Busan is good

10 Teams (20 Artists) Selected for the 3rd Emerging Artists Art Show, BUSAN, CONNECTED!

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Busan Metropolitan City (Mayor Chun Jae-soo) announced that it has selected 10 teams comprising 20 artists for the Emerging Artists Art Show, BUSAN, CONNECTED competition.

To expand opportunities for local artists to participate, this year’s competition allowed not only the existing two-person team applications but also applications from individual artists. Applicants were recruited and evaluated with being born in Busan, residing in Busan, or having originated from Busan and now working elsewhere designated as required or preferential criteria.

The 10 teams selected are Neurin Ilgi (Kim Ok-jeong and Park So-hyun), Saireul Geotneun Saramdeul (Noh In-woo and Park Ki-won), Iin Iljo (Choi Min-young and Seo Ji-woo), Pink Haebang Jeonseon (Son Min-hee and Park So-eun), Hoesaek Bunja (Noh Hyun-joo and Lee Seung-jin), Hong Ji-hye–Han A-young, Shin I-nae–Kim Yu, Shin Jae-min–Lee Han-hee, Lee Hye-joo–Hwang Jung-won, and Choi Soo-yeon–Lee Sung-eun.

For individual applications, artists were paired with other individual applicants to form teams, including combinations other than Busan-based artists paired with Busan-based artists, and artists were then selected through matching with galleries. As the individual practices of the artists are reconfigured into team projects, the exhibition is expected to showcase distinctive artistic synergies.

The 10 selected teams, comprising 20 artists, will participate in the BUSAN, CONNECTED exhibition at the Geumgo Art Museum inside the Busan Modern and Contemporary History Museum from October 16 to October 25.

During the exhibition, Busan Metropolitan City will conduct on-site evaluations to select one final team, which will be given an opportunity to exhibit in a solo space (booth) at a special exhibition of the 2027 The Preview Art Fair organized by Art Meets Life.

The competition, meanwhile, was held from June 15 to July 12 with the aim of fostering promising emerging artists and supporting their entry into the art market. A total of 95 teams comprising 128 artists applied, resulting in a competition ratio of 9.5 to 1.

The competition covered all fields of contemporary art, including painting, sculpture, photography, installation, media art, and crafts. Evaluations were conducted for 90 eligible teams comprising 121 artists: 59 individual applicants and 31 two-person teams comprising 62 artists.

This year, 10 leading galleries with extensive experience in discovering and nurturing emerging artists participated throughout both the first and second rounds of screening. They evaluated basic application documents, portfolios, spatial planning proposals, and other submitted materials, selecting 44 teams in the first round and ultimately 10 teams in the second round while simultaneously carrying out the gallery-artist matching process.

The judges focused on thematic relevance and exhibition composition, the completeness and quality of the works, the applicants’ planning capabilities, and the substance and feasibility of the proposed projects. They also comprehensively considered the potential for further development of the artists’ practices, originality, marketability, and prospects for success in the art market.

The 10 galleries that have taken a leading role in discovering emerging artists are Karin Gallery, Combine Works, CDA, OKNP, YK PRESENTS, Gallery Soso, Space So, Acompany, APO project, and Hippie Hannam.

Through one-on-one (1:1) matching, the selected artists and galleries will work together throughout the entire process of entering the art market, from consulting during the exhibition-planning stage to artist positioning, artwork pricing, and advice on exhibition direction.

Jo Yu-jang, Director of the Culture Bureau of Busan Metropolitan City, said, “This year, we expanded opportunities to participate in the competition by accepting applications from individual artists as well as teams. Through the participation of galleries, the Emerging Artists Art Show has focused not only on discovering artists but also on supporting them throughout the entire process of entering the art market.”

“Busan Metropolitan City will create an environment in which local artists can devote themselves freely to their work by providing robust support for creative activities, which form the core of support for the foundational arts,” Jo added.