Program
Kiaf SEOUL 2026 HIGHLIGHTS
Through the ‘Kiaf SEOUL 2026 HIGHLIGHTS’ section, Kiaf SEOUL introduces ten artists. Launched in 2023, Kiaf HIGHLIGHTS is a program that selects and presents the most noteworthy artists at the fair. Its goal is to make the art fair not merely a marketplace for art, but a forum for artistic discourse.
This year’s keyword is ‘Coexistence (共存),’ which is also the theme of Kiaf SEOUL 2026. The art world today is once again turning its attention to fundamental values such as the environment, materiality, and Eastern modes of thought. Inquiries into the relationship between nature and humanity and into material and essence have emerged as central concerns in contemporary art. At the foundation of these questions lies coexistence: How can humanity coexist with nature, and how should artists engage with their materials? The need to shed new light on artists who have held fast to these questions and quietly sustained their practice over many years has grown all the greater.
This year’s Kiaf HIGHLIGHTS has therefore selected ten established artists who have built distinctive formal languages through sustained inquiry and practice. Unlike last year, which focused on the potential of promising young artists, this year’s edition centers on revisiting artists whose work demonstrates artistic excellence, distinct artistic identities, contemporary relevance, and art-historical significance. When the depth accumulated through years of unwavering practice stands alongside newness, the art fair becomes a place where the art of multiple generations coexists. The selected artists will be introduced to audiences in Korea and abroad through Kiaf’s official channels and a range of other media.
Kiaf HIGHLIGHTS focuses not on sales performance or commercial appeal, but on each artist’s singular vision and language, as well as the years of practice embodied in their work. The years these artists have devoted to their practice resonate with the depth of authenticity sought by audiences today. We hope this presentation offers an opportunity to encounter a landscape in which nature and humanity, material and essence, and the art of yesterday and today coexist.
This year’s keyword is ‘Coexistence (共存),’ which is also the theme of Kiaf SEOUL 2026. The art world today is once again turning its attention to fundamental values such as the environment, materiality, and Eastern modes of thought. Inquiries into the relationship between nature and humanity and into material and essence have emerged as central concerns in contemporary art. At the foundation of these questions lies coexistence: How can humanity coexist with nature, and how should artists engage with their materials? The need to shed new light on artists who have held fast to these questions and quietly sustained their practice over many years has grown all the greater.
This year’s Kiaf HIGHLIGHTS has therefore selected ten established artists who have built distinctive formal languages through sustained inquiry and practice. Unlike last year, which focused on the potential of promising young artists, this year’s edition centers on revisiting artists whose work demonstrates artistic excellence, distinct artistic identities, contemporary relevance, and art-historical significance. When the depth accumulated through years of unwavering practice stands alongside newness, the art fair becomes a place where the art of multiple generations coexists. The selected artists will be introduced to audiences in Korea and abroad through Kiaf’s official channels and a range of other media.
Kiaf HIGHLIGHTS focuses not on sales performance or commercial appeal, but on each artist’s singular vision and language, as well as the years of practice embodied in their work. The years these artists have devoted to their practice resonate with the depth of authenticity sought by audiences today. We hope this presentation offers an opportunity to encounter a landscape in which nature and humanity, material and essence, and the art of yesterday and today coexist.
Artists
