –– VCE Fall 2022

E-05++ Fall/Winter 2022-23

E-Issue 06 –– DXB/SHJSpring 2023

E-Issue 07 –– AUHWinter 2023-24

E-07++ Winter/Spring 2024

🔍 Legal

4. Rapport: Seoul

Frieze Seoul and its Ripple Effect

“We’re trying to pack as many exhibition openings and public programs as possible into this period to give visibility to as many local artists as possible when international visitors come.”

Artistic Production + Curatorial Initiatives + Generous Public Support = Creative Flourishing

“Among Asian countries, we have the most government support; the amount and method of funding for the arts are highly diverse, which greatly shapes the condition for artistic production.”

“Usually, a third of my grant is dedicated to renting an exhibition space.”

The Heartbeat of Seoul’s Art Scene: Independent Spaces

Spotlight: Independent Spaces in Seoul

“I want Seoul Reading Room to be a place where my non-art friends can come and talk about what we are doing.”

Digital Influence: Contemporary Art Social Media Influencers

“With @crakti, I wanted to draw attention to exhibitions featuring young and emerging Korean artists and those held at lesser-known galleries or institutions, rather than just the more commercial and Instagrammable ones already popular among the general public.”

︎︎︎Previous Next︎

E-Issue 08 –– SEL
Summer/Fall 2024

E-08++
Summer/Fall 2024

E-Issue 01 –– AUH/DXB
Summer 2020

E-01++
Fall/Winter 2020-21

E-Issue 02 –– NYC
Spring 2021

E-02++
Spring/Summer 2021

E-Issue 03 ––TYO
Fall 2021

E-03++
Fall/Winter 2021-22

E-Issue 04 –– IST
Spring 2022

E-04++
Spring/Summer 2022

E-Issue 05 –– VCE
Fall 2022

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Fall/Winter 2022-23

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Spring 2023

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Winter 2023-24

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Winter/Spring 2024