If you’ve ever attended Art Basel, you know the rhythm: grand spaces, rapid strides, and brisk nods. The art world’s top tier converges in a whirlwind of names, canvases, and price tags.

But just when everything starts to blur, Korean contemporary art makes you stop and breathe.

At Volta Basel 2025, the satellite fair known for being a little less filtered and a little more fearless, three Korean galleries are featured this year—Gallery H.A.N., LEE & BAE, and AN INC—each bringing something uniquely powerful.

Friends of Korea had the opportunity to connect with Gallery H.A.N. and LEE & BAE, and what we witnessed was Korean artistry at its most authentic: no gimmicks, just deeply resonant work.

Big Questions, Bold Color, Big Emotions

Featuring the compelling abstract works of Myungil Lee and Ryung Kal, Gallery H.A.N. made an immediate impact.

Myungil Lee, who has exhibited at the Venice Biennale and collaborated with Louis Vuitton and Christian Dior, brought paintings that were part meditation, part emotional explosion. Lee’s work is both meditative and intense. Pieces like To Exist or To Sustain? explore existential themes through intuitive, emotionally charged brushwork.

Ryung Kal, born in Germany and educated across three continents, brings this multicultural fluidity to abstract landscapes that feel like digital-age memory fragments. Her Universe series made you want to dive into the canvas and swim in those colors, sophisticated yet completely accessible.

LEE & BAE’s Light, Line, and Quiet Strength

If Gallery H.A.N. was the friend who tells great stories at dinner parties, LEE & BAE was the one you call when you need to think through something important. Their booth felt like a sanctuary from all the art fair chaos.

• Sangmin Lee blended Korean porcelain traditions with contemporary glasswork, engraving elegant bowl forms with a “monk-like” precision.
• Seontae Hwang’s Space with Sunlight series transformed LED-lit interiors into luminous meditations on home and light.
• Hyunkyoung Shin’s color pencil drawings like Waiting for Spring layered thousands of delicate marks into visual fields of calm and introspection.

Celebrating Korean Creativity at Basel

Here’s what struck us most: in a place where everyone’s competing for attention, these Korean artists existed confidently and authentically. They didn’t need gimmicks or shock value. They showed up with good work and let it speak.

For us at Friends of Korea, it is an honor to witness and support Korean artists during Basel Art Week. Their presence at Volta Basel, surrounded by collectors, curators, and curious visitors, showed just how far Korean art has traveled and how much it still has to say.

Thank You Note

Special thanks to Gallery H.A.N. for offering VIP access to Friends of Korea members and for passionately sharing the stories behind each piece.
Thanks to their generosity, we experienced a vibrant, inspiring chapter of Korean contemporary art and we’re thrilled to share it with you.