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The Dawn of Busan’s Art Scene: The 2nd Emerging Artists Art Show Successfully Concludes Its Grand Journey

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Busan Metropolitan City (Mayor Park Heong-joon) announced that the “2nd Emerging Artists Art Show: BUSAN, CONNECTED,” held from September 9 to October 9 for 31 days at the Geumgo Museum within the Busan Modern and Contemporary History Museum, successfully concluded amid ongoing public and professional interest.

This year, with an extended exhibition period and expanded promotional activities—including the use of media platforms such as blogs, short-form videos, and collaboration with the Korea Art Festival (Art Signal, Busan) through YouTube and social media—the show saw significant growth in visitor numbers (from approximately 9,000 to 25,000), improved audience satisfaction, and increased artist recognition, reaffirming its potential as a gateway for emerging talents in the art world.

To focus on discovering local artists, ten teams (20 artists) were selected under the condition that at least one member of each duo was born in, residing in, or originally from Busan. Under the theme “Next Together,” the ten teams created ten new exhibitions, presenting a total of about 140 works. Many teams unveiled new collaborative pieces or showcased distinct genres—painting, sculpture, photography, installation, media, and crafts—offering audiences both visual variety and insight into how each pair harmonized their artistic styles.

The participating teams presented a wide range of stories that intrigued visitors:

• ●HH (Park Hyun-seong and Hwang Hyun-deok), a couple preparing to marry in October, exhibited works reflecting their relationship;

• ●LUMINEA (Yoo Yeong and Kim Yong-won), Our Doori (Park Woo-soo-ri and Kim Chae-ri), Fragments and Threads (Kim Bo-kyung and Hee-bak), and Sound of the Periphery (Bang Sang-hwan and Byun Hyun-woo) connected through social media and collaborated for this exhibition;

• ●Haesangdan (Sin An-seul and An Jae-young) prepared early, inspired by the first art show;

• ●Yuyu (Lim Yu-jin and Park Yu-ki) began communication through an online magazine and later published books and art books;

• ●Archivist (Sang-hwan and Cho Ha-eun) formed their own community before participating;

• ●Parallel–Cross (Park Young-hwan and Kim Se-jin) started from their shared background as Busan-born artists living elsewhere; and

• ●Yoon and Baek (Baek Seung-hwan and Yoon Ye-ji) developed their exhibition concept based on prior curatorial experience.

As the Emerging Artists Art Show aims to support new artists entering the mainstream art market, it emphasized not only exhibitions but also professional reviews and opportunities for audience engagement. Through the Artist–Gallery Director Meetup, participating artists received direct feedback from active gallery directors and curators in the art field, while directors had the chance to discover hidden talents.

During the on-site evaluation, which was part of the Artist–Gallery Director Meetup, the top-ranked team was LUMINEA (Yoo Yeong and Kim Yong-won). They received high marks in all three judging criteria—market expansion potential, artist growth potential, and quality of artwork and exhibition. As a result, they earned a solo booth opportunity for a special exhibition at the 2026 The Preview Art Fair, organized by Art Meets Life.

LUMINEA (from lumen, meaning “light,” and anima, meaning “breath” or “life”) explores the vitality of disappearing nature through paintings, photographs, and videos.
Yoo Yeong’s works juxtapose the melting ice of Dadaepo’s sea with the landscapes of Eulsukdo, evoking ecological ethics through regeneration.
Kim Yong-won reconstructs fragments of discarded shells, mother-of-pearl, and corals into sculptural forms, imbuing space with a sense of mystery.

Meanwhile, the “Art Signal, Busan” program, held in connection with the Korea Art Festival, introduced nine representative local exhibition spaces centered around the Geumgo Museum, serving as a bridge between art professionals and the general audience who attended the Art Show.
The nine spaces included the Busan Museum of Contemporary Art, Geumgo Museum, studios of artists Jo Eun-pil, Lee Mi-joo, and Jung Yoon-joo, the Busan International Video Art Festival, Kukje Gallery Busan, F1963, and Hyundai Motorstudio Busan.

Jo Yu-jang, Director General of the Culture Bureau, stated,
“I was curious to see how emerging artists would transform the secret space of the vault into an artistic venue. Witnessing their creativity and passion, I saw the strong potential of the Emerging Artists Art Show to grow as a gateway for rising talent. Busan Metropolitan City will continue to provide active support so that this program can firmly establish itself as a key pillar of Busan’s art scene.”