[비즈한국] The '2025 Eurasia Busan International Art Fair', which opened on December 4th at BEXCO Exhibition Center II in Busan, concluded on the 7th. The Eurasia Busan International Art Fair is a direct-trade market where artists set up their own booths and interact with visitors, and it also features exhibitions by emerging artists who will be responsible for the future of Korean art. Among the 40 emerging artists invited this year, four were selected as 'Excellent Emerging Artist' award winners based on a combination of judge scores and audience feedback: Kim Yi-rin, Yoo Jung, Lee Seung-ah, and Lee Mi-hee. We met with artist Lee Seung-ah, who received a great response from the audience.
―Congratulations on winning the 'Excellent Emerging Artist Award'. How do you feel?
This is my fourth year participating in the Busan International Art Fair (BIAF) as an emerging artist. It is my final year before hitting the age limit for emerging artists, so I am honored to 'graduate' in this way. As I nurtured my dreams as an artist through the Busan International Art Fair, I have become more serious about my work. Also, every time I came, the board chair and the management team gave me advice on my paintings, which became the driving force for my growth. BIAF, I love you!
―What do you think is the reason you won the award?
I prepared the paintings with a more diverse range of colors than before. Perhaps that is why the response from the visitors was better, they cheered for me a lot, and they also purchased my works.
―The title of your work is ‘club 90s’. What is the meaning behind it?
Here, 'club' refers to the type of club where various cultural performances take place. If our life is a performance on stage, I wondered what kind of performance we are putting on. Even the difficult moments are just the music of the moment while we are performing. This music will flow with time, and I am simply showing a good performance with my excitement, talent, and wit. That is the thought I infused into it.
―Is there a reason your outlook on life changed?
As I got older, I came to acknowledge that the world is different from the beliefs I held in my 20s. I thought about what life is and how to survive actively and independently. As a result, I decided to consider this world, full of uncertainty, as the stage of my life and vowed to do my best to survive no matter what happens. I thought perhaps the greatest performance in life is overcoming one's personal history, so I resolved to create a turnaround in difficult situations myself.
―You will be returning as an invited artist for next year's Busan International Art Fair. What kind of work do you want to showcase?
Since I am continuing to keep the resolution I mentioned earlier, it seems the 'club' series will continue for a while. I started the club series four years ago, and many good things have happened since then, serving as a turning point in my artistic career.
Artist Lee Seung-ah and the three other winners of the 'Excellent Emerging Artist Award' will participate as invited artists in the '2026 Eurasia Busan International Art Fair' to be held next year.
Emerging Artist Exhibition Director Ahn Hye-jin said, "There were many comments that the level of emerging artists' work this year was higher than in previous years. Art sales increased, and merchandise also sold well." She added, "There were even cases where students who entered the youth contest pooled their pocket money together to purchase pieces by emerging artists." She also noted that the age range of exhibition visitors has become younger overall, with an increase in young visitors and collectors.
Next year's Eurasia Busan International Art Fair is scheduled to be held at BEXCO Exhibition Center II in Busan from Thursday, December 3rd to Sunday, December 6th, 2026.