Korean Art London is the UK’s first art fair dedicated to Korean contemporary art, showcasing works by South Korea’s leading artists alongisde those of rising stars and emerging artists.
Held throughout all three Mall Galleries spaces, works by over 30 artists create a collective of site-specific exhibitions by an art collective in the largest Korean visual arts event in the UK.
Leading artists include: Sang Woon Nam who uses his signature Blue Moon ultramarine to paint huge photorealist lotus leaves, often with the addition of tiny satirical elements.
Sang Woon Nam, ‘Blue Moon’, oil on cavas, 65 x 91 cm
Na Ri Choi is a contemporary pop artist whose unmistakable cartoon characters are drawn from squeezy sauce bottles. For her latest series, Hojkado in the House, she reimagines a satirical genre of Korean folk painting. Sung Hee Kim creates popular nature-inspired paintings, while the works of Lee K are rendered in a photorealist style, holding our gaze and communing directly with the viewer, as mouths are stuffed with flowers or scribbled away, and lips are muddled in a frenzy of painterly gestures.
Seon Ok Lim, Reflection #3, 2023, acrylic on canvas, 60.6 x 91 cm
Artist Ji Young Hong uses a thermal imaging camera to make expressive portraits from an alternative viewpoint. His high reputation in Korea is now mirrored in the USA.
The event is spread across four ‘galleries’, each with a unique focus on Korea’s art scene.
The ‘East Gallery’ hosts ‘The Korean Four’: Sang Woon Nam, Min Chan Kim, Jun Won Lee and Lee K, prominent artists selected by the event’s founder and gallerist Rok Hee Hwang to showcase the highest level of contemporary South Korean painting.
Min Chan Kim, ‘A Blue Wave’, 2022, 91 x 116.8 cm
The ‘West Gallery’ displays ‘Ancient x Modern’. Divided into two spaces, Korea culture, arts and crafts are displayed in parallel with cutting-edge media and modern artistic practices, with a range of artists.
The ‘North Gallery: Colour’ display, curated by Seulki Yoo, explores the dialogue between our inner and outer worlds through colour. Sculptures, brightly palleted paintings, naturalistic installations and impressionistic works are brought together to create a playful union of the power of colour.
So Ra Shin, ‘Love Beat’, 2023, staples and resin, 29.7 x 42 x 9 cm
All works are for sale, providing collectors with the opportunity to buy South Korean art (in all price ranges) ahead of the wave.
General admission is daily until July 22, from 10 am to 5 pm. More information about the fair is available on their website, and tickets can be purchased here.
Header:
Na Ri Choi, Hojakdo by the Fireplace, 2022, acrylic on canvas, 120 x 195cm
