Frieze, Kiaf mark third collaboration in September

Frieze Seoul and Kiaf Seoul mark their third collaboration in early September as they bring together a variety of art programs across the city, with some 320 galleries from around the world participating.

Internationally renowned art fair Frieze Seoul and the home-grown international art fair Kiaf Seoul will kick off at Coex in southern Seoul on Sept. 4. Frieze Seoul will run through Sept. 7 and Kiaf Seoul through Sept. 8. The two art fairs will co-host a talk program in collaboration with the Korea Arts Management Service, the fairs announced Tuesday.

Some 110 galleries will join Frieze Seoul while 206 galleries will be represented at Kiaf Seoul. A single ticket allows admission to both fairs.

The talk program -- held from Sept. 5 to 7 at Studio 159 at Coex -- will discuss a biennial’s role in shaping the contemporary art scene and the interconnected art market. The talks feature leading industry figures such as Clara Kim, chief curator and director of curatorial affairs at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles; artist Lee Kang-seung; and Pablo Jose Ramirez, curator at Los Angeles-based Hammer Museum.

The third edition of Frieze Seoul will see the inaugural “Frieze Live” with seven Korean artists exploring the role of poetry in performance art. Moon Je-yun, project director at Art Sonje Center, will curate the program.

“We extend our gratitude to both our new and returning collaborators, with whom we are proudly showcasing a line-up of Korean artists, international thought leaders and local non-profits," said Pat Lee, director of Frieze Seoul. "This fall, the expansive programming at Frieze Seoul is set to highlight the vibrancy and momentum of Korea’s contemporary art scene."

Frieze Film will return Sept. 2-6 with curators Park Joo-won, of the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea, and Valentine Umansky, of Tate Modern. This year’s program titled "All that Weaves the Universe: Of Quantum Entanglements" will unite time-based media works from over 20 international artists, and take place at Ewha Womans University in Seoul.

Kiaf Seoul announced 10 semi-finalists for the second edition of Kiaf Highlights Award selected from among 110 artists nominated by galleries exhibiting at Kiaf. The 10 emerging artists for the award were selected by a panel of respected art world professionals, according to Kiaf Seoul. Kiaf Seoul is organized by the Galleries Association of Korea.

On the fair’s preview day, a jury of academics, curators and institutional experts will select and announce three Kiaf Highlights finalists, each to be awarded 10 million won ($7,243).

The art fair will showcase the 2024 special exhibition "Kiaf onSITE." It will feature large-scale media art and immersive audiovisual and virtual reality works by seven artists from home and abroad that examine the complex relationship between human nature and technology.