'ARTISTART' is a public-private partnership project to cultivate new artists in the Busan, Ulsan, and Gyeongnam areas hosted by KT&G Sangsang Madang Busan and the Busan Cultural Center, and sponsored by Busan Metropolitan City. More than 100 works by 70 pre-graduate students from eight local universities, including Pusan National University and Kyungnam National University, will be exhibited at four locations, including KT&G Sangsang Madang, Busan Civic Center, BNK Busan Bank Gallery, and the Youth Center.

In this event, a mentoring program will also be operated to support aspiring writers to grow into professional writers. KT&G plans to solve the concerns of students and provide them with expert advice from senior artists who are actively active in the art/exhibition industry.

Subsequently, works that are determined to be excellent will be eligible for entry into the '2021 BAMA Busan International Gallery Art Fair', the No. 1 art fair in Korea. This will give participants the opportunity to make their name known to the world's leading galleries and collectors.

Hyo-seok Ji, Director of KT&G Culture Contribution, said, "ARTISTART is the first large-scale culture and arts support project we have operated since the opening of Sangsang Madang Busan in September. As a base for local culture and arts, we will continue to contribute to the activation of local culture and arts by actively supporting emerging artists.” 

KT&G Sangsang Madang is a complex cultural space that supports the creative activities of emerging artists and provides a wide range of cultural experiences to the public. It operates about 3,000 cultural and artistic programs every year, and as much as 1.8 million people visit each year. Starting with Hongdae in 2007, KT&G established 'Sangsang Madang' one after another in Nonsan, Chuncheon, and Daechi, and in September, it launched 'Sangsang Madang Busan' in Seomyeon, Busan.



First 'ARTISTART' Exhibition Poster