Korea's largest-ever art market opens in Seoul

This photo shows the Korean International Art Fair (KIAF), annual art fair in Seoul. Newsis

• Published Sep 2, 2022 2:34 PM KST
• Updated Sep 2, 2022 6:42 PM KST

Two big international art fairs will kick off in Seoul on Friday, bringing together a combined 350 galleries from around the world.

The 21st edition of the annual Korean International Art Fair (KIAF) Seoul and the inaugural Frieze Seoul, a prestigious international contemporary art fair hosted by leading art platform Frieze, will simultaneously open at COEX in southern Seoul at 2 p.m.

Frieze Seoul will take place until Monday on the third floor, while KIAF Seoul will last till Tuesday on the first floor. But only VIP ticket holders can visit the events on the first day while general viewing begins Saturday.

At Frieze Seoul, 110 galleries from 21 countries, including prominent galleries, like Gagosian Gallery, Perrotin Gallery and Hauser Wirth, will take part in the first Frieze event to take place in Asia. Frieze is considered one of the world's leading art fairs and takes place in several cities around the world, like London, Los Angeles and New York.

In the Frieze Masters section, where 18 galleries are participating, visitors will feel like they are inside an art museum as works by masters of modern and contemporary art history are among the items on display.

Acquavella Galleries in New York City brought together works by Pablo Picasso, Andy Warhol, Francis Bacon, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Alberto Giacometti, Keith Haring, Ellsworth Kelly, Willem de Kooning, Henri Matisse, Piet Mondrian and Robert Rauschenberg.

Castelli Gallery, also in New York, presents Roy Lichtenstein's pop art pieces while Annely Juda Fine Art, a contemporary art gallery in London, will showcase David Hockney's famous paintings.

KIAF Seoul, the largest art event in the country organized by the Galleries Association of Korea, will feature drawings and sculptures from 164 galleries at home and abroad, including Seoul-based Kukje Gallery and Gallery Hyundai.

Works by the world's renowned artists, including Roman Ondak from Slovakia, Michael Craig-Martin and Anish Kapoor from Britain, will be presented for the 21st edition.

Its satellite art fair, KIAF Plus, kicked off Thursday at the Seoul Trade Exhibition and Convention (SETEC) in southern Seoul for a five-day run, with a focus on smaller and younger galleries and new media art, like non-fungible tokens. A total of 73 galleries from 11 countries are taking part in the spin-off event.

Frieze, which holds art fairs in big cities like London, New York, and Los Angeles, does not disclose its sales figures, but the art scene expects there will be some multimillion dollar sales during the Seoul event.

KIAF Seoul recorded a record high of 65 billion won in sales last year and expects it to triple this year. (Yonhap)