Revealed: Highlights of Frieze Seoul 2023

Frieze has unveiled highlights of the second edition of Frieze Seoul, returning to COEX in the Gangnam district of the city from 6–9 September, 2023. Taking place alongside Kiaf SEOUL, the fair celebrates Seoul’s creative communities with a series of special projects and collaborations. In addition, the city is hosting Seoul Art Week from 1–10 September, promoting the fair throughout the city and building visitor info centers in the areas of Samcheong and Hannam. There is also an extended program of film, music, talks and more across the city during Frieze Week, 4–9 September.

Frieze Seoul 2023 brings together more than 120 leading galleries from across the world, and a core of Asia-based exhibitors with a particular emphasis on those operating in Korea. The fair also includes two special sections: Focus Asia, for solo presentations from young galleries based in Asia, and Frieze Masters, for art from antiquity to the 20th century. A dedicated edition of Frieze Viewing Room will open on 30 August, offering a first look at the galleries’ presentations and the opportunity to engage with the fair online. 

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE SOLO PRESENTATIONS AND CURATED SHOWS

David Kordansky Gallery has a solo presentation of new paintings by Los Angeles-based artist Mary Weatherford.

Kukje Gallery is showing works by Korean artists including Park Seo-Bo and Ha Chong-Hyun – both pioneers of the Dansaekhwa movement – Choi Wook-kyung and Jeong Yeon-doo. 

Jessica Silverman dedicates its booth to ceramic sculptures and oil paintings by the Californian-based Woody De Othello. The artist’s first show in Asia explores the domestic, anthropomorphic and surreal.

There’s a solo show at Kiang Malingue by Chou Yu-Cheng, showcasing the latest abstract paintings from his “Origami” series.

François Ghebaly presents a solo booth of new works by Incheon-born, New York-based artist Cindy Ji Hye Kim, combining translucent silk and wooden sculptures that draw upon ancient Korean funerary and ritual objects to reflect upon the process of mourning.

Pace Gallery debuts its representation of Lawrence Weiner’s estate with a booth anchored by ON THE LINE OFF THE LINE (1997), alongside works by Lee Kun-Yong, Yoshitomo Nara and Robert Nava.

Naoki Tomita has a solo booth at Maho Kubota of paintings portraying scenes of urban Japan that examine emptiness in contemporary life.

Night Gallery presents a display by Andrea Marie Breiling (her first solo presentation in Korea) of her kinetic abstract works rendered in spray paint. 

The Modern Institute is showing new panels by Walter Price that combine drawing and painting to examine structures of power and associated questions of access.

At PKM, there’s a group presentation featuring three pioneering Korean artists: Yun Hyong-keun, Chung Chang-Sup and Yoo Youngkuk, alongside artists of the new generation including Koo Jeong A (who will represent Korea at the 2024 Venice Biennale).

Lehmann Maupin has a curated presentation spanning multiple generations and geographies, including works by significant Korean artists Lee Bul, Do Ho Suh and Sung Neung Kyung.

There are new works at STPI from Korean artist Hyun-Mi Yoo featuring puzzle pieces, alongside works by internationally acclaimed artists Rirkrit Tiravanija, Do Ho Suh and Ryan Gander. 

P21 presents a collection of works by Choi Jeong Hwa, Hyungkoo Lee, Keem Yiyoung and Haneyl Choi that emphasize each artist’s role within their generation and respective disciplines.

There’s a dual presentation at Galerie Quynh by Hanoi-based Do Thanh Lang, whose canvases draw from online media, and Tallinn-based Will Thurman, whose paintings ironize structural norms. 

At Vadehra there’s a group display featuring works by leading artists from the Indian Subcontinent including Rameshwar Broota, Anju Dodiya, Atul Dodiya, N.S. Harsha and Praneet Soi, alongside exciting young artists Biraaj Dodiya, Shrimanti Saha and Shailesh B.R.

David Zwirner also presents a group exhibition including new monotypes and paintings by Katherine Bernhardt, paintings by Mamma Andersson and key works by Yayoi Kusama. 

FOCUS ASIA HIGHLIGHTS 

This year’s Focus Asia is advised by Hyejung Jang (Chief Curator, DOOSAN Gallery) and Joselina Cruz (Director and Curator at the Museum of Contemporary Art and Design, De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde, Manila). It returns for 2023 with ten solo artist presentations from galleries in the region, all founded in or after 2011.

Cylinder shows Sinae Yoo’s new series of works, including an altarpiece reminiscent of Old Master paintings.

Woo Hannah—the recipient this year of the inaugural Frieze Artist Award in Seoul, supported by Bulgari—is showing fabric installations at G Gallery with the central motif of a mythic female god. 

Yutaka Kikutake brings site-specific works by Yuko Mohri, including Decomposition, which uses a synthesizer to translate the rotting of fruit into harmony.

A series of Prae Pupityastaporn’s diptychs, finding a dreamlike insight into the flux and fragility of memory, are on show at Nova Contemporary. 

Yeo Workshop is presenting new works by Priyageetha Dia created with 3D animation and game engine software, continuing the artist’s research into Southeast Asian plantation histories.

FRIEZE MASTERS HIGHLIGHTS

The Frieze Masters section of Frieze Seoul, directed by Nathan Clements-Gillespie, brings together several millennia of art: from antiquities to rare manuscripts to 20th-century masterpieces. Highlights this year include: 

A solo presentation of works by Rhee Seundja, tracing the artist’s pursuit of her own lyrical abstraction over a six-decade career (Gallery Hyundai).

Works by significant Modernists including On Kawara, Sol Lewitt and Lawrence Weiner (Konrad Fischer Galerie). 

An exhibition to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Chicago-based Gray Gallery, with works by artists including Jim Dine, David Hockney, Alex Katz, Jaume Plensa, McArthur Binion, Leon Polk Smith and Evelyn Statsinger, for their debut at Frieze Seoul (Gray Gallery).

Rare books that track the evolution of manuscript and print culture from its beginning in East Asia through to the 20th century (Peter Harrington). 

Works on paper from some of art history’s most celebrated names, including Paul Cézanne, Helen Frankenthaler, Lucian Freud, Henri Matisse, Joan Mitchell, Pablo Picasso, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Egon Schiele, Joseph Mallord William Turner and Edouard Vuillard (Stephen Ongpin Fine Art).

Works from artists including Yun Hyong-keun, Lucio Fontana and Günther Uecker, alongside a selection of antiquities, including a rare Khmer head of a deity from the reign of Jayavarman VII (Axel Vervoordt).

FRIEZE SEOUL PARTNERS HIGHLIGHTS

LG OLED presents masterpieces by Kim Whanki 

Twelve original abstract paintings from revered South Korean artist Kim Whanki’s New York and Paris periods, including a new project presenting Whanki’s works on digital canvases. 

Breguet presents “Streaming Time” 

Building on the brand’s heritage and association with the arts, Breguet presents ‘Streaming Time,’ a new exhibition by curator Somi Sim. Inspired by marine chronographs and pilots’ watches used to navigate unexplored landscapes, Sim has challenged Seoul-based artists Sungseok Ahn and Heemin Chung to represent the contemporary notion of time in new works that debut in Breguet’s lounge at the fair. 

Frieze Music Seoul featuring Colde, presented in partnership with BMW and Johnnie Walker Blue 

Frieze Music Seoul in collaboration with BMW featuring artists Colde, APRO and Khakii, will take place on Friday 8 September at S Factory in Seongsu-dong. Johnnie Walker Blue is a partner.

illycaffè presents the illy Art Collection designed by Judy Chicago 

Launched more than 30 years ago, the illy Art Collection invites contemporary artists to redesign the brand’s iconic espresso cups. The Judy Chicago collection draws on one of the artist’s early works, Reincarnation Triptych, with four cups each representing a historic female figure: Marie Antoinette, Madame de Stael, George Sand and Virginia Woolf. 

Maison Ruinart presents Eva Jospin: PROMENADE(S) 

Maison Ruinart reveals its 2023 Carte Blanche by French artist Eva Jospin, PROMENADE(S). The installation comprises a series of creations, high reliefs, drawings and embroideries articulated around a carmontelle—an 18th-century ancestor of the projector—referencing the Age of Enlightenment, during which Maison Ruinart was founded. 

Shinsegae presents “Art Retail” Lounge 

In line with their commitment to championing the arts since their founding in 1963, Shinsegae presents “Art Retail,” a bespoke lounge at the fair serving traditional Korean tea and desserts. Created in a Korean modernist style, the lounge displays works by some of the country’s leading artists.

W CONCEPT presents “THE COLLECTION: WHAT’S IN YOUR WARDROBE” Lounge 

W CONCEPT, Korea’s leading fashion platform, presents a lounge inspired by collecting practices at the intersection of fashion and art featuring artists Jibin Im, Joshua Vides and Jiyeon Sung. Visitors will get the opportunity to create their own AI-generated artwork and take home a limited-edition figure collection and keyring by Jibin Im.  

NOROO, Frieze Seoul Focus Stand Prize Partner   

Leading Korean paint and coating company NOROO supports the Asia Stand Prize recognizing an exceptional presentation in the section. The brand has also created a bespoke paint shade that will be used throughout the fair.

Dr. Sturm presents an interactive STURM experience 

Global Frieze Partner Dr. Sturm offers guests an interactive STURM experience including a Scan-to-Win competition – where visitors will have a chance of winning Dr. Sturm’s entire SUPER ANTI-AGING COLLECTION, and a shoppable STURM wall, where guests can explore the entire Molecular Cosmetics collection. 

FRIEZE WEEK PARTNERS  

For the second year, CHANEL and Frieze present “NOW & NEXT”, a video series spotlighting Korean artists. The continuation of ‘NOW & NEXT’ pairs established artists with emerging talents, bringing together some of today’s most accomplished creators with the next generation of visionaries. The three-part series is particularly invested in promoting artistic dialogue across generations, including Minouk Lim and Seo Young Chang.  

Additional Frieze Week partners include Jo Malone London, Mulberry and Acne Studios. 

Frieze Seoul is supported by official headline partner LG OLED, in a collaboration that brings together the worlds of art and technology, and by global lead partner Deutsche Bank, continuing two decades of shared commitment to artistic excellence. 

FURTHER INFORMATION

Frieze Seoul 

Frieze Seoul will return to COEX from 6–9 September, 2023. Discover the best art from more than 120 leading galleries from across Asia and beyond. Located in the Gangnam district in the heart of Seoul, the fair will run alongside Kiaf SEOUL, South Korea’s leading art fair. 

Media accreditation to the fair is open, please apply at frieze.com/page/press.

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^{Main image: Prae Pupityastaporn, Untitled, 2023. Print, 215 x 255cm (each). Courtesy of the artist and Nova Contemporary.}