K-MINAF
First, K-MINAF features minhwa (traditional folk painting) and its adaptation to modern tastes to promote the genre to the world. The event is organized by the Korean Minhwa Association under the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism, the nation's largest organization for art with approximately 1,600 member artists.
Popular from the 17th to 19th centuries and making a comeback in the 1980s, minhwa displays both mythological and daily life scenes from the nation's past and more recently features modern reinterpretations.
K-MINAF is not just an art fair but also offers an opportunity for artists to discuss their works with the public, along with interactive learning and photo zones.
Also this year, the event will be held at SETEC jointly with Art Festa Seoul. If K-MINAF grows in scale, it could be hosted separately.
An exhibition of fine antiques is also scheduled, and booths will offer art therapy and exhibitions of art on sale for reasonable prices. Another goal is to spread interest in minhwa to the younger generation and the world, so paintings will be sold on global shopping malls.
One ticket is good for entry into all three exhibitions. The price has yet to be confirmed but 10,000 won is likely.
Art Festa Seoul
Under the slogan "What is art? It's a festival!" Art Festa highlights the state and evolution of contemporary Korean art and artistic sensibility. The works are by both Korean and foreign artists, with over 60 galleries and artists including celebrities to take part.
My experience
I attended K-MINAF last year after hearing about it from a friend who recommended things to see in the city.
At K-MINAF, I saw artists exhibiting their works interpreting minhwa in a modern style; the explosion of colors in my eyes was wonderful. The best thing was speaking to them and asking for explanations and details of their work. They all smiled and answered my questions and often gave me nice gadgets. They also gave business cards and brochures of their works and sold things that they created.
Installations and corners were provided for selfies, displaying materials used to create minhwa and visitors making their own personalized stamps. My favorite work was two young lovers sitting on the veranda of a Hanok (traditional house) called "The Man Who Became King."
A small store at the entrance sold gadgets with themes of the event like a bag with peonies, fan with the tiger and magpie, masks with the event's logo, and book of the works and artists featured in the exhibition.
At Art Festa Seoul, I'd never been to such a large and engaging exhibition held in 360 degrees. It had installations for taking photos, a corner to decorate paper lanterns to later form a collective work made by visitors themselves, live commerce, and a traveling exhibition by choreographer and dancer Kwon Mi-jung.
But what struck me was that the attending artists and staff from art galleries at the exhibition were ready to provide any explanation. I couldn't wait to meet my favorite artist Lee.K, aka Lee Killust, an artist famous for his portrait of Jimin from BTS but whose other works have greatly impressed me. It was wonderful to discuss art with him.
I also saw other Korean artists like singer Nam Tae-Hyun and model Moma Kang and met others less known to the West. This was one of the first great exhibitions in the post-COVID-19 era, an experiment of returning to normalcy after a long period of isolation.
I found it intense and emotional to attend both exhibitions, learn more about Korean folk art, see how it has evolved, meet the artists preserving this beautiful tradition, and enter the world of contemporary and modern art produced by Korean and non-Korean artists.
