Traditional, contemporary art fairs to dot streets of Insa-dong

A Joseon-era royal court folding screen of “morando,” or peony blossom painting / Courtesy of the Insa Traditional Culture Preservation Association

By Park Han-sol

After witnessing the streak of success achieved by local art fairs held recently ― the latest by the Korea International Art Fair (KIAF) Seoul, which saw a record turnout and sales of 65 billion won ($55 million) in October ― Insa-dong in central Seoul is gearing up for its own art events this month.

As a neighborhood best-known for antiques, traditional crafts and galleries, it will play host to two art fairs with a mix of traditional Korean and contemporary art.

From Nov. 10 to 14, the Insa-dong Antiques & Art Fair will take place in the alleys filled with shops and teahouses, as well as the region's main cultural complex, Anyoung Insadong.

Previously called the Insa-dong Traditional Culture Festival for the last 33 years, the five-day event has transformed into a fair this year, inviting nearly 20 galleries and boutiques. With a focus on antiques, the participating shops will present classic masterpieces, crafts and traditional tea and snacks.

The event's special exhibition is themed around Korean color paintings, specifically royal court paintings and “minhwa,” or folk paintings that donned the walls of the houses of the working class throughout the 1392-1910 Joseon Kingdom as auspicious symbols of prestige, wealth, peace and longevity.

Among the 60 relics to be showcased, some pieces include: a court painter's “hwajodo” (flower and bird painting); “morando” (peony blossom painting) used in royal weddings, funerals and ancestral rituals; and “Geobukseon Haejindo,” or a folding screen depicting the lineup of the iconic turtle-shaped ships led by Admiral Yi Sun-shin (1545-98) in preparation for the impending naval battle of the Imjin War.

“We will continue to preserve the identity of Insa-dong through art fairs that center on antiques and classic masterpieces,” Shin So-yoon, the president of the event's organizing institution, the Insa Traditional Culture Preservation Association, said at a recent press conference.

Kang Kuk-jin's “Rhythm 85” (1985) / Courtesy of AHAF Committee

Meanwhile, from Nov. 17 to 21, more than 4,000 modern and contemporary pieces by 400 artists here and abroad will adorn the rooms of the Nine Tree Premier Hotel Insadong, as part of this year's edition of Asia Hotel Art Fair Seoul (AHAF).

Since its 2008 inception in Tokyo, the fair has turned luxury hotel rooms across Seoul and Busan into temporary art galleries and marketplaces.

The November event will be a platform for eight special exhibitions, including “Masterpiece,” with works of Lee U-fan, Park Seo-bo, Kim Chong-hak and Nam June Paik, and “Architecture Prints and Drawings,” featuring architects of Korea and Japan.

Two exhibitions will be dedicated to a single artist, Kang Kuk-jin (1938-92), who is known as one of the first performance artists in the country's contemporary art scene, and Oscar Oiwa, a Brazilian visual artist of Japanese heritage.

For next year's edition, the two events will take place in September as satellite art fairs, in time for the joint international art fairs of KIAF Seoul and Frieze.