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2w ago

Frieze Anchors Year-Round Seoul Presence as Fair Opens With Strong Sales

A permanent Yaksu-dong venue with a majority-Asian exhibitor mix signals a pivot toward sustained engagement in the region.

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A visitor checks out an artwork by Japanese artist Takashi Murakami at Frieze Seoul at the COEX exhibition hall in southern Seoul on Sept. 3, 2025. (Yonhap)

Overview

  • Frieze House Seoul opened this week with UnHouse, curated by Jae Seok Kim, and now hosts Frieze’s local offices alongside year-round exhibition programming.
  • The landscaped garden features a permanent site-specific installation by SANAA with aluminum and stainless-steel seating that collects rainwater.
  • Frieze Seoul opened to the public at COEX after Wednesday’s VIP preview, presenting works from over 120 galleries and reporting brisk transactions on day one.
  • Hauser & Wirth sold Mark Bradford’s new triptych for about $4.5 million, with additional seven-figure sales reported by Thaddaeus Ropac and notable Korean gallery placements.
  • For the first time, Asian galleries constitute more than half of exhibitors, as the city’s art week—co-presented with Kiaf—drew official guests including the first lady and saw higher preview attendance at Kiaf.