Emerging Korean Art Heads to London and Paris... From Hwang Suyeon to Seven New Galleries

Hwang Suyeon’s New Work, “We Are Old Weight, Still Tender,” to Be Unveiled at Frieze London
Special Exhibition at Paris Internationale... Seven Galleries and 17 Artists and Artist Teams to Participate
Expanding Korean Art’s Global Reach... Exchanges with Local Curators and Collectors

Emerging Korean art will meet local audiences and collectors in London and Paris, two of Europe’s leading art markets, this October. At the world-renowned Frieze London art fair, the spotlight will be on new works by artist Hwang Suyeon. In Paris, seven Korean galleries established less than five years ago will seek to enter overseas markets through a special exhibition.

Installation view of works by artist Hwang Suyeon at Focus Asia, Frieze Seoul 2024. Sculptures in various forms made of sand were arranged inside and outside glass structures, exploring the relationship between material weight and balance, and form. G Gallery.

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Arts Management Service announced on the 12th that they will run a program this month to support the international expansion of Korean art in conjunction with Frieze London in the UK and Paris Internationale in France. The initiative aims to introduce promising Korean artists and emerging galleries to the international art world and expand exchanges with local art institutions, curators, and collectors.

At Frieze London, which runs from October 14 to 18 in Regent's Park, the program "KAMS: Platform Korea" will be presented. The featured artist is sculptor Hwang Suyeon, who has explored the relationships between the material properties of substances, gravity, weight, pressure, balance, and the body. She will present a new work, "We Are Old Weight, Still Tender."

The work consists of forms made from solidified sand that are partially or fully submerged in water. Through the weight of the material, water's buoyancy, and the stability and instability of forms, it reveals the relationship between matter and force that the artist has continually explored. The work will be shown in a prominent space at the main Frieze London fair, with the aim of expanding the artist's connections with people in the international art world.

On October 13, ahead of the exhibition, a curatorial roundtable on international trends in Korean contemporary art will also take place at No. 9 Cork Street, a Frieze London exhibition venue. Charlotte Horlyck, a professor of Korean art history at SOAS University of London, will moderate the discussion. Professor Jeong Yeon-shim of Hongik University and Jo Min-gu, a curatorial fellow at South London Gallery, will take part.

Artist Lee Hyunwoo's 2026 work "Sim-Mua." The sculpture combines a black form reminiscent of a bird's beak with a branch-like structure. It will be featured in the Paris special exhibition "Second Nature." WWNN

The program will then move to Paris. In collaboration with Paris Internationale, the Korea Arts Management Service will present a special exhibition of emerging Korean galleries, "NEXT KOREA: GALLERIES," near the Canal Saint-Martin in Paris's 10th arrondissement from October 19 to 24.

Launched in 2015, Paris Internationale is an international contemporary art fair that has focused on introducing emerging and mid-sized galleries and experimental contemporary art. This year, 56 galleries from 19 countries and five nonprofit exhibition spaces will participate.

Seven Korean galleries established less than five years ago will take part in the special exhibition: Ranee Seoul, WWNN, Sanghieut, APOproject, Lee Ah, Ingahee Gallery, and Caption. Seventeen artists and artist teams will present 43 works, including paintings, sculptures, and installations.

The exhibition is titled "Second Nature" and is co-curated by Yoo Ji-won of Korea and Oriane Durand of France. Ranee Seoul will present works by Duki Kim, Nam Sinho, and Kang Geon; WWNN will show works by Lee Youngwook, Lee Hyunwoo, and Park Jonghyun; and Sanghieut will present works by BBK (Jang Jongwan and Jang Junho) and Lee Jisu. Lee Ah will show works by Jung Sujeong, Son Heemin, and Noah El Hachem; Ingahee Gallery will present works by Gu Jieun; and Caption will show works by Kay Yoon and Lee Yongjae.

Jeong Sujeong's 2018 work "Giving Answers to Bosch." The painting fills the canvas with a fantastical landscape of violet figures tangled together in strange poses. It will be featured in the Paris special exhibition "Second Nature." Lee A.

Ranee Seoul, WWNN, and Caption will make their international art fair debuts through this program. The initiative is significant in that it gives galleries in their early years the opportunity to present their works and curatorial capabilities directly to the European art market.

Local exchange programs are also planned. Alongside the special exhibition's opening, there will be gallery talks, conversations with artists, and exhibition tours for local art professionals. The program will also support exchanges with major Parisian art institutions, including the Guimet Museum and the Fondation Cartier pour l'art contemporain.

Kim Jang-ho, CEO of the Korea Arts Management Service, said, "For Korean art to continue expanding overseas, it is important to give promising artists and galleries opportunities to present their works and curatorial capabilities directly on the international art scene and build networks with local professionals. We will provide support to help these opportunities lead to tangible follow-up results."

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