The inaugural HIVE Art Fair in Seoul will experiment with an alternative business model that removes set booth fees and places emphasis on curatorial presentation. The five-event fair will start on May 21 at COEX Magok.
Unlike conventional art fairs that typically charge fixed booth fees, HIVE will introduce what organizers describe as a “selective purchase system,” allowing galleries to decide which services and installations they want to pay for.
“The approach was intended to reduce financial pressure on galleries and encourage investment in exhibition planning and booth presentation,” Kim Jyeong-yeon, director of the art fair, told The Korea Herald.
The fair will move away from relying on booth rental fees as the primary income source, instead turning to alternatives such as ticket sales, corporate partnerships, promotional lounge programs and optional location-selection services, Kim added.
The inaugural edition will be joined by 36 galleries based in South Korea and 12 overseas galleries. Participating galleries were assigned booths of the same size, and exhibition titles and curatorial statements will be displayed alongside gallery names throughout the fair and on its website.
The fair includes 158 participating artists with no overlap between galleries, according to the organizer.
“Art fairs around the world have long repeated the same format,” said Kim Dong-hyun, the fair’s head of operations.
“For many galleries — except for a handful of major players — booth fees remain a significant burden. In Korea especially, fairs often end up showing similar works by the same well-known artists, and we felt it was time to break away from that formula.”
The name “Hive” references the hexagonal structure of a beehive, symbolizing organic collaboration and scalability within the art ecosystem, according to the organizer.
HIVE will not operate a separate VIP program for its inaugural edition, though visitors who purchase works during this year’s event will receive priority registration for next year’s VIP program.
yunapark@heraldcorp.com
