The third edition of Frieze Seoul, directed by Patrick Lee, will take place at COEX from September 4 to 7, 2024. Over 110 galleries from 30 countries will participate in this year’s fair, with a focus on Asian and Korean exhibitors. Frieze Seoul takes place alongside Kiaf SEOUL, which is organized by the Galleries Association of Korea.
Image above: 2023 Kiaf SEOUL × KAMS × Frieze Seoul Talks, Photo by Lets Studio. Courtesy of Lets Studio and Frieze
The fair has introduced an expanded program of curatorial initiatives, including Frieze LIVE, a new performance art section, the second Frieze Seoul Artist Award, which recognizes a significant new commission by an emerging talent, and a lecture series. The fair’s renowned sections return, with Frieze Masters showcasing historical art from Asia and around the world, while Focus Asia presents the best emerging talent from the region.
Frieze Film, Frieze Music and collaborations with major non-profit organizations will take place throughout Seoul during Frieze Week, which also features late-night gallery events and major institutional exhibitions.
Director Patrick Lee expressed his enthusiasm for Frieze Seoul in September and looked forward to attracting a diverse audience and highlighting the galleries’ presentations. He thanked the governments of Seoul, Busan and Gwangju for their continuous support and pointed out the cooperation with the biennials in these cities.
The “Galleries” section of the fair features more than 80 major galleries from around the world, with a strong presence of exhibitors from Asia. Key Korean galleries include Arario Gallery, Gallery Hyundai, Johyun Gallery, Kukje Gallery and PKM Gallery. The broader Asian contemporary practice is represented by DAG (India), The Drawing Room (Philippines), Kiang Malingue (Hong Kong), Galerie Quynh (Vietnam), ROH (Indonesia) and Taka Ishii Gallery (Japan).
Key international players returning to the fair in 2024 include Canada, Sadie Coles HQ, Gagosian, Hauser & Wirth, High Art, Mariane Ibrahim, Karma, Lisson Gallery, Mendes Wood DM, Neugerriemschneider, Pace Gallery, Thaddaeus Ropac, Sprüth Magers, Michael Werner, White Cube and David Zwirner. More than 75% of the exhibitors in the galleries have participated in every edition of Frieze Seoul so far.
New participants include Bel Ami from LA, Exit from Hong Kong, LambdaLambdaLambda from Prishtina and Brussels, LC Queisser from Tbilisi, Mind Set Art Center from Taipei, Proyectos Monclova from Mexico City and sultana from Paris.
Frieze Master
After a successful first two years, the Frieze Masters section returns to Frieze Seoul 2024 under the direction of Nathan Clements-Gillespie. This section features galleries presenting art from across the centuries, from collectibles and Old Masters to the late 20th century.
This year there is a significant increase in Asian galleries, with first-time participants such as Asia Art Center, DAG and Liang Gallery, alongside returning exhibitors such as Gana Art and Tokyo Gallery + BTAP. Participants also include dealers in 20th century American art such as Castelli Gallery and galleries specializing in Europe such as Les Enluminures and Robilant+Voena.
Focus Asia
Focus Asia returns with ten solo presentations of artists from Asian galleries founded in 2012 or later. The section is curated for the second year by Joselina Cruz (Director and Curator, Museum of Contemporary Art and Design, Manila) and Hyejung Jang (Chief Curator, Doosan Art Center, Seoul).
Focus Asia is supported by Stone Island which, in addition to supporting Frieze, provides grants to enable emerging galleries to participate in the fair.
Exhibiting galleries and artists in Focus Asia
- A-Lounge, Seoul – Hyori Cho
- Baik Art, Seoul, Jakarta – Kyungryul Park
- Barakat Contemporary, Seoul – Sojung Jun
- Blueprint 12, New Delhi – Kingsley Gunatillake
- Cylinder, Seoul – Jonghwan Lee
- G Gallery, Seoul – Hwang Sueyon
- Kayokoyuki, Tokyo – Evelyn Taocheng Wang
- Nova Contemporary, Bangkok – Supawich Weesapen
- Parcel, Tokyo – Lu Yang
- SAC Gallery, Bangkok – Taiki Sakpisit
Frieze Week Seoul
Frieze Week returns to Seoul in 2024, with special events, artist-led activities and partner projects across the city. Key highlights include nightly openings in Seoul’s main gallery districts:
- Hannam Night on Tuesday, September 3
- Samcheong Night on Wednesday, September 4
- Cheongdam Night on Thursday, September 5
Major institutional exhibitions include ‘Talking Bodies: Asian Women Artists’ at MMCA Seoul; Elmgreen & Dragset at Amorepacific Museum of Art; Do Ho Suh at Art Sonje Center; Anicka Yi’s solo exhibition and ‘Art Spectrum 2024’ at Leeum Museum; Nicolas Party’s first solo exhibition in Korea at Hoam Museum of Art; and a selection from the Pinault Collection at SongEun Art Space.
LG OLED returns as the official headline partner of Frieze Seoul, strengthening its collaboration with art and technology. Deutsche Bank, Global Lead Partner of Frieze for over 20 years, continues its support, reaffirming its long-standing commitment to artistic excellence.
Limited tickets are sold at https://www.frieze.com/fairs/frieze-seoul/tickets.
WHEN?
Fair dates: Wednesday, September 4 – Saturday, September 7, 2024
