Korean traditional art comes to Tuscany's sculpture town

A showcase of Korean traditional art and music took place in Pietrasanta, a town in Italy's Tuscany region known for its marble studios and galleries.

Now in its second year, the 2026 K-Art & Culture Festival was organized by Kim Kyung-su and Seok Tae-jin of Gallery Ilbaekheon and Geulssi21. Local partner Marble Studio Stagetti hosted the event, which ran Oct. 5 to 16, with support from the town government.

The program centered on Korea's traditional art forms: calligraphy, the folk painting known as minhwa and bojagi, Korea's patchwork wrapping cloths. Sculpture, media art and concerts were also part of the lineup.

The Sant’Agostino complex, the festival’s main venue, hosted exhibitions of minhwa and Hangeul calligraphy, including Julie Studio’s “A Gift from Korea,” and media art from the Nam June Paik Cultural Foundation.

Sculptors Byun Sook-kyung and Lee Jong-seo, who both work between Korea and Italy, showed their work in a second hall, while pieces by Choi Yoon-sook, Lee Kyung-jae and others were placed in the complex's garden and in Piazza del Duomo.

Elsewhere, the Museo dei Bozzetti hosted “Gyeol, Gyeop, Pum,” an installation of bojagi. At Gallery Ilbaekheon Italy, visitors could see wine labels based on Korean artworks, which were created in partnership with Buonamico Winery near Lucca.

From Oct. 8 to 10, baritone Cho Byung-joo and the Charlie Jung Trio performed on an outdoor stage at Sant'Agostino.

The privately funded festival was aimed at channeling the global interest in Korean culture toward the country’s traditional and fine arts, organizers said.

Pietrasanta Mayor Alberto Stefano Giovannetti said that Korea and Italy share a respect for their traditions and artists. Events like this one can bring their art scenes closer together, he added.