Small Seoul galleries make big impression at Art Taipei

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Small Seoul galleries make big impression at Art Taipei

Published: 30 Oct. 2025, 07:00

LEE JIAN
[email protected]

Audio report: written by reporters, read by AI

L Gallery's booth at Art Taipei 2025, held through Oct. 24 to 27 at the Taipei World Trade Center [LEE JIAN]

TAIPEI, Taiwan — As Korea’s domestic art scene becomes increasingly crowded, more galleries are turning their gaze outward. This year's Art Taipei, which ran from Oct. 24 to 27, featured 15 Korean galleries, including big names such as Gana Art and Gallery Baton. But standing out just as much were smaller galleries — whose names are virtually unheard of in Seoul but whose booths bustled with Taiwanese collectors and visitors.

Unaffiliated with Korea's dominant Galleries Association of Korea, five Seoul galleries at Art Taipei 2025 have never participated in major art fairs in their home country, such as Frieze Seoul or Kiaf. Yet their performance at the Taiwanese event demonstrates how smaller players are cultivating international recognition — and, in some cases, achieving greater success abroad than at home.

Art fairs today serve purposes beyond commercial exchange: they function as crucial platforms for visibility, reputation and cultural prestige, particularly as public engagement continues to grow. In Seoul, two prominent fairs — Kiaf and the Galleries Art Fair — are both organized by the Galleries Association of Korea, and their rosters consist almost entirely of member galleries. Thus, for many collectors and casual visitors alike, the Korean art market can appear synonymous with this small, exclusive network.

At Art Taipei, however, the five Korean galleries stood apart. None were association members, yet together they formed a diverse cohort of independent, almost ragtag exhibitors.

For some, participation in Art Taipei reflected a calculated market strategy; for others, it signified both the allure of the Taiwanese art ecosystem and an aspiration for international exposure. The Korea JoongAng Daily spoke with three of these Korean galleries at Art Taipei 2025.

L Gallery

Two paintings by Kim Kwan-young under his ongoing series “The Memory of the Unconscious” exhibited at L Gallery’s Art Taipei booth [LEE JIAN]

This year marks L Gallery’s seventh appearance at Art Taipei. Yet the Seoul-based gallery has never exhibited at Kiaf, Frieze Seoul or any other Korean art fair.

It instead maintains a consistent presence across Asia, participating in art fairs in Hong Kong, Beijing, Shanghai, Thailand and other parts of Taiwan through Art Taichung and Art Tainan. Its clientele includes high-profile figures such as Taiwanese singer-songwriter and actor Jay Chou and Singaporean musician JJ Lin.

“The atmosphere differs in each market — just because someone is a Korean artist doesn’t mean they’re popular in Korea,” said Lee Baek, CEO of L Gallery. “Each artist has a market that aligns with their philosophy and distinctive character. Since the artists we represent weren’t well-known in Korea when we began, our focus naturally shifted overseas — and that’s how it has remained."

Kim Kwan-young, for instance, is familiar to collectors in Taiwan, though still lesser-known in Korea. His meditative series “The Memory of the Unconscious,” characterized by thick layers of paint and rhythmic linearity, resonated deeply with the Taiwanese audience. Kim held his first solo exhibition in Taiwan in 2021, and according to Lee, his works sold out at this year’s fair.

L Gallery’s booth also featured works by Suzy Q, James San, Lee Sara, Qwaya and Sono Moon.

Lee recently closed L Gallery’s physical space in Seoul, noting, “It’s ironic that we’re a gallery based in Seoul yet don’t actually have a space in the city. But I’m constantly traveling, and no one was left to maintain it. I do hope to reopen it soon.”

One of the gallery’s current objectives, he added, is to help Korean artists expand internationally and build stronger global networks. “When we first came to Art Taipei, there were only two other Korean galleries here,” Lee recalled. “The number has grown substantially as more Korean galleries aim to reach international collectors.”

M Contemporary

“What I Want” by Fool, exhibited at M Contemporary’s Art Taipei booth [LEE JIAN]

M Contemporary joined Art Taipei for the first time last year as part of its strategy to expand its network of global collectors. The gallery also participated in Art Central in Hong Kong that same year.

“If we were to give up our overseas clientele, our market would essentially be cut in half,” said CEO Kang Pil-woong. “Given the current economic downturn and rising interest rates, sales would still occur, but it would be far more difficult without international outreach.”

The gallery’s debut in Taiwan was encouraging, prompting its return this year. Kang noted that some Taiwanese collectors returned as repeat buyers. “One collector who purchased a work by our artist Fool last year came again right at the opening of this year's fair and bought another one of his pieces,” he said.

Fool, a signed M Contemporary artist, is known for his meticulous and unconventional process. He creates his own pigments, applying them thickly like icing from a piping bag. Recently, he collaborated with sneaker label Golden Goose.

The booth also presented works by Surrea, who crafts images by pulping and layering paper onto canvas, and Ji Min-gyoung, who paints with ink on hanji (traditional Korean paper), portraying whimsical, character-like figures.

“Taiwanese audiences tend to appreciate bright, charming works and pieces with a traditional sensibility — like ink painting — so we felt these artists would resonate particularly well here,” said Kang.

Wolha Art

Paintings by Park Byung-hoon exhibited at Wolha Art gallery’s Art Taipei booth [LEE JIAN]

Wolha Art, a first-time participant at Art Taipei, had long aspired to join the fair.

“I’ve always wanted to establish a strong presence in Asia, especially Taiwan,” said CEO Shin Young-chae. “When I visited Art Taipei before, I was struck by how sophisticated the market is. People here truly see art — they have discernment. In Korea, people often think in terms of profitability, but here, it feels far less transactional.”

Located in Seoul’s Dongdaemun District, Wolha Art hosts monthly curated exhibitions and operates a branch in Paris. With already a busy year-round schedule, Kang said, "I am not keen on participating in Korea's gallery-association-run fairs."

For Art Taipei, the gallery presented a compact yet refined booth featuring just two artists: Park Byung-hoon and Lee Myung-soon.

Park, based in Paris, creates multidimensional works by painting on layered clear acrylic panels, which are later assembled into a single composite piece. Lee, based in Seoul but active across Europe, employs diverse materials — including acrylic paint, oil pastel, paper and textiles — to evoke a sense of playfulness and purity. Her works explore the emotional spectrum of human experience, expressing innocence “at times like a child and at others, like an adult shaped by hardship.”

BY LEE JIAN [[email protected]]