Korea Turns Into an Art Wonderland in September: Biennales and Art Fairs Held Nationwide

Four Biennales Including Gwangju, Busan, and Jeju, Plus KIAF and Frieze Seoul Held Simultaneously
Ninety-six Art Museums Participate Nationwide
Free Admission to National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art Exhibitions from September 1 to 6

The "2026 Korea Art Festival" will bring together biennales, art fairs, and museums across the country throughout September.

The '2026 Korea Art Festival' will be held nationwide from the 1st to the 30th. The Gwangju, Busan, Jeju, and Gyeonggi Ceramics Biennales, KIAF Seoul, Frieze Seoul, and 96 major art museums across the country will participate. The photo shows the poster of the '2026 Korea Art Festival.' Photo by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism announced that, together with the Korea Arts Management Service, it will host the "2026 Korea Art Festival" nationwide from the 1st to the 30th. This year’s festival includes four biennales—the Gwangju Biennale, Gyeonggi International Ceramic Biennale, Busan Biennale, and Jeju Biennale—alongside two art fairs, KIAF Seoul and Frieze Seoul, and 96 major art museums across the country.

Discount support for exhibition tickets will also continue. Since June, the ministry has offered a 30-70% discount on admission to major exhibitions, with about 13,000 people having benefitted as of August 26. Discount tickets for KIAF and Frieze Seoul, as well as the Gwangju, Busan, and Gyeonggi biennales, are already sold out, while tickets for the Jeju Biennale are currently being sold at 4,000 won—50% off the regular price. Additionally, a discounted KTX travel package connected to the Busan Biennale has been made available.

Thirty-five national and public art museums and sixty-one private art museums nationwide are also participating in the festival. All exhibitions at the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art’s Seoul, Gwacheon, Deoksugung, and Cheongju branches can be attended free of charge from the 1st to the 6th. In five regions—Gyeonggi, Chungcheong, Jeolla, Gyeongsang, and Jeju—there will be 13 “Art Journey” programs and two workshops, which offer tours with professional curators and docents of museums, biennales, and artists’ studios. Reservations for these programs are already closed.

Airports will also be transformed into exhibition spaces. From July to November, 29 media and installation works by 16 emerging and mid-career Korean artists will be displayed at Incheon, Gimpo, and Gimhae International Airports. In addition, from August 30 to September 6, the “Dive Into Korean Art” program will be held, with 15 international art professionals—such as curators and editors—visiting the studios of nine emerging Korean artists, local art institutions, and the Gwangju and Busan Biennales.

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism also plans to promote the festival overseas through Korean Cultural Centers abroad and the Korea Tourism Organization’s overseas offices, while distributing festival brochures at major biennales, KIAF Seoul, and Hiker Ground.

Choi Hui-young, Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism, stated, "The Korea Art Festival offers everyone the chance to encounter art in daily life and serves as a gateway for the world to experience Korean art. We will lay a strong foundation for the entire art ecosystem, from creative support to overseas expansion, so that visual art can become the next leading force in K-culture."

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