Busan Illustration Fair V.7 to showcase inner emotions and cityscapes at BEXCO

The 'Busan Illustration Fair V.7', an event where illustration works and creative goods can be encountered in one place, will be held for three days from November 6 to 8 at the BEXCO Exhibition Center 2 in Busan. Selected as an excellent exhibition by Busan Metropolitan City, this event will feature approximately 500 artists from eight countries and 23 companies showcasing new works and related products.

This year's theme pavilion, "Density of the Heart: Emptying," is a planned exhibition connected to "Density of the Heart: Filling," which was presented at the Seoul Illustration Fair this past summer. It carries the intent of reflecting on human inner selves and values in an environment where artificial intelligence (AI) technology is rapidly advancing.

Artists Park Min-a and Distime Su will participate in the theme pavilion. Park Min-a, who majored in animation and counseling psychology, deals with emotions and the self that are difficult to express in words through a series of face and body works using black materials. Distime Su is an artist who has conveyed warmth and hope within black and white contrasts using birds, which symbolize freedom, as a subject.

The exhibition is composed of three sections. It begins in a space where visitors can write down emotions or situations they wish to empty on memo notes, moves to reflecting on one's current self through the works of the two artists, and concludes in a final space where visitors can complete their own images by adding lines and planes to the papers containing their concerns.

The event will also host "The Poster Busan 2026," which introduces winners of a poster competition. Approximately 550 entries were submitted to the competition held under the theme 'KEEP CALM and ______', and after judging, one winner, nine finalists, and 10 honorable mentions were selected. The winner is Italian artist Elena Bansh, who drew a cat floating on water under the theme 'KEEP CALM and Follow the flow'. At the venue, T-shirts utilizing the winning works will be sold, and a participatory art wall program for visitors will also be conducted. Fragrances sponsored by Perfume Center E will also be added to the exhibition space.

In "Busan on Canvas," which reinterprets Busan's landscapes through illustration, the work 'Drawing a New World' by artist Hyun Yu-ri will be unveiled. This work combines elements of reality and imagination with the urban landscape of Busan, and related goods such as T-shirts, keyrings, and tumblers will also be sold. All proceeds from the sale of goods in the planned pavilion are scheduled to be donated to ChildFund Korea.

A space introducing independent publications will also be provided. The independent publishing platform Hoejeonmun Seojae will present mini-books by creators through the "Mini Book Fair Going to Busan." The Busan independent bookstore Peace Kind Home, along with Today's Bookshop, will curate independent publications and art books, and will operate 'Kit List', which produces mini-zines using on-site photos, and 'Season of Faces', a profile photography and co-publishing project. In addition, a DJ booth Reading Party, artist talks, and a central lounge for rest and workshops will be provided.

Approximately 500 artists from eight countries, including artists Noma, Double-Sided Tape, Noide, and Ko Hyo-ri as well as emerging artists, will participate in this event. 23 industry-related companies will also participate to introduce various products and creative cases utilizing illustration.

On the official online platform OCREO, visitors can check the new works, goods, and event information of participating artists. Through hashtag searches and portfolio functions, interested artists can be saved to a collection, and visitors can check the location of artists via online booth floor plans or leave personal notes.

An official from the organizer OC Makers said, "We hope this event becomes a place where visitors and artists share their hearts through their works," adding, "We are preparing so that people can gain new inspiration while encountering various creative works."

Read the original (Korean)