Review: Gorgeous, exuberant Kim Chong Hak at the High

The High Museum of Art in Atlanta is hosting "Kim Chong Hak: Painter of Seoraksan," the first American museum exhibition dedicated to the Korean artist, running through November 2. The show features over 60 works spanning Kim's career, from early abstract pieces influenced by Western artists like Rothko and Tàpies to vibrant, large-scale landscapes inspired by his decades-long retreat to Mount Seorak in eastern South Korea. The exhibition includes paintings, folk art, and a catalog with essays that contextualize Kim's life and work.

Museum Spotlight: Kim Chong Hak Exhibition

The High Museum of Art in Atlanta is hosting the first American museum exhibition dedicated to Kim Chong Hak, a South Korean master painter born in 1937 and known as "the painter of Seoraksan." Featuring over 70 works, including new acquisitions from the museum's own collection, the show spans the artist's mature career and highlights an aspect of late 20th-century Korean art rarely seen outside South Korea. The exhibition runs through November 2, 2025.

Exhibition | Kang Cheol Gyu, 'KANG Cheolgyu: Discarded Host' at Arario Gallery, Seoul, South Korea

Arario Gallery Seoul presents 'Discarded Host', a solo exhibition by South Korean artist Kang Cheolgyu (b. 1990), running from May 1 to June 20, 2026. The show features new paintings that transform personal emotions and psychological sensations into visual narratives, exploring themes of anxiety, tension, identity, and transformation through fictional environments and indirect self-confrontation.

Haegue Yang’s Constellations for a Divided Korea

Haegue Yang's exhibition "Star-Crossed Rendezvous" at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles features two large-scale Venetian blind installations that explore themes of division, exile, and reunification. The works draw on the arbitrary 1945 division of Korea by U.S. military officers and the life of composer Isang Yun, who was tortured and imprisoned by South Korean authorities. One installation mirrors and inverts a cube of white blinds inspired by Sol LeWitt, while the other uses colored blinds, projections, and Yun's "Double Concerto" to create a fragmented, shadow-filled meditation on longing and separation.

fashion loewe craft prize 2026 announcement

The Loewe Foundation has announced the shortlist for the 2026 Loewe Craft Prize, selecting 30 finalists from over 5,100 submissions across 133 countries and regions. The winner will be revealed on May 12 at a ceremony in Singapore, receiving €50,000, with two special mentions earning €5,000 each. An exhibition of the finalists' work will be held at the National Gallery Singapore. New Loewe creative directors Jack McCullough and Lazaro Hernandez will join the jury for the first time. The nominated works span ceramics, woodwork, textiles, metal, glass, and more, with finalists hailing from 19 countries including Nigeria, Japan, South Korea, Brazil, and the United States.

Dozens of Pavilions Close During Strike at 61st Venice Biennale

On May 8, 2026, a 24-hour strike organized by the Art Not Genocide Alliance (ANGA) and several Italian activist groups brought the 61st Venice Biennale to a standstill. Approximately 27 of the 100 national pavilions closed fully or partially in solidarity with protesters demanding Israel’s exclusion from the event, including those of Austria, Belgium, France, Great Britain, Japan, South Korea, and Ukraine. Over 3,500 people marched through Venice, with speakers including artist Gabrielle Goliath and curator Caroline Dumalin. The main exhibition, "In Minor Keys," curated by the late Koyo Kouoh, closed by late afternoon, and riot police were stationed outside the Arsenale. The Israeli pavilion, already shuttered during previews, remained closed.

Sony world photography awards 2026 – in pictures

The 2026 Sony World Photography Awards have announced their top honors across professional, open, student, and youth categories. Notable winners include Citlali Fabián for her series on Indigenous activists in Mexico, Seungho Kim for a project exploring the intersection of parenting and pet ownership in South Korea, and Dafna Talmor for her abstracted, collaged landscapes. The winning works span a diverse range of subjects, from the documentation of a fire at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Stockholm to intimate portraits of faith at the Vatican.

anonymous was a woman the new york foundation for the arts environmental art grants 2025

Anonymous Was A Woman (AWAW) and the New York Foundation for the Arts (NYFA) have awarded $521,125 in grants to 29 environmental art projects led by women-identifying artists from the United States and its territories. The grants, up to $20,000 each, require a public engagement component to be completed by August 2026. Recipients include artists such as Heidi K. Brandow, Charlotte Brathwaite, Cara Romero, and collectives like BEAM and DeepTime Collective, working across locations from California to Senegal and South Korea.

ArtReview Podcast | Episode 6: Hyeree Ro

ArtReview Podcast episode 6 features artist Hyeree Ro, who speaks with associate editor Jenny Wu about her practice, including her attraction to objects with ambiguous functions. Ro discusses her work *Niro* (2024), a skeletal car installation exploring her relationship with her late father, and her upcoming exhibition at the Korean pavilion for the 61st Venice Biennale. The episode also touches on gardens and maintaining friendships as artists, with references to the Soswaewon garden and Hua Hsu's memoir *Stay True*.

"Lee Kun-hee Collection Showcases the Source of K-Culture’s Creativity"

The Lee Kun-hee Collection international tour exhibition, titled "Treasures from Korea: Collecting, Cherishing, Sharing," opened at the National Museum of Asian Art under the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C., on March 15, 2025. Within one month, it attracted over 15,600 visitors—25% more than comparable past exhibitions—and all museum merchandise sold out within a week, generating approximately 100 million KRW in orders. The show features 330 works selected from over 23,000 pieces donated to South Korea in 2021 by the late Lee Kun-hee, former Samsung Group chairman, including seven National Treasures and fifteen Treasures. Highlights include the Beopgo-dae, which gained viral attention for resembling a character from the Netflix film 'KPop Demon Hunters.'

Dive into Contemporary Art in Seoul, South Korea: Amorepacific Museum of Art Showcases Global and Korean Masters

The Amorepacific Museum of Art (APMA) in Seoul has established itself as a premier destination for contemporary art, featuring a diverse collection that bridges global masterpieces with traditional Korean aesthetics. The museum's current programming highlights its commitment to international dialogue, showcasing works by world-renowned artists alongside significant Korean historical artifacts and modern pieces.

Nara and Kusama Both Surpass 10 Billion KRW... What Seoul Auction’s 36.7 Billion KRW Sale Achieved

Nara and Kusama Both Surpass 10 Billion KRW... What Seoul Auction’s 36.7 Billion KRW Sale Achieved

Seoul Auction's recent Contemporary Art Sale in Seoul made history as the first domestic auction in South Korea to sell two works for over 10 billion KRW each on the same day. Yoshitomo Nara’s large-scale portrait "Nothing about It" (2016) set a new record for the highest price ever achieved at a South Korean art auction, selling for 15 billion KRW ($11.2 million). Yayoi Kusama’s "Pumpkin" (2015) followed closely, fetching 10.45 billion KRW ($7.8 million), contributing to a total sale volume of 36.7 billion KRW.

Yoshitomo Nara Painting Fetches 15 Billion Won, Sets Record for Korean Auction

Yoshitomo Nara’s painting "Nothing about it" has set a new record for the highest price ever achieved at a Korean art auction, selling for 15 billion won ($11 million) at Seoul Auction’s Gangnam Center. The sale significantly surpassed the previous record of 9.4 billion won held by Marc Chagall’s "Bouquet de Fleurs." The auction also saw a major result for Yayoi Kusama, whose "Pumpkin" painting fetched 10.45 billion won, marking the second-highest price in Korean auction history.

Yoshitomo Nara's Work Sets Record for Highest Price in Domestic Korean Art Auction History

The work of artist Yoshitomo Nara, who represents Japanese contemporary art, has been sold at the hi..

Yoshitomo Nara’s 2016 painting "Nothing About It" has set a new record for the highest price ever achieved at a domestic South Korean art auction. Sold by Seoul Auction for 15 billion won (approximately $11 million), the work features the artist's signature wide-eyed child and surpassed its low estimate of 14.7 billion won. The same sale also saw Yayoi Kusama’s 2015 "Pumpkin" fetch 10.45 billion won, marking a historic session where multiple works exceeded the 10 billion won threshold.

Nara's Painting Challenges Korean Auction Record

Nara's Painting Challenges Korean Auction Record

Japanese pop art sensation Yoshitomo Nara is poised to shatter the record for the most expensive artwork ever sold at a South Korean auction. His 2016 painting 'Nothing about it,' featuring his signature wide-eyed girl, carries a pre-sale estimate of 14.7 billion to 22 billion Korean won ($11M–$16.5M USD). The work will headline Seoul Auction’s 'Contemporary Art Sale' on March 31, alongside major pieces by Yayoi Kusama and Roy Lichtenstein.

Estimated at 15 Billion Won: Will It Rewrite the Record for Korea’s Art Auctions?

Seoul Auction is set to host its March Contemporary Art Sale, featuring Yoshitomo Nara’s 2016 painting "Nothing about it" as the centerpiece. With a low estimate of 14.7 billion won ($11 million), the work is poised to potentially shatter the record for the highest price ever achieved at an art auction in South Korea. The sale also includes high-value works by Yayoi Kusama and Roy Lichtenstein, with a total pre-sale estimate reaching up to 75 billion won.

UK artist resale right at 20: how successful has the pioneering scheme been?

The UK's Artist Resale Right (ARR), a law entitling visual artists to royalties from secondary market sales of their work, marks its 20th anniversary. Initially met with fierce opposition from auction houses and dealers who feared it would drive high-value sales offshore, the scheme is now largely accepted by the UK art trade, though concerns about administrative burdens compared to markets like New York and Hong Kong remain.

Exhibition | Byoung Cho, 'WHEN SPACE BECOMES PAINTING' at BB&M, Seoul, South Korea

BB&M gallery in Seoul presents "When Space Becomes Painting," a solo exhibition of leading Korean architect Byoung Cho, organized in partnership with Jiyoon Lee of SUUM Project. The show traces Cho's 30-year engagement with space across painting, installation, maquettes, and drawing, exploring how his architectural thinking translates onto canvas. Central to the exhibition is Cho's concept of "mahk," inspired by Korean traditional ceramic maksabal, embracing spontaneity and imperfection as a guiding philosophy. The exhibition shifts from viewing artworks to experiencing them, with paintings that function as performative inquiries into existence rather than static images.

韓国国立現代美術館 果川館で「Road movie: Art between Korea and Japan since 1945」が開幕

The National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art (MMCA) in Gwacheon, South Korea, opened "Road movie: Art between Korea and Japan since 1945" on May 14, 2026. This exhibition is a touring version of the collaborative show "Always by Your Side: 80 Years of Art between Japan and Korea," which was held at the Yokohama Museum of Art from December 6, 2025, to March 22, 2026. Marking the 60th anniversary of the normalization of diplomatic relations between Japan and South Korea in 1965, the exhibition traces eight decades of artistic exchange from 1945 to the present. It features around 200 works by 43 artists, including Cho Yang-gyu, Kwak In-sik, Nam Hwa-yeon, Nam June Paik, Lee Ufan, Lee Bul, Takashi Murakami, and others, organized into five sections. The show also incorporates six outdoor sculptures installed at the museum's opening in 1986 and 1987, highlighting how the institution itself fostered cross-border artistic dialogue.

art mimi park young artist

Mimi Park, a 29-year-old South Korean artist based in New York, creates kinetic sculptures and installations that explore themes of responsibility, care, and value. Her recent work at SculptureCenter, titled “Dahlia,” consisted of recycled shredded paper arranged in a firework shape that viewers inadvertently destroyed within minutes of the opening—a process she embraced as part of the artwork's evolution. Park has also shown at Bard’s Hessel Museum and Sebastian Gladstone, and her practice includes handmade robots, dust, and seedlings.

'A Swimming Soul' at Whitestone Gallery, Seoul, South Korea on 18 Apr–24 May 2026

Whitestone Gallery Seoul is hosting "A Swimming Soul," a group exhibition featuring emerging artists Lee Juyoung, Kisho Kakutani, and Yudai Takeuchi. Running from April 18 to May 24, 2026, the show utilizes the metaphor of a swimming fish to explore themes of youth, uncertainty, and the drifting nature of modern existence. Each artist presents a unique visual language to address the ambiguity of reality, from Lee’s blurred urban reflections and Kakutani’s obstructive "noise" layers to Takeuchi’s exploration of the liminal space between consciousness and sleep.

Imbued, Between Flower and Wind: Lee Chae Solo Exhibition

South Korean artist Lee Chae will present a solo exhibition titled "Imbued, Between Flower and Wind" at Whitestone Gallery Taipei from April 11 to May 16, 2026. The show features new series including "Afterimage of Wind" and "Wind-Infused," which utilize metaphors of flora and wind to explore the relationship between external stimuli and the human inner soul. Lee’s technique involves layering translucent pigments and then wiping them away to create poetic afterimages that visualize the transformation of emotions over time.

A Bold Attention

Gallery Chang is hosting a solo exhibition titled "A Bold Attention" by South Korean artist Suh Yongsun at its New York location from April 9 to May 2, 2026. The exhibition features fifteen works, including self-portraits, historical scenes such as those involving King Danjong, and contemporary urban observations of New York locations like Rockefeller Center and Brooklyn.

Seoul appeal: Korean art captivates Indonesia’s affluent connoisseurs

South Korean artist Choi Sang Chul, in his late 70s, held the opening of his exhibition 'Mumool' at Baik Art gallery in Jakarta, Indonesia, on March 20, 2025. The event drew a crowd of wealthy local art patrons, and several of his works were sold before the ceremony ended. Choi, who earned a BFA from Seoul National University and has rejected artistic trends since the 1970s, uses unconventional methods like stones instead of brushes to create his pieces. His work initially received a tepid response at Art Jakarta in 2023, but interest has since grown.

bianca censori furniture design performance art

Bianca Censori, known for her revealing fashion and as Ye's wife, debuted her first performance art piece titled "BIO POP (The Origin)" on December 12-13 at Layer 41 in Seoul, South Korea. The 14-minute performance features Censori in a maroon bodysuit preparing an object at a kitchen island before revealing furniture intertwined with female contortionists styled as her duplicates, all made from discarded mobility devices. A related jewelry line inspired by medical devices also launched the same day.

From Two Tons of Celadon, Jean Shin Sculpts a Metaphor for the Korean Diaspora

Artist Jean Shin has created "Celadon Landscape," a monumental installation at the Green-House at Green-Wood in New York, using nearly two tons of discarded celadon porcelain fragments donated by studios in Icheon, South Korea. The work features two large bulbous vessels covered in broken shards of cups, saucers, and pots, appearing to emerge from the earth as if unearthed in an archaeological dig. The installation is on view through January 17.

Internationally renowned artist to headline new exhibition

Internationally renowned ceramic artist Jin Eui Kim will present his exhibition "Simplicity and Complexity" at The Base, Greenham, from June 26 to August 30. The show features sculptural works exploring illusion and reality, alongside a program of workshops and an evening talk with the artist. Kim, originally from South Korea and now based in Cardiff, holds an MA and PhD in ceramics from Cardiff School of Art & Design, and his work is held in major public collections including Manchester Art Gallery and the National Museum Wales.

South Korea’s first major LGBTQ exhibition gives voice to queer artists

The Art Sonje Centre in Seoul has launched "Spectrosynthesis Seoul," the first large-scale exhibition in South Korea dedicated to LGBTQ themes and queer artists. Featuring works by 74 artists and artist groups, the project was initiated by Patrick Sun of the Sunpride Foundation and curated by Sun-jung Kim and Yong-woo Lee. The exhibition marks a significant cultural milestone in a country often characterized by its rigid social traditions and conservative values.

Seoul Auction vs. K Auction: May Major Auctions Through Modern Masters, Contemporary Installation, and Antique Art

In the final week of May 2026, South Korea's two leading auction houses, K Auction and Seoul Auction, will hold major sales one day apart. K Auction's May sale on May 27 features 83 works with an estimated value of KRW 10.4 billion, including Park Soo-keun's 'On the Way Home' (1964) and Do Ho Suh's large-scale installation 'Cause & Effect'. Seoul Auction's 192nd Art Auction on May 28 offers 145 works with a combined low estimate of KRW 10.3 billion. Both sales focus on proven artists and rare works rather than large-scale expansion, highlighting Korean modern masters like Kim Whanki and Yoo Youngkuk alongside contemporary international names.

Gyeongnam Art Museum to host Picasso film screening and talk program May 27

The Gyeongnam Art Museum in South Korea will host a special film screening and curator talk on May 27, 2025, as part of its ongoing Picasso Ceramics exhibition and Korea's monthly Culture Day program. The event, titled Picasso Film Room, features the 1954 documentary "Meeting Picasso" by Italian filmmaker Luciano Emmer, which shows Pablo Picasso creating ceramics and drawings in real time. Following the screening, curator Kim Ju-hyun will lead a discussion on Picasso's artistic legacy and the significance of the exhibition.