Various Small Fires Opens Seoul Branch, Bridging East-West Art Markets

Los Angeles gallery Various Small Fires has opened a new location in Seoul, South Korea, aiming to serve as a bridge between Eastern and Western art markets. Founder Esther Kim Varet, a first-generation bilingual Korean-American, leverages her cultural ties to penetrate a promising yet challenging market. The gallery is located in the Hannam-dong area near central Seoul and will be directed by Joann Koo. The inaugural exhibition revives the 1969 "Three Modern Masters" show from Reese Palley Gallery in San Francisco, featuring American artists Billy Al Bengston and Ed Ruscha, with furniture designed by Frank Lloyd Wright compensating for the absence of his architecture. Varet noted that Seoul is Asia's cultural capital with a high ratio of sophisticated collectors, and that artists increasingly desire to exhibit in Asian platforms. The move follows a trend of Western galleries expanding to Asia, with Pace Gallery and Perrotin already established in Seoul, while others like White Cube, Gagosian, David Zwirner, and Massimo De Carlo have focused on Hong Kong. Various Small Fires will continue to represent primarily Western artists.