Art Busan 2026, the largest international art fair in Korea in the first half of the year, was successfully held for four days at Exhibition Hall 1 of BEXCO in Busan, beginning with the VIP preview on May 21 and continuing through May 24. Marking its milestone 15th anniversary this year, Art Busan further solidified its position as a global platform connecting trends in the Asian art market, with the participation of more than 110 leading galleries from 18 countries around the world.

Front view of the entrance to BEXCO in Busan, where Art Busan 2026 was held

Art Busan 2026 boldly attempted a transformation into a “platform-style art fair” that introduced a culture of collecting centered on deeply understanding and experiencing art, going beyond a simple transaction-oriented art market. Particularly notable were plans that reconfigured gallery booths into highly complete exhibition spaces in their own right, while large-scale new works that appealed to the tastes of domestic and international collectors were actively traded, demonstrating the continued vitality of the Korean art market.

A Group Presentation Showcasing the Diverse Spectrum of Contemporary Art

Front and overall view of the Whitestone Gallery booth

Whitestone Gallery organized a refined group presentation booth featuring carefully selected works by artists with distinctive worldviews. Designed to offer a view of various currents in contemporary art, the booth drew the attention of numerous collectors and art enthusiasts immediately after the opening.

Jung Haiyun's artwork at Art Busan 2026

The new work by artist Jung Haiyun, who meticulously paints with acrylic on hanji (Korean traditional paper), drew many inquiries at the fair as it held visitors’ attention for long periods of time. In particular, this new work was presented in calm gray tones, creating an even more sophisticated atmosphere.

Within the screen filled with precise details that inspire admiration at a glance, great tits moving among drawers were depicted with a distinctively cute and beautiful appearance, making the work highly popular among those who visited the booth. Jung Haiyun’s work, in which visual loveliness is harmonized with the profound philosophy of the relational networks of contemporary society, generated a positive market response on site and drew the attention of many art enthusiasts.

Aruta Soup's artwork at Art Busan 2026

The work of Aruta Soup, who explores the inner world of modern people based on British street culture, also brought a distinctive vitality to the booth. The bandaged rabbit character “ZERO,” which represents the artist’s worldview, captured the attention of younger collectors by expressing the anxiety and loneliness of modern urban dwellers through a humorous yet sensuous visual language.

His pictorial surface, distinguished by the contrast between perfectly measured black outlines and vivid primary-color acrylics, offered a powerful visual immersion. In particular, by using thick MDF board as a support, with its edges rounded by hand beyond the canvas surface, he added a weighty sense of volume and a high degree of completion as an object to flat painting, which drew many inquiries and strong attention from art enthusiasts.

Art Busan 2026 ©Whitestone Gallery

Through Art Busan 2026, Whitestone Gallery presented the diverse spectrum of contemporary art and attracted strong interest from domestic and international collectors and art enthusiasts. Whitestone Gallery plans to continue presenting original exhibition projects as a global platform connecting Asia and the wider world.