The exhibit, titled Absolute Images IIIn the latest example of the increasingly global art market, a South Korean gallery opened its New York branch with an exhibition of Chinese artists -- in a space designed by a Tanzanian-born, British architect. Arario Gallery, owned by Korean entrepreneur and collector Ci Kim, has branches in Seoul and Cheonan, South Korea, as well as Beijing. Arario made its Chelsea debut earlier this month with "Absolute Images II," a group show featuring such market darlings as Zhang Xiaogang and Yue Minjun. It also hired architecture's rising star David Adjaye, who just completed the Museum of Contemporary Art Denver, to design the gallery's vast new home. Arario's opening coincided with New York's first Asian contemporary-art fair and two weeks of art auctions, including record-setting sales of contemporary Chinese art. Arario signed a 10-year lease for its 20,000-square-foot, second-story space on West 25th Street, according to Jane Yoon, director of the New York branch. The gallery is investing $5 million in the new venture during its first six months. The sprawling space features three lofty rooms with shiny black oak floors. "We have some great exhibitions in Asia, but we couldn't show them to the wider audience," Yoon said. Since almost half of the gallery's clients are Western collectors, "it only made sense to come to the West."Great Criticism by Wang Guang Yi,oil on canvas painting, 300 x 400 centimeters,2005Star Power Starting with a Chinese show was a strategic decision. "In Asia, Chinese artists are the most established right now," Yoon said. "Because Arario is very new in the West, we are starting off with the big names." Last month, Yue Minjun's painting "Execution" fetched $5.9 million at Sotheby's in London, one of the highest auction prices ever paid for a Chinese contemporary artwork. Yue has two paintings on sale at Arario, both belonging to private collectors. One from 2003 depicts Yue's signature smiling, toothy, red-faced men clad only in socks and briefs. Prices for the two works, available to potential buyers on request, are in the range of $1 million to $1.5 million, Yoon said. Zhang Xiaogang, known for his vacant-faced characters who are connected by thin, red "bloodlines," is represented by a set of 10 black-and-white photographs. The artist has scribbled his thoughts on top of the images as if they were mini-diaries. The group costs $200,000. Wang Guangyi's Political Pop pieces have been turning up at almost every auction of contemporary Chinese art, and there are three now on view at Arario. His "Warhol" (2005) is priced at $350,000. An installation view of works by various artists on display at the Arario Gallery in New YorkMakeshift Manhattan The gallery is also introducing Western viewers to lesser- known yet important Asian artists, such as Shanghai-based Liu Jianhua. The artist creates sprawling porcelain installations inspired by everyday objects. His works have been exhibited all over Asia and Europe. For his U.S. debut at Arario, Liu created a floor map of Manhattan, made with porcelain teddy bears, soap dispensers, motorcycle helmets, free weights, locks and hammers. Central Park is represented by an accumulation of cabbage heads; wine bottles and high-heel boots stand for skyscrapers; toy helicopters and airplanes are suspended from the ceiling on barely visibly strings. In the middle of this makeshift Gotham, two identical columns rise all the way to the ceiling, evoking the Twin Towers and urban fragility. The work is not for sale. "Absolute Images II" runs through Jan. 13 at 521 W. 25th St.