COEX, a gigantic convention and exhibition center in Seoul, South Korea, has become the platform for one of this year’s hottest art fairs. As the South Korean art market has grown exponentially in the past couple of years, Seoul has reestablished itself as the new art capital once again. The leading international art fair Frieze keeps extending its influence on the Asian art scene after the booming success of last year’s edition in Seoul. In the aftermath of Frieze Seoul 2023, let’s take a look at some of the most impressive featured presentations.
Hannah Woo became the winner of the inaugural Artist Award at Frieze Seoul. The emerging artist presented her hanging installation pieces made from fabric. Titled The Great Ballroom, the series explores the changes that female bodies undergo as time passes. The draping pieces of fabric were hung from the ceiling of COEX, reminiscent of the curves and folds of an aging body.
The research-based art collective ikkibawiKrrr, which focuses on investigating the links between humans and nature, continued the theme of female empowerment. Their video art piece focused on telling the story of the tight-knit community of Korean female seaweed divers from Jeju island.
Frieze Seoul 2023 featured a large selection of works by emerging and mid-career artists, alongside the giants of the South Korean art scene.
Among the indisputable highlights of this year’s edition of the fair were pieces by the established artist Koo Jeong A, whose art sings an ode to the beauty of simple things in life. Her latest piece titled Density consists of a black block of wood, which levitates above its stand with the help of magnets.
It is also worth mentioning that Frieze Seoul introduced its international audience to Dansaekhwa (literally meaning “monochrome painting”), a Korean modernist art movement that appeared in the 1970s. Its emergence symbolized the development of an entirely new approach to art, which was drastically different from the traditional Korean painting style. Lee Dong-Youb, Lee Kang-So, Park Seo-Bo, and Yun Hyong-Keun are some of the most well-known names associated with Dansaekhwa.
Although it is only two years old, Frieze Seoul 2023 has proven that its contribution to the South Korean art market is massive. With new promising artists entering the stage each year, one can only expect that Seoul will continue to reaffirm its position as a major art hub.
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