Cover Seoul, South Korea has established itself as a must-visit destination for art lovers all over the world (Photo: Getty Images)
Seoul, South Korea has established itself as a must-visit destination for art lovers all over the world (Photo: Getty Images)
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Seoul, South Korea will showcase artwork from all over the world next month, including those from Hong Kong’s PHD Group, Kiang Malingue and Flowers Gallery
A new art fair, Our Week, is taking place in Seoul, South Korea from September 5-8 and will run almost concurrently with Frieze Seoul (running September 6-9)and Kiaf Seoul (running September7-10), two art events that have cemented the city’s position as an international art destination.
The newest addition is taking place at Itaewon, an area in the trendy Yongsan district, not too far from Gangnam’s Convention and Exhibition Center where Frieze and Kiaf will be held. Our Week will showcase pieces from 25 galleries—including three from Hong Kong: PHD Group, Kiang Malingue and Flowers Gallery.
In case you missed it: How Seoul is becoming a top art destination
Our Week is being co-organised by Soo Choi, founder of Seoul’s P21 Gallery; Sue Choi, co-founder of creative agency Cava Life; and Jungmin Cho, director of art space White Noise. Unlike a traditional art fair, which often features individual booths, this event will see a free-flowing open format with no physical division between the stalls. Visitors will also be able to enjoy more than just the artwork: there will be an opening party, performance arts and a screening programme—all in the same space.
Soo tells Tatler that she had always felt that Seoul needed an interesting satellite fair happening side by side with the main art fairs, but the opportunity arose only recently when a friend of hers shared that he had an empty building he wanted to activate.
Above The site of “Our Week” art fair in Itaewon (Photo: Soo Choi)
The site of “Our Week” art fair in Itaewon (Photo: Soo Choi)
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Soo was inspired by Basel Social Club, an initiative that ran concurrently with Art Basel in Switzerland. Basel Social Club was started by a group of artists, gallerists and curators with the intention to have a more social space for art.
“I was inspired [by this concept of having] a gathering of interesting creators,” says Soo. However, the biggest challenge was making it happen within just “a couple of months”.
“Since we had limited time and resources, I immediately approached galleries where I had friends who can support the initiative. We think of this as a pilot,” Soo says.
Running from September 5-8, 42 Usadan-ro, Yongsan-gu, Seoul, open to the public
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Aaina was the Arts and Culture Editor of Tatler Asia. A passion for history and all things visual led her in the pursuit of art history. With extensive experience in the art world working for a range of art institutions, she combined her passion and expertise in the form of art and culture journalism. Prior to Tatler, Aaina worked as a culture reporter for South China Morning Post and editor at the online art platform Cobo Social. Additionally, she has contributed to a variety of prestigious art publications including Art Review, The Art Newspaper, Ocula, Art Agenda, Artsy, Design Anthology, and Artomity. Follow her on Instagram.
