Many, many years ago, the increase in trade between Western Europe and Asia following the Age of Discovery, which began in the 1400s, built Western Europeans' fascination with what they called "the Orient." They had discovered "exotic" Asia thorough its arts and design. The artists' enthrallment eventually took the form of "Chinoiserie," which originated from the French word for "after the Chinese taste."

  

Following the quiet year of 2020 engulfed by the COVID-19 pandemic, Korea's art market saw a new boom this year. Part of the surging public interest was fueled by the unprecedented donation of late Samsung Chairman Lee Kun-hee's massive art collection. Non-fungible tokens (NFTs) that represent the ownership of digital assets, became another attractive buzzword for a new sector of collectors. An influx of new, younger art buyers was soon witnessed at major local art fairs and auctions, which all saw record turnouts and sales. In addition, there was the expanding presence of internationally renowned galleries in Seoul. Below are the top news stories that grabbed the headlines in the Korean art scene this year.

  

We take a look at the must-see exhibitions in 2022, including the return of the Venice Biennale and Documenta, blockbuster shows of Donatello and Cezanne, and a sculpture festival for the Qatar World Cup Because of the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, please check exhibitions are going ahead before you travel. Yves Saint Laurent aux Musees Musee d’Art Moderne de Paris, Centre Pompidou, Musee d’Orsay, Musee National Picasso Paris, Musee Yves Saint Laurent Paris, Musee du Louvre, 29 January-15 May (closes 15 April at Musee Picasso)

  

Some of the nation’s major museums and commercial galleries, such as Samsung’s Leeum Museum of Art, Seoul Museum of Art (SeMA), Kukje Gallery and Hakgojae, all of which are located in central Seoul, have unveiled their plans for 2022. Others, like the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art (MMCA) will reveal their plans for the Year of the Tiger at a later date.

  

Three notable Korean female artists spanning different generations are simultaneosly holding solo shows at Ilmin Museum of Art (IMA) in central Seoul as part of the museum’s “IMA Picks” project. They are 81-year-old Yun Suknam, often dubbed the godmother of Korean feminist art; 61-year-old Hong Seung-hye, pioneer of pixelated abstract art both through analogue and digital media; and 34-year-old Eunsae Lee, a fast-rising artist known for her colorful paintings of bold strokes hovering between expressionist art and cartoons.

  

Folk tales, myths and ghost stories spanning generations are coming alive through vivid media art, drawing visitors into their supernatural worlds. As the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic is accelerating the art world's adoption of immersive technologies, extended reality ― an umbrella term for virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR) and mixed reality (MR) ― is emerging as a new driver of innovation.