Korean Cultural Centre India showcases Korean contemporary art at India Art Fair 2025

- Director General of National Gallery of Modern Art, Dr. Sanjeev Kishor Goutam, was the chief guest at the KCCI exhibition booth

- Dr. Sanjeev Kishor Goutam closely appreciated the artwork by Korean artists and interacted with artist Kim Deok-han

- KCCI exhibition booth blends Korean traditional heritage with contemporary artistic expression

The Korean Cultural Centre India's exhibition booth at the India Art Fair 2025 had an enthusiastic opening, with Dr. Sanjeev Kishor Goutam, Director General of the prestigious National Gallery of Modern Art, gracing the occasion as the chief guest on the opening day. Dr. Sanjeev Kishor Goutam interacted with the Korean artist Kim Deok-han, whose lacquer works were on display at the booth, and closely examined and appreciated all the artworks displayed at the booth.

Dr. Sanjeev Kishor Goutam, Director General of the National Gallery of Modern Art, 

and his wife viewing artworks at the special exhibition hall of the Korean Cultural Center in India.

With the growing influence of Korean culture in India, interest in Korean fine and visual arts has been on the rise. Reflecting this increasing enthusiasm, the Korean Cultural Centre India was invited by the India Art Fair to operate a dedicated Korean exhibition booth. This special invitation brought the essence of Korean contemporary art to the 16th edition of India Art Fair, which is being organized from February 6 to February 9 at National Small Industries Corporation Exhibition Ground (NSIC) in New Delhi.

Participating in the institutions sector representing Korea, Korean Cultural Centre India’s K-Art special exhibition booth features works by veteran Orientalist artist Kim Keun-joong; Korean painter and paper work artist Lee Gil-woo; and Kim Deok-han, an artist of the new generation who is a master of lacquer works.

The India Art Fair, which celebrates its 16th anniversary this year, is the world's largest art fair in terms of number of visitors, with an average of 100,000 visitors per day. The KCCI exhibition booth at the 2025 India Art Fair presents a unique perspective that harmoniously blends Korean traditional heritage with contemporary artistic expression. Artist Kim Keun-joong’s works reinterpret ancient murals and traditional Korean paintings with bold colours and intricate detailing. His series “Flower World” highlights peonies, symbolising prosperity and wealth. “I wanted to move beyond traditional depictions of desire and instead express the essence of the human heart,” he said.

Lee Gil-woo is known for his distinctive incense-burning technique on ‘hanji’ (traditional Korean paper). His double-pose works combine traditional landscapes with modern characters in a pop-art style, exploring the coexistence of Eastern and Western cultures. “The burned silhouettes reflect the duality and complexity of human nature,” said Lee. The artist is known for his exhibition at the Saatchi Gallery in UK during the 2012 London Olympics, the 2010 Grand Prize at the 'Bangladesh Asian Art Exhibition' – the first Biennale in Asia.

Kim Deok-han is an artist of the newer generation who expresses the sense of subtlety through the traditional material of lacquer. He layers lacquer in multiple colours and repetitively peels them off, leaving only traces of each layer. This laborious process takes a long time as each coloured layer must dry completely before the next is applied. The artist explains that this process creates a record of time and space. By peeling off each layer and leaving only its traces, he captures individual moments of the past on the plane of a single artwork. Kim’s meditative approach to his materials and his choice of earthy colors inspired by traditional Korean ‘hanbok’ dresses leave a strong and profound impression in his works.

Hwang Il Yong, Director of Korean Cultural Centre India said, “The status of Korean culture in India is on the rise. The Korean Wave, which was sparked by K-pop and Korean dramas, is now becoming increasingly diversified and segmented. It is now expanding into Korea’s traditional culture, fine art, and visual arts. We have been planning and preparing through long-term consultation with India Art Fair team over the past year to showcase carefully the essence of selected Korean fine art and visual art at India's largest art platform, India Art Fair. We are grateful to the organiser, India Art Fair, for their continued interest and cooperation.”