SEOUL, December 29 (AJP) - South Korea’s premier celebration of visual storytelling, the Seoul Illustration Fair, concluded its 11th-anniversary edition on Sunday, drawing tens of thousands to the COEX convention center in Gangnam.
The four-day event, which ran from Dec. 25 to 28, featured over 900 artists and more than 1,000 booths. This year’s iteration saw a significant global presence, with approximately 50 international teams joining a diverse roster of domestic creators.
As South Korea’s largest illustration event, the fair lived up to its reputation for high demand. Long queues formed hours before the doors opened each morning, with average wait times exceeding 60 minutes during the weekend peak.
The exhibition floor was dominated by the "character culture" that has become a staple of South Korean digital communication. Driven by the mainstream popularity of mobile emoticons, over half of the displays featured animal-themed characters and whimsical graphic styles. However, the fair also maintained space for traditional fine arts, showcasing dreamy watercolors and avant-garde conceptual works.
Merchandise sales were brisk, with popular artists reporting "sell-outs" of plush toys, keychains, and stationery within the first day.
This year’s theme, "Recording is Existence," served as the finale to an annual trilogy of exhibitions. The theme pavilion focused on the visualization of memory and emotion, offering a more introspective contrast to the high-energy marketplace.
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