Frieze Seoul returns to COEX in Gangnam for its milestone 2026 edition from September 2 to 5, operating in joint partnership with Kiaf SEOUL, organized by the Galleries Association of Korea.
Under the leadership of Fair Director Patrick Lee, the fair convenes over 125 leading international galleries from 30 countries across painting, sculpture, craft, printmaking, new media, installation, and photography.
More than 70 percent of participating galleries originate from the Asia-Pacific region, with over 50 galleries operating permanent spaces in Seoul. This convergence positions the fair as a primary gateway bridging South Korean art institutions with global discourse.
The 2026 program features major additions, including two newly launched curated sections. Independent curator Hyeyoung Cho leads Material Practice, a sector sponsored by LG Uplus that explores the intersection of contemporary art, design, and traditional craftsmanship.
Drawing from Korea's rich artisanal heritage, the section features participants such as the Arumjigi Culture Keepers foundation alongside galleries including Admira, Art Space 3, Bienvenu Steinberg & C, Charles Burnand, Gallery LNL, Gallery Sklo, Marta, Soluna Fine Art, and Waterfall Art & Gallery. Concurrently, Frieze introduces its Spotlight section to Seoul, curated by Wonseok Koh, Director of the Rline Cultural Foundation.
Spotlight reexamines historically underrepresented 20th-century artists, featuring solo presentations by Djordje Ivačković, Hoon Kwak, Etsuko Nakatsuji, Po Po, Youngsoo Han, Nobuo Sekine, Reba Hore, Karl Otto Götz, Ranhi Suk, Lain Singh Bangdel, Gyutae Hwang, and Sang-Ki Son.
The Focus section, advised by curator Seolhui Lee and supported by Stone Island, enters its fourth year by expanding its scope beyond Asia to encompass emerging international galleries established after 2014.
Sixteen galleries present solo artist projects spanning digital environments, murals, weaving, and printmaking. Featured artists include Seung-Un Chae (PIPE Gallery), Dpgp78 (Whistle), Bekhbaatar Enkhtur (Matèria), Botond Keresztesi (Longtermhandstand), Minhee Kim (CON_), Muyoung Kim (N/A), Takuya Kumagai (Marco), Riha Im (Coulisse Gallery), Gabriel Massan (Yehudi Hollander-Pappi), Myocho Oh (Foundry Seoul), Geoffroy Pithon (Maāt), Johanna Seidel (GAA Gallery), Shumu (Linseed), Ayla Tavares (LAMB Gallery), Lilyjon (Cub_ism_ Artspace), and Yongjae Lee (Caption).
In the core Galleries section, over 90 international exhibitors anchor the floor. Heavyweights include Canada, Commonwealth and Council, Esther Schipper, Gagosian, Galerie Lelong, Gladstone, Hauser & Wirth, Lehmann Maupin, Lisson, Mazzoleni, Mennour, Meyer Riegger Wolff, Pace Gallery, Sprüth Magers, Thaddaeus Ropac, White Cube, David Zwirner, Axel Vervoordt Gallery, David Kordansky Gallery, and Mendes Wood DM. Asia-Pacific and Korean practices are represented by Asia Art Center, Drawing Room, Liang Gallery, Arario, Gallery Baton, Gallery Hyundai, Gana Art, Hakgojae, Jason Haam, Johyun Gallery, Kukje Gallery, Leeahn Gallery, P21, and PKM Gallery. Japanese galleries maintain a major presence with Anomaly, Maho Kubota, Nanzuka, SCAI The Bathhouse, Taka Ishii Gallery, Take Ninagawa, Taro Nasu, Tokyo Gallery + BTAP, and Tomio Koyama Gallery. New international additions include Gajah Gallery, Galerie Kandlhofer, Hafez Gallery, Maki Gallery, Parra & Romero, Theo, and What If The World.
A key highlight of the fair is a series of immersive solo booths. Gallery KHIWA features Anna Han’s spatial installation Form Is Already Narrative: The Narrativity of Formal Relations in Space, while Dirimart presents Karin Kneffel’s hyperrealistic canvases inspired by London's modernist Isokon Flats.
The Drawing Room presents Chelsea Theodossis’s Comfortable Statues, exploring fragmented internal landscapes. Do Ho Suh receives dual spotlights across the city and fair floor, coinciding with his major retrospective at the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art.
Lehmann Maupin showcases his iconic fabric architecture, while STPI highlights twenty years of collaboration with new thread drawings like Breathing Home (2025) and Haunting Home (2026).
Additionally, Hafez Gallery presents Ibrahim El Dessouki's dense botanical studies, and Leehwaik Gallery displays Huh Dal-jae’s reinterpretations of traditional Southern School ink painting.
Citywide programming during Frieze Week encompasses Frieze Live, Frieze Film, Frieze Music, the Frieze Seoul Artist Award, and curated talks, supported by Global Lead Partner Deutsche Bank.
The evening Neighborhood Nights program activates gallery hubs across Euljiro on August 31, Hannam on September 1, Cheongdam on September 2, and Samcheong on September 3. Major concurrent museum exhibitions include solo shows by Koo Jeong A at Leeum Museum of Art, Do Ho Suh at MMCA Seoul, Lee Ufan at Museum SAN, Yanga Ham and Muyoung Kim at Art Sonje Center, Sol LeWitt at Amorepacific Museum of Art, and Es Devlin at Futura Seoul, alongside group shows at Hoam Museum of Art, Seoul Museum of Art, SongEun Art Space, and Centre Pompidou Hanwha.
Frieze House Seoul hosts special projects featuring Tanabe Chikuunsai IV with Yumekoubou Gallery and a curated exhibition by Paula Cooper Gallery.
Ticketing tiers cater to diverse visitor preferences. Multi-day options include the elite Frieze Insider pass for 750,000 KRW and the standard Preview pass for 250,000 KRW, both granting access starting Thursday, September 3 at 11:00.
Single-day entry includes the Thursday Preview starting at 15:00 for 90,000 KRW, First Access passes for Friday or Saturday before 15:00 for 90,000 KRW, and Afternoon Access passes after 15:00 for 70,000 KRW. Student admission for ages 7 to 19 is priced at 55,000 KRW. Advance ticketing and online previews via the Frieze Viewing Room open one week prior to the physical event at frieze.com.
