Frieze Seoul 2023 (Photo: courtesy Frieze Seoul)
Cover Frieze Seoul 2023 (Photo: courtesy of Frieze Seoul)
Frieze Seoul 2023 (Photo: courtesy Frieze Seoul)

Frieze Seoul coincides with several major art fairs, biennales and exhibitions happening around South Korea. If you are in the country, why not check them out?

The third edition of Frieze Seoul, which runs from September 4 to 7, kicks off the art fair season in Seoul, as collectors, gallerists and visitors flock to South Korea’s to discover its cultural offerings.

As the headline event of the week, Frieze Seoul will showcase more than 110 galleries from around the world featuring works by established and emerging Korean and global artists such as South Korean multimedia artists Haegue Yang and Nam June Paik; Italian visual artist Maurizio Cattelan; and American multidisciplinary artist Honor Titus.

However, beyond Frieze Seoul, South Korea is also hosting other fairs, biennales and exhibitions during this time. Here are three you can also check out if you’re in the country this autumn.

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Gwangju Biennale

The 15th edition of the Gwangju Biennale returns on September 7 and is helmed by French art critic and curator Nicolas Bourriaud, best known for developing his theory on relational aesthetics in the 1990s. Referencing a 17th-century Korean musical genre, the exhibition title is Pansori, a soundscape of the 21st century, and the showcase is centred around ideas of climate change, multiverses and nature.

Participating artists include Marguerite Humeau, Cheng Xinhao, Choi Haneyl, Liam Gillick and Young Eun Kim. An opera performance will mark the opening of the Biennale, and the exhibition will be held across various cultural venues in Gwangju until December 1.

Busan Biennale

The latest edition of the Busan Biennale, the Korean beachside city’s biannual cultural event, opened last week and will run until October 20. Curated by co-directors Vera Mey and Philippe Pirotte, the exhibition’s theme is Seeing in the Dark, prompting visitors to reconsider and rethink their established perspectives. For this theme, the curators drew from ideas of Buddhist enlightenment and pirate utopias, which were early forms of self-governed communities for those exiled from mainstream society.

The exhibition takes place across four venues: Busan Museum of Contemporary Art, Busan Modern and Contemporary History Museum, Hansung1918 and Choryang House. It features works by 70 artists and collectives from 36 countries and regions.

Kiaf Seoul

Held at Coex Seoul, the same venue as Frieze Seoul, Kiaf, Seoul’s original international art fair (established in 2002) is back from September 5 to 8 with more than 207 galleries, 36 of which are participating for the first time.

The strong presence of domestic galleries—130 in total—emphasises the fair’s focus on spotlighting prominent and rising Korean artists. Highlights include Hakgojae Gallery’s presentation of Kang Yo-bae and Park Gwangsoo; Fi Jae Lee and Park Miwha’s works at Artspace3; as well as works by Korean masters Whanki Kim, Park Seo-Bo, Chun Kwang Young and Kim Tschang-yeul.

Among the international galleries, highlights include Albarrán Bourdais’ showcase of Danish artist Superflex, Sundaram Tagore Gallery’s presentation of Kenny Nguyen’s tactile works and Abdoulaye Konaté’s textile pieces at Japanese gallery Standing Pine’s booth.

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