Date: 30 July – 31 August 2010
Venue: 49 Albemarle Street, London W1S 4JR
Tel: 0207 499 1616
Email: INFO@ALBEMARLEGALLERY.COM
Web: http://www.albemarlegallery.com/

At a time when the attention of the art world is focussed on the art and artefacts of Asia in particular, and the contemporary art community on new art from emerging markets, The Korean Collective exhibition has brought together the work of six Korean artists with an interest in perception, displacement and the inner self.

Each has tackled these difficult themes with imagination and panache, and with the use of a range of materials and skills. Although the individual artists have pursued their unique paths, these three overarching concerns permeate each and every piece in the exhibition.Korea has experienced a cultural Renaissance over the last ten years, evident in its new public and private museums, modern, urban architecture and in the preservation of its traditional heritage.

The investment in the nation’s arts infrastructure is combined with the maintenance of rigorous technical standards in Western and Eastern styles of art by the leading arts universities of Hongik, Seoul and Ewha.

The market for Korean contemporary art is vibrant. Highly influential Seoul based galleries and important private Korean collectors are setting the contemporary art agenda for East Asia. Their influence, expressed in exhibitions, publications and by the appearance of their artists’ works in international auctions has moved beyond the confines of Asia and, like some Chinese art, has entered the mainstream. The Korean art world efficiently filters its most promising artists onto its national market, and with new and significant outlets overseas the future for these ‘talents’ is very bright. The best Korean art has, in short, a strong indigenous collecting base and an international pedigree………..

Reviewed by Iain Robertson

Head of Art Business Studies, Sothebys Institute of Art