Seoul Gets An Intriguing New Art Fair-Plus, A Rundown Of The Latest In Asia's Art World

A new art fair in Seoul is trying to redraw the economics of the fair model before its first edition even opens. Hive Art Fair will run from May 21 to 24 at COEX Magok without charging booth fees, and its organizers say the event will prioritize business-to-business collaborations over the usual collector-facing sales format.

The fair's debut will bring together 50 exhibitors from Seoul and abroad, including Esther Schipper, Gallery Hyundai, Canada, and Tomio Koyama Gallery. Rather than relying on the standard booth-and-buyer structure, Hive plans to work with corporate partners and sponsors, while also financing part of its operation through paid guided tours and collaborations with public agencies in the neighborhood. Organizers have also said galleries will need to purchase tickets for their clients, and that they may“selectively purchase their booth location,” though the fair will make the final call.

The launch adds another experiment to a regional art market that has been recalibrating its public and commercial platforms. In the same sweep of developments, Sundaram Tagore will open a new London space at 27 Pall Mall in St. James's on May 16, while Cuturi Gallery has already opened a Paris outpost in Palais-Royal with an inaugural group show curated by Deborah Lim.

Institutional news is moving just as quickly. Melissa Chiu has been named director of the Guggenheim Museum in New York, leaving her current post at the Smithsonian's Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden in Washington, D.C. Wrightwood 659 in Chicago will present“Martin Wong: Chinatown USA” from April 17 through July 18, and the Hepworth Wakefield will mount a retrospective of Indian artist Mrinali Mukherjee from May 23 through November 1.

Elsewhere, the Black Gold Museum opened in Riyadh with a permanent collection of 350 works by more than 170 artists from over 30 countries. The United Arab Emirates will present“Washwasha” at the Venice Biennale, while the Hong Kong Museum of History has reopened its history exhibition after a six-year hiatus and major revamp.

The market side of the story was equally forceful. Saffronart reported a combined total of $32.4 million for its spring auctions, led by Raja Ravi Varma's *Yashoda and Krishna* (circa 1890s), which sold for $17.97 million to Cyrus Poonawalla and set a new auction record for the artist. Christie's Asian Art Week also reached $78 million across seven auctions, its highest total in five years. Together, the figures suggest a region where institutions, galleries, and auction houses are all testing new forms of scale, visibility, and influence.

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