Park Han-sol reports on Korea's financial regulators, along with fintech and insurance. She previously wrote about the art world, from biennales and exhibitions to fairs and auctions, with a focus on Seoul and the figures shaping the scene. Before joining The Korea Times, she spent a year at ABC News' Seoul bureau, contributing to coverage of major Asia-Pacific events.
Double dose of Frieze, Kiaf to ignite Seoul's art scene in Sept.
A view of Frieze Seoul 2023 at COEX in southern Seoul / Courtesy of Lets Studio, Frieze
By Park Han-sol
A double dose of Frieze and Kiaf Seoul in September will once again capture the attention of the art world, highlighting Korea's vibrant scene. In their third year of partnership, these two leading art fairs are poised to invigorate the creative landscape well beyond their Seoul venues, further enhanced by the concurrent Gwangju and Busan Biennales.
“I think the partnership [between Frieze and Kiaf Seoul] has established a new chapter in the global art market. It really demonstrates what can be achieved when two distinct yet complementary fairs collaborate,” said Frieze Seoul Director Patrick Lee during a joint press conference in central Seoul, Thursday.
“Our focus is to have the dialogue go both ways. Just as much as [it's about bringing] non-Asian galleries to come and meet audiences here, it’s also about giving Asian artists, Asian practices, Asian galleries and Asian institutions opportunities to showcase their works to a broader audience. This, I believe, is really the hallmark of the success of Frieze Seoul collaborating with Kiaf... It’s this identity that has created a unique experience. There are so many art fairs in the world and you have to have a vision to be unique.”
Over 310 blue-chip and emerging galleries from around the world will gather at COEX in southern Seoul for the two events’ simultaneous openings on Sept. 4. A joint ticket grants access to both fairs, priced at 250,000 won ($187) for a preview pass and 80,000 won ($60) for general admission.
Frieze Seoul Director Patrick Lee, right, and Hwang Dal-seung, president of Galleries Association of Korea, Kiaf Seoul's host, speak during a joint press conference in central Seoul, Thursday. Yonhap
The third iteration of Frieze maintains a similar scale to its previous editions, featuring just over 110 dealers from 32 countries. Among them, 23 are newcomers to the fair, with many having never exhibited in Seoul before.
“It’s the most international Frieze Seoul to date,” Lee remarked.
Like last year, the event continues to emphasize Asia-based exhibitors, with nearly 63 percent of the participants operating in the region.
Anicka Yi's "Rñ§JñK￡K×ñ" (2024) / Courtesy of the artist and Gladstone Gallery
Blue-chip dealer Gladstone Gallery will showcase works by Robert Rauschenberg and Anicka Yi. Yi, who will have her first solo museum exhibition in Korea next month at the Leeum Museum of Art, will be featured prominently in the gallery’s presentation.
Gagosian will land in Seoul with a presentation of Maurizio Cattelan, Nam June Paik and Derrick Adams. The gallery is also debuting Adams’ new pieces at cosmetics giant Amorepacific’s headquarters.
MASSIMODECARLO, which opened its Seoul studio earlier this year, is dividing its booth into three sections — one dedicated to the painter Shannon Cartier Lucy, alongside group displays of figurative paintings and abstractions.
Derrick Adams' "Whatever (En Vogue)" (2024) / Courtesy of the artist and Gagosian
Lehmann Maupin returns with a spotlight on four influential Korean artists whose careers are gaining international momentum. This includes Kim Yun-shin, featured in this year’s Venice Biennale, Lee Bul, the recipient of the Met’s 2024 Facade Commission, Do Ho Suh, who is being celebrated in a homecoming solo show at Art Sonje Center, and Sung Neung-kyung, who is set to have his first solo exhibition outside Korea in New York this October.
Other galleries with notable solo booths include Gallery Hyundai, showcasing Jeon Joon-ho in his first one-man presentation in a decade, Galerie Quynh, featuring Tuan Andrew Nguyen’s sculptures made from brass artillery shells used during the Vietnam War, and Timothy Taylor, displaying Honor Titus’ contemporary reinterpretations of Western portraiture as a subtle jab at social class and race.
Lu Yang's "DOKU The Flow" (2024) / Courtesy of PARCEL
The fair’s two feature sections will return: Focus Asia, illuminating 10 groundbreaking artists introduced through emerging galleries from the region, and Frieze Masters, dedicated to art ranging from the Middle Ages and Renaissance to 20th-century masterpieces by Kim Whanki, Chang Uc-chin and Niki de Saint Phalle.
And throughout Frieze Seoul’s run, two new large-scale sculptures by Choi Goen, winner of the fair’s second annual Artist Award, will be on display at the venue.
Citra Sasmita's "Peculiar Garden" (2022) / Courtesy of Yeo Workshop
Meanwhile, the 23rd edition of Kiaf Seoul, the longest-running homegrown contemporary art fair, is set to welcome 206 exhibitors from 22 countries. Among them, 132 galleries hail from the local art scene, in line with the event’s commitment to introducing forward-looking Korean art and emerging talents to a global audience.
This year, the fair will expand across two floors of COEX with new spacious booth layouts, designed in collaboration with young architect Jang Yoo-jin, to streamline the viewing experience, according to Hwang Dal-seung, president of the Galleries Association of Korea, Kiaf Seoul’s host.
The accompanying special exhibition, “Kiaf onSITE: Invisible Transitions,” curated by Urban Art Lab in Seoul Director Lee Seung-ah, explores alternative takes on our ever-changing reality through the use of wearable technology, virtual reality and experimental performance.
The partnership between the two mega-fairs, established through a five-year contract lasting until 2027, will extend beyond Korea, Hwang hinted. To support its international expansion, Kiaf Seoul plans to participate in Expo Chicago, acquired by Frieze last year, next April.