'Access Bangkok' brings Korean network to global art fair

An international art fair jointly launched by Korean art entrepreneur Art Meets Life and digital art platform Artue kicks off Wednesday in Bangkok, Thailand, bringing together some 30 galleries based in Asia and members of the Korean art network.

Access Bangkok Art Fair aims to introduce a global art fair to a country that has garnered relatively less recognition in the global art market, despite a rising number of emerging and renowned artists, according to the organizer. The fair will run from Wednesday to Sunday at the Pinnacle Hall.

Selected in a contest that supports the global expansion of Korean art fairs, Access Bangkok is supported by Korea’s Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and Korea Arts Management Service. The contest aims to facilitate cultural exchange between Korean art networks and those in other countries.

Among the 30 participating galleries are nine Thai galleries, including Nova Contemporary, Joyman Gallery and Gallery VER. A total of 12 galleries based in Korea, such as Johyun Gallery, Duarte Sequeira, This Weekend Room, gallery SoSo and Gallery2, are also taking part in the fair.

The fair will be accompanied by a variety of programs such as a talk on Friday at Kunsthalle Bangkok, featuring Korean designer Teo Yang who focuses on translating Korean traditional heritage into a modern design language.

Coinciding with the art fair, Korean architect Yoo Hyun-joon will deliver a lecture at Chulalongkorn University on Tuesday about how architecture and spatial design can serve as solutions to analyze and remedy social challenges.

Access Bangkok also offers an online viewing room launched by Artue for browsing artworks on show at the fair.