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No idea what to see at Frieze or Kiaf? Here's what to watch for during Seoul's biggest art week.

Published: 19 Aug. 2025, 17:18 Updated: 20 Aug. 2025, 13:54

LEE JIAN
[email protected]

People look at paintings on the opening day of Frieze Seoul 2024 at the Coex convention center in Gangnam District, southern Seoul. [NEWS1]

Frieze Seoul and Kiaf Seoul return next month, and with them comes a packed lineup of events and a dizzying number of booths.

Set to kick off in tandem on Sept. 3, Frieze Seoul 2025 will bring together more than 120 leading galleries from 28 countries, while Kiaf Seoul, Korea’s longest-running international art fair, will host 175 galleries from some 20 countries. Frieze Seoul runs through Sept. 6 and Kiaf until Sept. 7.

The fairs on Tuesday revealed some of their booth highlights and events.

From world-class works on view at the fairs to late-night gallery parties across the city, here are the features to watch during the upcoming 2025 Frieze and Kiaf season.

Frieze Seoul 2025

Kukje Gallery, a representative Seoul gallery, will spotlight big stars such as dansaekhwa (Korean monochrome painting) masters Park Seo-bo (1931-2023) and Ha Chong-hyun, as well as a wide range of Korean female artists such as Kim Yun-shin, Korea's first-generation woman sculptor, whose works are inspired by nature, and Ham Kyung-ah, a contemporary multimedia artist whose work mainly utilizes handmade North Korean textiles to express the social and political complexities between the two divided Koreas. The booth is also set to feature works of Korean diaspora artists Byron Kim, Michael Joo, Lotus L. Kang and Gala Porras-Kim.

International blue-chip galleries return in force. Gagosian, a global gallery chain founded in Los Angeles, will mount a group presentation centered on renowned Japanese contemporary artist Takashi Murakami’s postmodern “Superflat” aesthetic.

"Work" (1968) by Yoo Young-kuk (1916-2002) [PKM GALLERY/ FRIEZE SEOUL]

Pace Gallery, based in New York with a branch in Seoul, will explore global abstraction, pairing American painter Adolph Gottlieb’s (1903-1974) works and those of the Korean modern art pioneer Yoo Young-kuk (1916-2002) with more modern pieces by Norwegian art duo Elmgreen & Dragset, London painter Pam Evelyn, German visual artist Friedrich Kunath, Polish visual artist Alicja Kwade, Japanese visual artist and robotics designer Kenjiro Okazaki and California-based visual artist Lauren Quin.

Hong Kong’s Blindspot Gallery makes its Frieze Seoul debut with Canadian artist Sin Wai Kin’s dreamlike drag portrait “Asleep," Yang Yoo-yun’s cinematic ink paintings and new works by Wing Po So and Angela Su, both of whom are also part of this year’s Seoul Mediacity Biennale.

"Asleep" (2024) by Sin Wai Kin [BLINDSPOT GALLERIES/ FRIEZE SEOUL]

A collaborative booth between Shanghai’s Antenna Space and Los Angeles’ Commonwealth and Council will present contemporary works by Owen Fu, Hanna Hur, Mire Lee, Siyi Li, Shuang Li, Evelyn Taocheng Wang and Guan Xiao.

From Thailand, Sac Gallery will showcase politically charged works by Thai artist-filmmaker Prapat Jiwarangsan.

The fair’s Frieze Masters section will highlight more historical material, spanning rare manuscripts to late 20th-century works, including Japanese abstraction, Taiwanese avant-garde art and Korean modernism.

Highlights include French painter Georges Braque’s (1882-1963) earth-toned post-Cubist paintings at New York's Regis Krampf Gallery, and Seoul’s Hakgojae Gallery booth centered on moon jars — inspired presentation of nine Korean artists, including Kim Whan-ki (1913-1974) and Park Soo-keun (1914-1965) and Nam June Paik (1932-2006). Italy’s Mazzoleni gallery will feature postwar and contemporary Italian greats, including Agostino Bonalumi (1935-2013), Enrico Castellani (1930-2017) and Michelangelo Pistoletto.

The Focus Asia section will spotlight 10 solo presentations by emerging Asian artists experimenting with bold new practices that capture the complexities of contemporary life in the region.

Kiaf Seoul 2025

"PK95008" (1995) by Kim Tschang-yeul (1929-2021) [PYO GALLERY/ KIAF]

Marking its 24th edition, Kiaf 2025 adopts the theme “Resonance,” signaling a shift toward sustainable growth and deeper collaborations with government bodies, cultural institutions and its international partner, Frieze Seoul.

Local booth highlights include Kim Tschang-yeul’s (1929-2021) water drop paintings from Pyo Gallery; new abstract works by Kim Taek-sang, represented by Johyun Gallery; and installations by Park Seon-ki from 021 Gallery and Japanese performance and installation artist Chiharu Shiota from Gana Art gallery. Kukje Gallery will feature Swiss contemporary artist Ugo Rondinone. Gallery Sejul will present large-scale works by Cha Kye-nam that merge traditional Korean painting with contemporary abstraction.

"iebenundzwanzigsterdezemberzweitausendunddreiundzwanzig" (2023) by Ugo Rondinone [KUKJE GALLERY/KIAF]

International presentations include Japanese painter Hiroshi Senju’s iconic waterfall paintings from Sundaram Tagore Gallery founded in New York City, Colombian artist and sculptor Fernando Botero’s (1932-2023) signature voluminous figures from Texas's Art of the World Gallery and a sweeping historical showcase from Germany’s Die Galerie, spanning Italian Renaissance painter Palma il Vecchio (1480-1528) to French surrealist André Masson (1896-1987).

The Kiaf Plus section will highlight emerging artists, among them Taiwan’s Nung-Hsuan Cheng from Artemin Gallery, Korea’s Lee Hee-jo, selected to Forbes Korea’s 30 Under 30, represented by PBG Hannam gallery and Spanish-Italian painter Viani represented by Azulejo Gallery.

"Waterfall on Colors" (2023) by Hiroshi Senju [SUNDARAM TAGORE GALLERY/ KIAF]

Beyond the convention halls, Kiaf, in partnership with MediaArt Seoul, is showcasing large-scale public media art projects that will light up Seoul landmarks from Sept. 1 to 19, with media artists Seo Hyo-jung, Choi Su-in and Kim Jae-wook reimagining the cityscape through billboards and digital screens.

At Incheon International Airport, the fifth edition of We Connect, Art & Future: Kiaf and Incheon Airport will run Aug. 22 to Sept. 17 with 10 Korean galleries presenting around 50 works across diverse digital mediums.

Neighborhood Nights

Both fairs will also spill into the city with evening programs. Kiaf Art Week Nights and Frieze’s Neighborhood Nights will see galleries in Hannam, Cheongdam and Samcheong-dong stay open late from Sept. 2 to 4, hosting talks, previews, parties and performances.

On Sept. 2, Hannam Night in Yongsan District, central Seoul, will offer late-night exhibition viewings at Gana Art, Gallery SP, Gallery Joeun and the Leeum Museum of Art. French fashion label Lemaire is also set to present “Wearable Sculptures,” a traveling exhibition of leather works by Chilean artist Carlos Peñafiel, opening with a cocktail evening hosted by Creative Director Sarah-Linh Tran at its Hannam flagship.

On Sept. 3, Cheongdam Night in Gangnam District, southern Seoul, will feature artist talks, midnight art appreciation sessions, exhibition previews and cocktail parties, with participating galleries including Gaia, Graph, Kimreeaa, Planet, We and Peach. Kiaf Seoul 2025’s cultural partner, the Posco Museum of Art, will host Posco Culture Night, while SongEun Art and Cultural Foundation will present "Panorama," an exhibition of works by eight artists selected for the government's Arts Council Korea’s studio visit program.

Spanish luxury brand Loewe is slated to join the evening with a special exhibition by Lee In-chin, Loewe Craft Prize 2023 finalist, at Casa Loewe in Cheongdam-dong, and an official Cheongdam night party with art, music and champagne.

On Sept. 4, Samcheong Night, in Jongno District, central Seoul — the largest night of the three — will see Kukje Gallery, Gallery Hyundai, Jinsun Gallery, Art Sonje Center and the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art open their doors for evening programs, from DJ performances and cocktail parties to artist talks and live shows.

BY LEE JIAN [lee,[email protected]]