The city of Busan has officially announced the final selection of 10 artist teams comprising 20 individuals for the “3rd Emerging Artist Art Show, Busan Connected” (BUSAN, CONNECTED) exhibition. According to the Busan Metropolitan Government, the initiative aims to spotlight promising creative talents and bridge the gap between early-career artists and the broader contemporary art market.
This year’s open call drew strong interest from the creative community, attracting 95 teams representing a total of 128 applicants, which resulted in a competitive ratio of 9.5 to 1. To broaden participation across the region, municipal organizers expanded the application criteria beyond traditional two-person artist teams to include individual submissions. Applicants were required to meet specific birth, residency, or regional connection requirements linked to Busan.
Following a review process, the final 10 selected teams include collaborative pairings such as Slow Diary (Kim Ok-jung, Park So-hyun), People Walking Between Spaces (Noh In-woo, Park Ki-won), Duo (Choi Min-young, Seo Ji-woo), Pink Liberation Front (Son Min-hee, Park So-eun), Gray Molecule (Noh Hyun-joo, Lee Seung-jin), alongside artist duos Hong Ji-hye and Han A-young, Shin Yi-nae and Kim Yu, Shin Jae-min and Lee Han-hee, Lee Hye-joo and Hwang Jeong-won, and Choi Su-yeon and Lee Seong-eun.
Incubation, Gallery Matching, and Exhibition Details
For individual applicants who entered the open call on a solo basis, organizers coordinated individual-to-individual pairings to build teams blending Busan and non-Busan perspectives. These newly formed collaborative groups are expected to produce striking artistic synergies across various modern art disciplines, including painting, sculpture, photography, installation, media, and craft.
The selected artists will present their works during the official “Busan Connected” exhibition, scheduled to run from October 16 to October 25 at the Geumgo Museum inside the Busan Modern and Contemporary History Museum. During the exhibition run, a panel of judges will conduct on-site evaluations to select one winning team. That selected team will secure a dedicated solo booth space at the upcoming “2027 The Preview Art Fair,” organized by event partner Art Meets Life.
The incubation-focused open call ran from June 15 through July 12, evaluating 90 compliant teams comprising 121 individuals across solo and duo tracks. Throughout the two-stage evaluation process, ten galleries participated directly in reviewing portfolios, spatial planning proposals, and foundational documents to assist in artist selection and professional alignment.
Supporting Next-Generation Talent in the Art Market
The ten partnering galleries guiding this year’s cohort include Karin Gallery, Combine Works, CDA, OKNP, YK Presents, Gallery Sosoh, Space So, A Company, APO Project, and Hippi Hannam. These institutions worked closely with judges to evaluate submissions based on thematic relevance, exhibition structure, technical completion, and market viability.
Moving forward, each selected artist team will enter a one-on-one mentorship matching program with these established galleries. The collaboration covers comprehensive professional development, ranging from exhibition planning consultations and artist positioning to pricing strategy and long-term artistic direction.
Cho Yu-jang, Director of the Culture Bureau for the Busan Metropolitan Government, noted that expanding the framework to welcome both individual and group entries successfully streamlined the journey from initial talent discovery to professional market integration. City officials emphasized their ongoing commitment to strengthening foundational arts support and providing local creators with stable environments to develop their practices.
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