KIAF’s first-ever online viewing room unveiled at VIP preview session

Korean International Art Fair unveiled its online viewing room during the VIP preview session that kicked off Wednesday. As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, Korea’s largest art fair has moved online with 139 art galleries from 11 countries presenting artworks online.

The annual art fair was scheduled to be held in late September at Coex in southern Seoul, but the organizing committee decided to host Korea’s major art fair online through Online Viewing Room that opens to the public at 3 p.m. on Sept. 23 via its website, kiaf.org. The online viewing room runs through Oct. 18.

The VIP preview session began a week earlier, at 3 p.m. on Wednesday. Attendance requires a VIP code issued by the galleries.

Korea’s leading art galleries such as Gallery Hyundai, Kukje Gallery, Hakgojae Gallery, Arario Gallery, PKM Gallery and Gana Art are participating in the art fair, presenting up to 30 artworks each.

International galleries, including Pace Gallery, Lehmann Maupin, Spruth Magers and Neugerriemschneider based in Germany will showcase works by the artists that they represent.

While a few galleries remained closed on the Online Viewing Room platform on Wednesday, they will soon be updated, according to the organizing committee.

As Korea’s largest art fair, a variety of related art events are held during the art fair, but this year, with a strict social distancing policy in effect, those events will be held online through the art fair website’s “Events” session. The session will consist of On-Site, Live & Talk, Performing and Article, which will include introduction of artists, conversations with gallerists and materials on the art market and a variety of performances. The online event will be updated throughout October.

A special online exhibition that features Korea’s modern and contemporary abstract art will be uploaded on Sept. 23. A total of 40 master pieces from 30 Korea’s representative artists such as Kim Whan-ki, Park Seo-bo, Ha Chong-hyun and Chung Sang-hwa will be presented along with a curatorial guide.

Some local galleries in Korea will offer opportunities to view the pieces presented on the Online Viewing Room in person at the galleries. Arario Gallery in central Seoul, for example, is hosting an exhibition “Lost in Parody” that showcases 20 artworks by Eko Nugroho, an Indonesian visual artist, which are also showcased on the Online Viewing Room.

The usual art fair catalogue will be replaced by the Mobile App Book, which will be offered on its website starting Sept. 23, according to the organizing committee.

By Park Yuna (yunapark@heraldcorp.com)