Frieze House Seoul to open in September inviting galleries
Korean artist Im Young-joo wins 2025 Frieze Seoul Artist Award
Coinciding with the fourth edition of Frieze Seoul in September, the international art fair will launch Frieze House Seoul, inviting leading galleries to hold exhibitions and events there during the four-day event.
The exhibition space will be located in Yaksu-dong, a neighborhood in Jung-gu, central Seoul, at a building renovated by Seoul-based architectural studio Samuso Hyoja. Frieze House Seoul follows the success of No. 9 Cork Street in London, according to Frieze on Wednesday.
'Frieze House Seoul marks a natural and exciting evolution of our presence in Korea. Seoul has become a focal point for the global art world, and this new space will allow us to foster deeper engagement with the city's vibrant art communities throughout the year,' said Kristell Chade, executive director of fairs at Frieze.
The space will consist of two main exhibition spaces across four floors, offering over 210 square meters of display space, and a landscaped garden. Galleries can apply for the inaugural season of Frieze House Seoul on the Frieze website.
Frieze Seoul 2025 will be held from Sept. 3 to 6, bringing together some 120 galleries from 30 countries at COEX in Gangnam-gu, southern Seoul.
Meanwhile, Frieze announced Korean artist Im Young-joo as the recipient of the Frieze Seoul Artist Award of the year. This year, works for the Frieze Artist Award in both Seoul and London respond to the theme of "Future Commons," with new multimedia works that explore ideas of community and shared experience.
'Her work, 'Calming Signal,' offers a profound exploration of collective behavior and societal rhythms, resonating deeply with our 2025 theme, 'Future Commons.' Im's innovative approach and compelling narrative exemplify the dynamic talent emerging from Korea's contemporary art scene,' said Patrick Lee, director of Frieze Seoul.
Im's winning commission, "Calming Signal," is a research-based, three-channel video installation set within a grid-like structure, which juxtaposes Earth's tilted axis with rotational cultural dances, linking gestures of imbalance to visual manifestations of an uncertain future.
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