By Cathy Rose A. Garcia
Staff Reporter
Art lovers and collectors flocked to see works of top artists such as Andy Warhol, Damien Hirst, Fernando Botero, Paik Nam June, Lee U-fan and Zhang Xiaogang, at the Korea International Art Fair (KIAF) over the weekend.
The global financial crisis did not seem to have dampened the mood at the art fair. Several gallery owners expressed cautious optimism about the art market's global prospects, noting the growing appetite for art in Asia, especially China and Korea.
A diverse array of paintings, installations, sculptures and photographs by artists from all over the world were on display at the Pacific and Indian Hall at COEX, southern Seoul.
Organized by the Gallery Association of Korea, KIAF featured more than 6,000 art works by 1,500 local and foreign artists. This was said to be the biggest KIAF ever, with 218 galleries from Korea, Germany, Switzerland, U.S., France, Japan, China, Hong Kong and Taiwan.
The booming art market in Korea is the main reason why several foreign and local galleries decided to join the KIAF for the first time. The galleries hoped to entice art collectors with exciting new works by established and young European artists.
For Paris-based gallery owner Marie Lund, KIAF was her first time to participate not just in a Korean art fair, but in an Asian art fair.
``I think Korea is a very important market in the art world. I've heard about Korea for a long time, and there is a clear interest in contemporary art here,'' Lund told The Korea Times. She hoped to generate interest for works by Paris-based Korean artist Lee Jin-woo and Danish sculptor Bente Skjottgaard.
Nicola Shane, director of Purdy Hicks gallery in London, said it was her gallery's third visit to KIAF. ``The KIAF is very interesting and exciting. It's very popular, I have never seen an art fair packed with so many crowds as last year,'' Shane said.
Excitement filled the air as galleries jostled for attention. Recognizable works such as Warhol's iconic portraits, Hirst's ``Opium" and Paik's video installations appeared to be everywhere.
KIAF was a chance for Korean contemporary art to be in the spotlight, as well as a strong presence of Asian artists from China, Japan and India.
Evelyne Avanthay, a gallery owner from Zurich, said she has seen a blossoming interest in Asian art in Europe.
``My gallery shows a lot of Asian artists, from Korea, India, China, Vietnam, all those countries that are not well-represented in Europe. Asian artists are very good. They're totally different from European artists. … My gallery is fairly new, but there's a lot of interest in the art I bring from Asia,'' Avanthay told The Korea Times.
Aside from the art fair, KIAF also offers two curated exhibitions, film screenings and academic lectures. The Swiss Young Artist Show, ``What You Get is What You Want,'' featuring three artists Marc Bauer, Peter Regli and Erik Steinbrecher. ``A Moonlit Garden'' features 10 Korean mid-career artists, Min Byung-hun, Rhee Ki-bong, Lee Sang-nam, Koo Bohn-chang, Oh Su-fan and Kwon Dae-sup.
KIAF runs through Tuesday. Visit www.kiaf.org (English and Korean). Tickets are 15,000 won for adults, 10,000 won for students and free for those under 7 and over 65.