"Buying Visitors" Outshined 60,000 Attendees... Art Busan Driven by Local Collectors

VIP Visits Up 33% as Booths Sell Out

Emerging Artists Drive Sales; 93.2% Plan to Return

Differentiation Through Local Collector Purchases and Exhibition-Style Layout

Over the course of four days, 60,000 people attended the event. More notable than the numbers, however, was the way visitors engaged with the fair. Many lingered in front of artworks, asked artists about their creative worlds, and increasingly followed through with actual purchases. Celebrating its 15th anniversary this year, Art Busan demonstrated the potential of a platform-style art fair that goes beyond simply being a marketplace, integrating exhibitions, collecting, and urban experiences.

Interior view of Art Busan 2026. Art Busan

According to the Art Busan Organizing Committee on the 25th, 'Art Busan 2026,' held from May 21 to 24 at Exhibition Hall 1 of BEXCO in Busan, featured over 100 galleries from 18 countries and drew approximately 60,000 visitors over four days. While the overall attendance was similar to last year, the number of VIP visits and advance ticket sales indicators showed improvement.

There were 1,580 visitors for the VIP preview, a roughly 33% increase from last year, even on weekdays. Early-bird ticket sales surpassed last year's figures by 37% within just one month of sales. In a satisfaction survey of 503 attendees, 82.1% expressed satisfaction with the event, and 93.2% said they intended to return next year.

Sales were also robust. Everyday Mooonday, Gallery Seorin Space, Backroom, and Hippie Hannam sold all of their exhibited works. Yoon Sun Gallery sold out all 10 new pieces by Joseph Choi, while Backroom achieved complete sales centered around Gamulchi's new work, "Yeongdo Alleyways." Arirang, a Busan-based gallery, sold a total of 40 works, recording the highest volume of sales. Mak Gallery continued sales of works by Kim Eunju, Bang Jeonga, Kang Hyeeun, Park Jinseong, and Kim Hyunsoo.

Transactions involving major and international galleries were also confirmed. International Gallery organized a solo booth for Julian Opie, selling five pieces including "Angel couple 1." on the day of the VIP preview, and continued with additional sales throughout the event. Gladstone sold works by Alex Katz, Ugo Rondinone, Anicka Yi, Salvo, and David Rabinowitch. Tang Contemporary Art sold several pieces, including new works by Kim Sunwoo, while both Leeahn Gallery and Gallery Baton recorded sales of works by Kang So Lee, Yuichi Hirako, Heo Daljae, and Christian Hidaka.

On the afternoon of the 22nd, visitors at Art Busan held at BEXCO in Haeundae-gu, Busan, are viewing the work of Julian Opie from International Gallery. Photo by Yonhap News.

The most prominent feature in this year's summary was the presence of local collectors. According to the committee's survey, 74.6% of respondents were residents of Busan or Gyeongnam Province. The main reason for visiting was "viewing exhibitions and experiencing the atmosphere" at 59.6%, but "purchasing artworks" also accounted for 30.8%. One local collector said, "From the preview day, I encountered many local collectors in the exhibition hall. There was a sense that everyone had their eyes on specific pieces, and purchases continued through the weekend."

The FUTURE section, spotlighting emerging artists and young galleries, was also vibrant. Art Busan placed the FUTURE section along the main visitor route, putting new galleries and experimental works front and center. All works by Ryu Jimin of Hippie Hannam, winner of the Hana Future Art Award Grand Prize, were sold during the event. Japanese gallery Awase attracted attention with performances and works by So Souen, while Void Gallery reported continued inquiries about works by Masaho Anotani.

The exhibition format was further enhanced. This year, Art Busan designed solo booths and special sections such as CONNECT, FUTURE, and LIGHTHAUS to function not merely as sales spaces but as exhibition venues in their own right. Large-scale pieces by Moona C, shown by Everyday Mooonday at CONNECT and the solo booth, were sold immediately upon opening. Even for an 8-meter-wide folding screen work, there were ongoing inquiries from collectors.

Gallery LNL presented a multidimensional display of large sculptures, prints, and paintings by Seo Yongseon, selling several sculptural works. Mak Gallery drew attention with a booth focused on the artistic merit and spatial experience, showcasing Kim Eunju's new 21-meter-long pencil drawing.

Art Busan 2026 Key Achievements and Metrics

Programs outside the main fair also influenced visitor engagement. "Conversations" featured sessions on architecture, collecting, institutions, the global art market, and the relationship between cities and art, with all sessions fully booked before the opening. VIP programs such as artist studio visits, tours of Busan-based collectors' collections, and exhibitions linked to local spaces were also sold out in advance. By connecting gallery transactions inside the venue with urban experiences outside, Art Busan demonstrated the direction of a "city-style art fair" that it aspires to.

International galleries also responded positively. Bronze Gallery sold six works in a solo booth by French painter Jessica Lisse. Jacob Arthur Gallery sold 12 works in a solo booth by Dan Life. Philia Gallery also achieved sales with works by Yoon Saerom. This year, Art Busan selected Taiwan as the guest of honor, carried out joint judging and content collaboration with Art Taipei, and sought to expand the East Asian art network.

Son Younghee, Chairperson of Art Busan, stated, "Despite the global economic downturn, both domestic and international galleries trusted Art Busan's collector base and market potential and chose to participate. Continued purchases by local collectors have confirmed the potential of the regional art market."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.