Frieze Seoul, the world's largest art fair, ran from Sept. 5-8 at COEX Mall in Seoul. (Gil Kyuyoung)

By Gil Kyuyoung

The third Frieze Seoul, the world's largest art fair held from Sept. 5-8 at COEX Mall in the nation's capital jointly with the Korea International Art Fair (KIAF), was a massive success with 112 participating galleries from 32 countries and some 70,000 visitors.

Frieze and Art Basel, two of the world's largest art fairs, feature the latest trends in contemporary art and sees the top global galleries exhibit and sell their works. Famous art is priced at billions of KRW but visitors feel no pressure. 

Anyone, not just wealthy art collectors, can attend Frieze Seoul to leisurely view the works.  A Korea.net staff writer on Sept. 5 did just that.

Visitors see "Flowers with Smiley Faces" by Takashi Murakami from the booth of Perrotin Gallery. (Gil Kyuyoung)

Like last year, Frieze Seoul this year was packed with art aficionados from all over the world, brimming with people like curators, artists, art collectors and students.

The exhibition featured distinct works from world-renowned galleries such as Gagosian, Lehmann Maupin and Thaddaeus Ropac, as well as leading domestic galleries such as Kukje Gallery, Gallery Hyundai and Gana Art.

One side of a booth saw gallery staff have deep conversations, while the other side had visitors talking selfies in front of famous works. Unlike quiet galleries that visitors might feel uncomfortable entering, Frieze Seoul had a freer and looser atmosphere.

David Zwirner's booth has the painting "Pumpkin" (left) by Yayoi Kusama and a sculpture at the center. (Gil Kyuyoung)

Visitors flocked to see works by leading Korean artists such as Nam June Paik, Kim Whanki, Lee Ufan and Park Seo-bo and those by foreign stars like Andy Warhol, Yayoi Kusama and Anish Kapoor. Yet this year's fair did not see pieces sell for tens of billions of KRW like in the first edition.

Another hit at the exhibition was a collaborative work between artist Takashi Murakami and the K-pop girl group NewJeans. Yet Frieze Seoul is more than just famous artworks; its true appeal as an art gala is the opportunity to walk around and discover new gems.

The exhibition showcased art by emerging artists from around the world to promote new aesthetic inspirations.

This year's event was mostly divided into the Main Section, or works from domestic and foreign galleries; Frieze Masters, with works ranging from ancient to modern masterpieces up to the late 20th century; and Focus Asia, which promotes Asian galleries launched over the past 12 years.

Works from Asian galleries stood out this year.

"Asian galleries comprise 63% of this year's Frieze Seoul," the event's director Patrick Lee told a news conference on Aug. 22. "Visitors can see many works by artists of international prestige."

Tang Contemporary Art's booth in the background has a painting by Yue Minjun and an installation work by Li Wei. (Frieze Seoul)

Launched in London in 2003, Frieze started out at tents set up at Regent's Park. The annual fair of young and experimental art draws massive crowds from around the world. 

Driven by the success of Frieze London, the event saw a New York edition in 2012, another in Los Angeles in 2019 and its first exhibition in Asia in 2022 in Seoul.

Given Seoul's emergence as a new hub of Asian art, Galleries Association of Korea and KIAF will jointly host Frieze Seoul over the next five years.

Frieze said Seoul was selected as host thanks to its outstanding artistic base, convenient transportation, abundant cultural heritage and diverse content, and stable political and economic situations. Growth of the Korean art market is surging, breaking KRW 1 trillion last year for the first time.

Through the exhibition, Seoul has taken major steps toward becoming the hub of Asian art along with Hong Kong. 

This work at Gladstone Gallery is by Korean American artist Anicka Yi. (Frieze Seoul)

Though Frieze Seoul is over, large art fairs and exhibitions in Korea will continue this fall including biennales in Gwangju and Busan, Anicka Yi's solo exhibition at Leeum Museum of Art in Seoul's Yongsan-gu District, Nicolas Party's private display at Ho-Am Art Museum in Yongin, Gyeonggi-do Province, and the Pinault collection at Songeun Art Space in Seoul's Gangnam-gu District.

Another event, the Korea Art Festival, was launched this year by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. The exhibition has opened a new chapter in domestic art through discounts this month on tickets and rail tourism products.

gilkyuyoung@korea.kr