The art fairs Kiaf Seoul and Frieze Seoul are part of this month's Korea Art Festival. Shown are visitors on Sept. 3, 2025, browsing works at the venue of the Kiaf and Frieze events at the convention center Coex in Seoul's Gangnam-gu District. (Korea.net DB)
By Uyen Nguyen
September is a month of art featuring biennales, fairs and museum exhibitions nationwide.
The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Arts Management Service on Sept. 1 announced their hosting of this year's Korea Art Festival from Sept. 1-30. Launched in 2024, the event offers a range of programs every September to make art part of daily life.
The latest edition spans four biennales in Gwangju, Gyeonggi Province (ceramics), Busan and Jeju Island, two art fairs -- Kiaf Seoul and Frieze Seoul -- and 96 museums nationwide.
Tickets to major exhibitions are 30%-70% off their regular prices. As of Aug. 26, some 13,000 people had used the discounts.
The National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art branches in Seoul, Gwacheon, Gyeonggi-do, Deoksugung Palace and Cheongju, Chungcheongbuk-do Province, offers free admission to all exhibitions from Sept. 1-6.
In the provinces of Gyeonggi-do, Chungcheongnam-do, Chungcheongbuk-do, Jeollanam-do, Jeollabuk-do, Gyeongsangnam-do, Gyeongsangbuk-do and Jeju, 13 "art travel" programs and two workshops will feature tours of art museums, biennales and artist studios with professional curators and guides.
An exhibition of 29 media and installation works by 16 emerging and mid-career domestic artists is simultaneously running at the international airports in Incheon, Gimpo, Gyeonggi-do, and Gimhae, Gyeongsangnam-do.
Fifteen foreign art professionals visiting Korea around the festival period will attend this year's "Dive into Korean Art" through Sept. 6, visiting the studios of nine emerging Korean artists, major art institutions, and the Gwangju and Busan biennales.
More information on schedules and programs is on the festival's official website (https://k-artfestival.com/).
Official poster for this year's Korea Art Festival (Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism)
uyen81@korea.kr
