British gallery White Cube to kick off inaugural Seoul show in September

White Cube, a leading contemporary gallery, will put up its inaugural show in Seoul, “The Embodied Spirit,” on Sept. 5, coinciding with the upcoming Frieze Seoul and introducing seven artists across the world, including South Korea's own Lee Jin-ju.

The gallery will also unveil its space in Seoul with the first exhibition in Sinsa-dong, southern Seoul. The gallery, its second permanent space in Asia following one in Hong Kong, is located in the first floor of an encased building that is also home to the Horim Art Center.

The inaugural exhibition will be directed by the gallery’s global artistic director Susan May, exploring ideas around philosophy, metaphysics and what motivates human behavior. The basis for a selection of paintings and sculptures in the show lies in the inseparable nature of body and psyche, suggested by Greek philosopher Aristotle in his essay "On the Soul," the gallery noted in the announcement.

Seoul-based artist Lee is rooted in traditional Korean painting and has expanded her artistic practice in a contemporary way, exploring the psychological process of individual memory and perception in her paintings. The exhibition will also include works by UK artist Louise Giovanelli, whose paintings embody heightened emotional states and rituals as well as religion and its iconography.

Paintings by Indonesian artist Christine Ay Tjoe and UK artist Tracey Emin as well as sculptures from Belgium's Berlinde de Bruyckere, Germany's Katharina Fritsch and France's Marguerite Humeau will be shown at the exhibition.

Joining Frieze Seoul for the second time in a row, the gallery will present major works at the Booth A18, including those by American artists Isamu Noguchi and Theaster Gates, Belgian painter Bram Bogart, Japanese artist Minoru Nomata, Palestinian artist Mona Hatoum, Indian artist Raqib Shaw and British Nigerian artist Tunji Adeniyi-Jones.

Frieze Seoul will be held from Sept. 6 to 9 at Coex in southern Seoul. An evening reception celebrating the gallery's opening will take place during Frieze Week’s Cheongdam Night on Sept. 6.

“We are thrilled to participate in the second edition of Frieze Seoul. I look forward to extending our program to Korea with a thriving local art scene and an ascending art market, to deepen connections with both the local and the global art community,” said Yang Ji-ni, the gallery’s Korean representative and director.