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| A view of the inaugural edition of Frieze Seoul, which kicked off with a VIP opening at COEX in Gangnam District, southern Seoul, Sept. 2, 2022 / Newsis |
By Park Han-sol
Following its successful debut in Asia last year, Frieze Seoul is set to return this September with a stronger lineup of Asia-based galleries for its second edition.
Like last year, the four-day global art fair will run alongside Korea's longest-running contemporary art fair, KIAF Seoul, via a five-year-long partnership with the Galleries Association of Korea from Sept. 6 to 9 at COEX in southern Seoul.
While some 120 exhibitors participating in this year's event hail from 30 countries, over 40 percent of them are from Asia, according to the organizer, with an emphasis on those that opened their outposts in Korea.
Also joining the fair are 18 local galleries ― including Arario Gallery, Gallery Baton, Kukje Gallery, PKM Gallery, Hakgojae Gallery, Gallery Hyundai, Johyun Gallery and Gana Art ― up from 12 that took part in last year's iteration.
Frieze Seoul's Main section, "Leading Galleries," will feature 89 major exhibitors. The list includes globally established players like Gagosian, Hauser & Wirth, Lisson Gallery, David Zwirner, White Cube and Spruth Magers, as well as those with exhibition spaces in Korea ― Lehmann Maupin, Pace Gallery, Thaddaeus Ropac, among others.
This year's section will see a handful of first-time participants as well such as Shanghai-based Antenna Space, Paris-based Crevecoeur, San Francisco-based Jessica Silverman and Galerie Quynh from Ho Chi Minh City.
Focus Asia, a unique feature of the Seoul art fair, will return with its showcase of 10 groundbreaking artists introduced by emerging Asian galleries that have opened their doors since 2011.
The highlights include the presentation of Jung Soo-jung put forth by A-Lounge; Yoo Si-nae by Cylinder; Hamra Abbas by Lawrie Shabibi; Park Rondi by White Noise; Priyageetha Dia by Yeo Workshop; and Yuko Mohri by Yutaka Kikutake Gallery.
Frieze Masters, under the direction of Nathan Clements-Gillespie, will be presented as a curated peek into the representative art spanning millennia ― from 15th-century manuscripts to tours de force of Old Masters ― through the participation of over 20 exhibitors like Axel Vervoordt, Les Enluminures, Gray and Skarstedt.
"Building on the success of last year's inaugural edition, Frieze Seoul 2023 features a lineup of exceptional galleries from across the globe, with a special focus on Asia-based exhibitors showcasing the best art from the region," Frieze Seoul Director Patrick Lee said in a statement. "I look forward to a week of creativity extending beyond the fair."
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