Contemporary art’s global K-boom is circling back to Seoul starting this month. The big K-motion is being stirred by the arrival of Frieze Seoul, the first outpost in Asia for the Anglo-American fair. More than 110 galleries from 20 countries are pitching up at the Coex convention and exhibition center in Gangnam from September 2 to 5. But Frieze isn’t the only art destination at Coex; long-running domestic fair Kiaf Seoul is happening simultaneously, bringing together 164 galleries from 17 countries and territories for its 21st edition, including 37 first-time exhibitors. Kiaf’s inaugural satellite fair Kiaf Plus, which focuses on new-media art and NFTs, also opens in Gangnam on September 1 at the Seoul Trade Exhibition Center.
“The Cumulative Effect”
Songwon Art Center
Aug 30 – Sep 15
A trio of New York-based galleries—Tina Kim, Andrew Kreps, and Bortolami—teamed up for a group exhibition at the Songwon Art Center curated by American poet and critic John Yau. With a title derived from American artist Rebecca Morris’s 2013 tribute to Belgian painter Raoul De Keyser, the show challenges “old-world” perceptions of the avant-garde. Among the dozen participants are visual artist Suki Seokyeong Kang, filmmaker Minouk Lim, conceptual artist Daniel Buren, trapunto painter Pacita Abad, and abstract painter Rebecca Morris.