Korea's Largest Art Fair, KIAF, To Open Next Month

The 17th Korea International Art Fair (KIAF) is set to run for five days next month, giving art lovers a chance to see the full spectrum of the latest trends and purchase artworks on the spot.

SEOUL, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 14th Sep, 2018 ) :The 17th Korea International Art Fair (KIAF) is set to run for five days next month, giving art lovers a chance to see the full spectrum of the latest trends and purchase artworks on the spot.

This year, the Galleries Association of Korea, the KIAF organizer, has added a few more foreign galleries to the list of exhibitors to bring diversity and variety to the event.

The newcomers include David Zwirner and Pace Gallery from the United States, France's Perrotin Galerie, Hong Kong's Massimo De Carlo, Spain's Pigment Gallery and Japan's Inoue Gallery. Also on the list are Arte Alto, Sasha D. Espacio de Arte and LGM, all from Latin America.

All together, 174 galleries from 14 countries will bring hundreds of artworks by the artists they represent.

Lee Hwa-ik, the association's president, told reporters in a recent press briefing that the organizer limited the number of participating foreign galleries to ensure the best quality exhibition.

"The pool of Korean collectors is quite big and many foreign galleries expressed their willingness to be part of the event. But we reduced the number to 50 to show the best quality in the limited space," she said.

Notably, this year Sylvain Levy and Dominique Levy, the powerful collector couple behind the DSL Collection, have joined the organizing team.

"It is very meaningful for us to work for the art fair since it is our first time to engage in such work. We see great potential in the Korean art market and have very high expectations," the couple was quoted as saying by the organizer.

In a statement, the organizer said having them on the board will hopefully "serve as a stepping stone for Korean artists as well as galleries to more actively extend their activities abroad."The event taking place from Oct. 3-7 also coincides with the Oct. 2-14 Korea Art Week, run by the Ministry of Culture, sports and Tourism, which is designed to make art feel more accessible to the public.