Frieze Takes on Seoul

Alice Chung | November 14, 2022

Photo courtesy: Ella Chun

With the September launch of the world-famous contemporary art fair Frieze, the significance of Seoul has formally been recognized in the global art scene.

Frieze, which started off as an art magazine, held their inaugural Frieze fair in London in 2003. Since then, they have expanded their presence with opening in both Los Angeles and New York. In their recent efforts to introduce Frieze o Asia for the first time, the 2022 fair was held in Seoul, South Korea.

Frieze art fairs have a colossal impact on a country’s art scene. Within minutes of the opening, many artworks were instantly swept away by demand for sales; in fact, the competition between art collectors is so heated that most art galleries require reservations from buyers prior to the exhibition.

Collectors from all over the world came to Seoul for the sole purpose of attending this week-end-long event, showcasing its popularity and value. Compared to other art fairs, Frieze stands out for its emphasis on inclusivity and diversity within its selections. With more than 100 international galleries taking part in the Seoul edition, art enthusiasts have the opportunity to visit a highly diverse exhibition of various artistic genres.

So why did Frieze choose Seoul over any other Asian country, such as Singapore or Japan? Upon closer inspection, we can see that Seoul's sales within the art industry have more than doubled in the past few years, from 419 to 922.3 billion won, not to mention that Seoul has also rapidly expanded its soft power and influence over recent year With the constant increase in popularity of K-pop, K-dramas, and K-fashion, Korea's entertainment industry has taken over the media in the global sphere. To showcase this, Frieze collaborated with many A-list Korean celebrities like G-Dragon and RM, who have actively expressed their interest in art.

Considering the grand introduction of Frieze’s new chapter in Seoul, the event has been marked as the second most-influential Frieze fair ever held. According to Frieze's chief executive, Simon Fox, Frieze Seoul was able to bypass past Los Angeles and New York fairs in terms of sales and engagement with galleries. Highlights of the fair included works of the time-less Pablo Picasso himself, such as the "Girl with a Red Beret and Pomom (1937)," attracting a busy and admiring crowd in no time.

I was lucky enough to attend this event myself, and it is safe to say that Frieze lived up to my high expectations. Stepping into the fair, I was immediately drawn in by lively ambiance created by all the beautiful artworks. From one perspective, one may argue that the busy atmosphere takes away from the peaceful experience of focusing on the art itself. But I contend that it rather helped me to fully immerse myself in the authenticity and beauty of an art fair.

The opening of Frieze has ultimately piqued interest in how Seoul's future will continue to impact the artistic community. Many have already expressed their excitement about Frieze's annual return to Seoul. Despite the numerous foreign galleries that dominated sales and captured the media's attention this year, it is expected that more local Korean artists will be put in the spotlight in the next few years.