The World's Top 3 Art Fairs: Frieze, KIAF Seoul Opening Next Month... Key Exhibits Revealed

KIAF Seoul & Frieze Seoul Open at COEX on September 6
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Masterpieces by great artists such as Paul C?zanne, David Hockney, Lucian Freud, Pablo Picasso, Nam June Paik, and Lucio Fontana will gather in Seoul next month.

Frieze, one of the world's top three art fairs, and KIAF (Korea International Art Fair), the largest art market since the era of Dangun, will open together at COEX, Seoul on September 6, following last year.

Andrea Vaccaro's "Judith with the Head of Holofernes" (1620) by the 17th-century Italian painter, featured in this year's "Frieze Masters."
[Photo provided by Frieze Seoul]

Frieze Seoul with 330 Galleries Worldwide, Featuring Numerous Masterpieces "Resembling an Art Museum"

Frieze Seoul will be held with a similar scale to last year (about 110 galleries), with participation from over 120 galleries worldwide. Top-tier galleries such as Hauser & Wirth, L?vy Gorvy, David Zwirner, and Lehmann Maupin are participating in large numbers, with a particular focus on galleries based in Asia and Korea. Special session programs include Focus Asia, which introduces solo booths of young Asian galleries, and Frieze Masters, which covers artworks from ancient times to the 20th century.

Major galleries will bring works by masters and their leading artists to Seoul. David Zwirner will present Catherine Bernhardt and Rose Wylie, Hauser & Wirth will showcase George Condo and Paul McCarthy, and Gagosian will exhibit still lifes by Jonas Wood and Nam June Paik's 'TV Buddha.' Pace will feature Robert Nava and Lawrence Weiner, Lehmann Maupin will highlight Korean artists Lee Bul and Sung Neungkyung, and David Kordansky is preparing a solo booth exhibition with Mary Weatherford.

Patrick Lee, Director of Frieze Seoul, is introducing the exhibition at the press conference for the "22nd Kiaf SEOUL X 2nd FRIEZE SEOUL" held on the 17th at the Westin Chosun Hotel in Jung-gu, Seoul.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

Making its debut this year, Chicago's Gray Gallery will exhibit works by David Hockney, Alex Katz, and Jaume Plensa, while Stephan Ongpin Fine Art will showcase works on paper by masters such as Paul C?zanne, Lucian Freud, Henri Matisse, Pablo Picasso, and Egon Schiele. Axel Vervoordt will introduce works by Yun Hyong-keun, Lucio Fontana, G?nther F?rg, along with rare Khmer statues and artifacts, and Peter Harrington will display rare books and manuscripts.

Domestic galleries participating in the main section include Kukje Gallery, PKM Gallery, and Gallery Baton.

Patrick Lee, director of Frieze Seoul, said, "Interest in the art market is growing in Asia, and the level of participating galleries is high, so we expect this year to be successful. We have improved many aspects, including the flow of visitors, which was an issue last year. We also expect a large number of Chinese collectors, who could not attend last year due to COVID-19, to participate this year."

At 'Kiaf Seoul,' Hakgojae presents Jang Seung-taek's Overlapping Painting 150-22, 2022, acrylic on canvas, 220x170cm.
Photo by Kiaf Seoul

KIAF Seoul Differentiates Itself by Highlighting Emerging Artists

KIAF Seoul, which is rising as a global art fair, will feature about 210 galleries, including 137 domestic and 73 overseas, showcasing diverse works by approximately 1,300 artists.

As a special exhibition at KIAF, a two-person show titled "The Color of Home as It Is" featuring Park Saeng-gwang and Park Rae-hyun will be held. Curated by former National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art director Yoon Bum-mo and curator Kim Yoon-seop, the exhibition plans to showcase the excellence of traditional Korean color painting through works by masters Park Saeng-gwang and Woo-hyang Park Rae-hyun. Yoon Bum-mo, the general planner, introduced the exhibition as "a newly prepared special exhibition aiming to recreate the glory of color painting and a manifestation of the desire to revisit the glory of our traditional color painting."

The new media art special exhibition will introduce the vibrant scene of contemporary domestic new media art. Works by ten teams, including Moon Joon-yong, son of former President Moon Jae-in, Ko Hwi, Muniperi, Studio Atek, Shin Ki-woon, Lee Lee-nam, Lee Ye-seung, Jang Seung-hyo, Choi Seong-rok, and artists affiliated with the Korean Media Art Association, will be exhibited. Additionally, at Incheon International Airport, the special exhibition "We connect Art & Future 3rd edition, Kiaf and INCHEON AIRPORT" will present over 60 works by 30 young artists under 49 years old from August 28 to September 17.

Hwang Dal-seong, Chairman of the Kiaf Seoul Steering Committee, is giving a greeting at the press conference for the 22nd Kiaf SEOUL X 2nd FRIEZE SEOUL held on the 17th at the Westin Chosun Hotel in Jung-gu, Seoul.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

Gallery Hyundai will exhibit works by Jung Sang-hwa, Hakgojae will present Jang Seung-taek, and Park Yosook Gallery will showcase works by Park Seo-bo and Ha Chong-hyun. BHAK, celebrating its 30th anniversary, will hold a retrospective of Yun Hyong-keun. Cho Hyun Gallery and Wooson Gallery will exhibit works by Lee Bae, and works by Lee Ufan will be available at multiple galleries.

Following last year, major galleries in Seoul will stay open late during the exhibition period to welcome visitors and immerse the city in art. On September 5, galleries in Hannam-dong will participate in "Hannam Night," on the 6th, galleries in Cheongdam-dong will join "Cheongdam Night," and on September 7, galleries in Samcheong-dong will hold "Samcheong Night" sequentially. A special sculpture exhibition will be held at Songhyeon Park in Jongno-gu, Seoul. The Seoul Museum of Craft Art will host a special planning event titled "Craft Dialogue."

Hwang Dal-seong, chairman of the KIAF organizing committee, stated, "Seoul and Hong Kong are currently competing for dominance in the Asian art market. Although there is a gap with Frieze and KIAF may be relatively subdued, we will leverage KIAF's strengths to discover and introduce young artists."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.