Art Korea Lab (AKL), an organization under the Korea Arts Management Service of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, said Friday that it successfully held a global showcase for domestic creators in the art-technology fusion field at "Sonar+D 2026," held June 18-19 at Casa Llotja de Mar in Barcelona, Spain.
Seven Korean fusion artists (groups) participated in the showcase, presenting various projects combining art and technology. During the event, approximately 5,000 international officials and visitors came to the exhibition booths and pitching sessions, showing strong interest.
Sonar+D, the industry program of the Sonar Festival, a world-renowned electronic music and audiovisual festival, is a leading international platform where art, technology and innovation intersect. Since its first participation in 2024, Art Korea Lab has taken part for three consecutive years, supporting the global distribution of domestic art-technology fusion creators. This year, it again created an opportunity to introduce the creativity and competitiveness of Korean fusion art to the international stage.
The seven artists (groups) who participated in this exhibition included Six Dopamine's "Dance Gacha Machine," Shin Kyo-myung's "Origin: Floating Senses," Eom Ji-hyo's "Bardo," Lee Jung-min's "Hyangil Gunrak," Lee Hyun-min's "Pantheon on the Desk," Park Sun-mi's "PPP I: Post-Physical Protocol," and Yaloo's "Sininho Project." The participating artists drew significant attention from local visitors by exploring contemporary themes such as technology and humanity, society, labor, sensation and mythology through experimental methods incorporating technology. Through individual pitching sessions, the participating artists had time to explain their artistic worlds in depth, raising their distribution potential.
According to Art Korea Lab, festival director Andrea Faroppa said, "Korea's art-technology aesthetics are at an astonishing level," adding, "I am pleased to be able to introduce attractive Korean artists to Spain and Europe." Artist Lee Jung-min, who participated in the showcase, said, "I have explored the ecology of barnacles and the relationships formed by their colonies through kinetic work, and I gained various opportunities for dialogue and exchange to further expand this."
Participation in this showcase was pursued as part of Art Korea Lab's customized global distribution strategy. Following its support for participation in the "New Images Festival" held in Paris, France, in April, Art Korea Lab plans to continue overseas distribution and international exchange projects, including "Now or Never" in Melbourne, Australia, in August, and dome-specialized workshops linked to Taiwan's C-LAB and Canada's SAT in September.
