Frieze art fair to launch in Seoul next fall

Frieze art fair, one of the world‘s largest global art fairs, will head to Seoul in September 2022 for the first time, to coincide with Korea’s annual art fair, KIAF Art Seoul.

The two art fairs will be held concurrently on Sept. 2, 2022, taking up four exhibition halls at COEX in southern Seoul. Although the fairs will take place at the same time, they will be operated independently, according to the Galleries Association of Korea.

Seoul will be the first Asian city to host the 20-year-old Frieze, a leading platform for contemporary art that currently runs four international art fairs - Frieze London, Frieze Masters, Frieze New York and Frieze Los Angeles.

KIAF Art Seoul, launched in 2002, is the largest international art fair based in Seoul and is held annually each fall. This year’s KIAF Art Seoul will kick off on Oct. 13.

“Seoul is a natural home for Frieze with its extraordinary artists, galleries, museums and collections. I am thrilled that it will be the location for our new fair, Frieze Seoul,” Victoria Siddall, Board Director of Frieze said in a statement. “We are honored to be working alongside the Galleries Association of Korea in a spirit of collaboration that is right for our times. Together, we will create a week in Seoul that brings together galleries from all over the world and celebrates the city’s vibrant art scene.”

Frieze and the Galleries Association of Korea have agreed to co-host art fairs for five years, according to the association.

Some 250 galleries are expected to participate in the two art fairs, with about 100 galleries joining Frieze Seoul and some 160 galleries joining KIAF Art Seoul.

Frieze and the Galleries Association of Korea have been in talks since 2019 when Frieze set about seeking a new Asian market. The two art entities reached a final agreement earlier this month.

Details, including participating galleries for both fairs, have yet to be decided. While galleries may participate in one or both fairs, applications need to be made separately.

Frieze will take up exhibition halls A and C at COEX in Samseong-dong, while KIAF Art Seoul may use exhibition halls B and D.

“The collaboration between South Korea’s most influential art fair and Frieze will confirm Seoul as a hub of the global art market,” said Hwang Dal-seung, chairman of Galleries Association of Korea.

By Park Yuna (yunapark@heraldcorp.com)