MAR 12

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KOREAN ART SHOW: A GEM AMID ARMORY WEEK MADNESS

SoHo, Manhattan, NYC

This weekend the Korean Art Show joined the Armory week festivities, a jewel nestled right in the middle of Soho. The Mercer street space was host to more than 16 galleries and a large array of works in different mediums, from painting and sculpture to video work and installation.

A stimulating variety of styles was represented in the show. PYO Gallery presented an awe-inspiring, graceful, abstract piece called Emptiness-0907 3 by Lee Kang-So, who has become known for his paintings of “ducks” and recently had a solo exhibition at Daegu Art Museum. Other highlights included Park Seo Bo’s world-renowned Modernist paintings, on display with Wellside Gallery.

The special exhibition, “K-Artists in New York” featured 7 of the most eminent artists (Hong Buhm, Hwang Changha, Yoo Haeri, Shin Hyungsub, Ahn Ok Hyun, Yoon Heeseop, Suh Young Suk) in the contemporary Korean art scene in New York. Their works are a unique blend of some of the larger trends in modern New York art, but with attention to traditional Korean sentiments.

This is the third consecutive year that Korean Art Show has come to New York. After their huge success in 2010 (nearly 10,000 visitors!), there has been a surge of interest in the fair’s return this year. Offering an expertly curated take on the pulse of this country’s overlooked art scene, the show has also helped to publicize the Korea International Art Fair, which is still accepting applications, to American galleries.

Recently, the New York art world has established an interest in Korean artists and their origins: the Korean artist-philosopher Lee Ufan’s retrospective at the Guggenheim in 2011 and the Met’s 2009 show “Art of the Korean Renaissance” were important foundations to a development that the Korean Art Show is carrying forward.

We’re looking forward to watching these artists evolve and to what the fair will bring in the years to come!