The Hypeart Guide to Frieze Seoul 2025
From standout booths to must-see exhibitions unfolding across the city.
Summary
- The 2025 edition of Frieze Seoul welcomes over 120 presenting galleries with a joint booth by P21 and Gallery Vacancy, as well as NANZUKA UNDERGROUND’s star-studded presentation featured on the fairgrounds
- Standout satellite shows include Antony Gormley’s Inextricable at White Cube, the Nude, Flesh and Love group show at Jason Haam, the inaugural exhibition at Frieze House Seoul and the debut installation for Maison Margiela’s “Line 2” project
- Lee Bul’s monumental retrospective at Leeum Museum of Art, Adrián Villar Rojas’ The Language of the Enemy at Art Sonje Center and the 13th edition of Seoul Mediacity Biennale are among the museum highlights
Frieze Seoul is back in full swing, now in its fourth edition. Running through September 6 at COEX in Gangnam, the 2025 fair delivers a hefty dose of contemporary art’s “what’s up next” and “who’s who” in the region and beyond, with stellar contributions from major institutions and emerging artist projects alike.
With over 120 galleries in tow, ranging from global heavyweights to experimental spaces, this year’s footprint stretches from K-POP Square outward, spilling into vibrant pockets of the Korean capital, be it in the artist playground of Euljiro, the Yongsan riverwalk or the storied streets of Samcheong-dong,
With the launch of Frieze’s permanent art house, NANZUKA‘s star-studded booth, and Lee Bul’s commanding retrospective at Leeum Museum of Art, the 2025 edition signals Seouls’s growing grasp on the global stage. From fairground spectacles to institutional presentations, here’s our round-up of highlights from Frieze Seoul 2025.
At the Fair
Courtesy of P21 and Gallery Vacancy.
Welcoming nearly two dozen first-time exhibitors, fresh faces and contemporary greats collide the fair floor. Among the standout presentations is a joint booth (A33) by Seoul’s P21 and Shanghai’s Gallery Vacancy, culminating in a cross-disciplinary dialogue of form and focus from international roster of artists — Haneyl Choi, Shin Min, Minjeong An, Yaerim Ryu, Xiyadie, Zhang Yingnan, Keem Jiyoung, Taewon Ahn, Hannah Jo, and Sofia Mitsola. Elsewhere NANZUKA UNDERGROUND (C12) brings together over 20 cult names — Hajime Sorayama, Stickymonger, FriendsWithYou, Hebru Brantley and MSCHF among the sort — for an eclectic showcase highlighting the its pop cultural penchant.
Satellite Shows
Courtesy of the artist and Jason Haam.
If the two-hour trek to Antony Gormley‘s Museum SAN show is feeling ambitious, the British sculptor is also delivering his first Seoul solo outing with Inextricable at White Cube, with works from several of his ongoing series on view. Looking to escape outside the bustle of Gangnam? Jason Haam opens his newly expanded Seongbuk gallery with Nude, Flesh and Love, a multi-medium group exhibition, bringing forth a layered meditation on beauty, attachment and desire.
In Yaksu-dong, Frieze opens the doors to Frieze House Seoul, its new permanent exhibition space with the Jae Seok Kim-curated UnHouse show, which delves into queer perspectives of home and identity. Meanwhile, fashion and art lovers unite at Maison Margiela’s Hannam flagship for the official launch of “Line 2,” with an immersive, collaborative installation by visual artist Chung Heemin and sound artist Joyul.
Museum Presentations
Courtesy of the artist and Art Sonje Center.
Adrián Villar Rojas looks to Art Sonje Center‘s architecture as canvas in The Language of the Enemy, deconstructing and reassembling it into a singular sculptural intervention. At Leeum Museum of Art, pioneering artist Lee Bul takes center stage in the 150-work showcase, From 1998 to Now, tracing her decades-long exploration of the porous edges between body and machine, nature and civilization, desire and control. Running alongside Frieze and Kiaf, the ongoing edition of the Seoul Mediacity Biennale at Seoul Museum of Art shines a light on the threads that bind technology and spirituality in a curated screening series hosted for Frieze Film.
