Frieze Seoul and Kiaf Seoul to Attract Over 300 Galleries and Showcase Global and Asian Art

Courtesy of Lets Studio and Frieze

Seoul will host two major art fairs this September, with Frieze Seoul and Kiaf Seoul both set to open on September 4 at the COEX convention center in southern Seoul. Over 310 galleries, including both established and emerging names from around the world, will participate. Frieze Seoul will run for four days, ending on September 7, while Kiaf Seoul will extend until September 8.

Tickets for the joint event will be available starting June 17, priced at 250,000 won ($183) for a preview pass and 80,000 won ($58) for general admission, allowing access to both fairs.

Frieze Seoul, now in its third year, will feature 110 galleries from 30 countries, with a notable emphasis on Asia-based exhibitors. Sections of the fair will include Galleries, Frieze Masters, and Focus Asia, with participants such as Galleria Continua, Gagosian, Hauser & Wirth, Lisson Gallery, and Pace Gallery. Frieze Masters will highlight art from antiquities to late 20th-century works, featuring new participants from the Asian art market, including Asia Art Center from Taipei, DAG from India, Mizoe Art Gallery from Tokyo, and Galerie du Monde from Hong Kong.
 

▲ A view of Frieze Seoul 2023 at COEX in southern Seoul / Courtesy of Lets Studio and Frieze

The Focus Asia sector will showcase 10 solo presentations by artists from young regional galleries, including CYLINDER with Lee Jong-hwan, G Gallery with Hwang Sue-yon, and Blueprint 12 from New Delhi with Kingsley Gunatillake. The fair will also debut a Frieze Live section dedicated to performance-based art. Additionally, the Frieze Seoul Artist Award will support an emerging artist, with the winner to be announced on June 24.

Kiaf Seoul, the longest-running contemporary art fair in South Korea, will feature 207 exhibitors from 21 countries. More than 130 galleries will represent the local Korean art scene, highlighting forward-looking Korean art and emerging talents. The fair will take place across two floors of COEX with new booth layouts designed by architect Jang Yoo-jin to enhance the viewing experience. A special exhibition, “Kiaf onSITE,” curated by Urban Art Lab in Seoul's director Lee Seung-ah, will explore themes involving artificial intelligence, wearable technology, and virtual reality.

▲ A view of Kiaf Seoul 2023 at COEX / Courtesy of Kiaf SeoulThe fairs will coincide with a range of cultural events across Seoul. The National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art (MMCA) will feature “Talking Bodies: Asian Women Artists,” while the SongEun Art and Cultural Foundation will present a survey of the Pinault Collection. Concurrently, solo exhibitions by contemporary artists Do Ho Suh at Art Sonje Center, Anicka Yi at the Leeum Museum of Art, and Nicolas Party at the Hoam Museum of Art will also be on display.

Additionally, the openings of Korea's leading biennials, the Gwangju Biennale and the Busan Biennale, will form part of a broader nationwide celebration of contemporary art.

Sayart 

Blue YIM, yimyoungseo1010@naver.com