Latest news with #FriezeSeoul
Korea Herald
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Korea Herald
Frieze Seoul, Kiaf Seoul to kick off Sept. 3
The annual art fairs Frieze Seoul and Kiaf Seoul will both start at Seoul's Coex convention center on Sept. 3, each running four and five days, respectively. According to the Galleries Association of Korea on Friday, Frieze Seoul will host some 120 galleries from over 30 countries, including New York's Gagosian Gallery, Switzerland's Hauser & Wirth, Hong Kong's 10 Chancery Lane Gallery and Korea's Gallery Hyundai. A Frieze Masters section will focus on art from antiquity to the 20th century, and Focus Asia will introduce emerging galleries that have been in operation for 12 years or less. Under the theme 'Resonance,' Kiaf Seoul will discuss building a sustainable ecosystem for art. Kiaf Seoul will feature 176 galleries, 22 of them new to the fair, from some 20 countries. Participating galleries include Sundaram Tagore Gallery in New York, Art of the World Gallery in Texas, US, Whitestone Gallery in Hong Kong and Kukje Gallery in Korea. Kiaf Galleries will be the main section, while Kiaf Plus will show works from aspiring artists and galleries. Lee Sung-hoon, chief of operations at the Galleries Association of Korea, said the focus this year is on improving the show's overall quality, elevating Korea's global profile as an art hub. 'Reverse Cabinet,' a special exhibition marking the 60th anniversary of the normalization of Korea-Japan relations, will take place. A concert is planned with pianist Sunwoo Yekwon, the first Korean to win the Van Cliburn International Competition in 2017.
New York Times
01-05-2025
- Business
- New York Times
Frieze, Premiere Art Fair Company, Sold on Eve of New York's Art Week
After much speculation about who would purchase Frieze, one of the world's premiere art fairs, it turned out that the call was coming from inside the house. Ari Emanuel, 64, the former chief executive behind the sports and entertainment conglomerate Endeavor, which currently owns the Frieze fair and its signature magazine, announced on Thursday that he was setting up a new company, as yet unnamed, to purchase Frieze. Endeavor recently announced a similar deal for its basketball representation business — all part of the complicated hurdles to completing a take-private deal with the investment company Silver Lake, a longtime financial backer of Endeavor. At its acquisition, Endeavor, including its debt, was valued at $13 billion in April 2024. (Endeavor was taken private this past March.) 'Frieze has always been a source of inspiration for me — both professionally and personally,' Emanuel, who currently holds the title of executive chairman at WME Group, said in a statement. 'Having worked with the team for nearly a decade, I've seen firsthand the strength of their community and the ambition driving their mission to expand the reach and understanding of contemporary art.' The announcement comes just a week before the company's flagship event, Frieze New York, returns to The Shed with nearly 70 participating galleries. The show draws tens of thousands of visitors each year, including ultrawealthy collectors who might spend upward of $1 million on a single painting there. Despite changes in the company's structure, the Frieze leadership team will stay intact, including its chief executive, Simon Fox, according to a spokeswoman. She said the deal also included Frieze's magazine and retinue of seven international fairs, including EXPO Chicago, the Armory Show in New York, Frieze Los Angeles and Frieze Seoul. Given the downturn in the art market, which has experienced a 12 percent year-on-year decline in global sales, some industry experts had worried that Frieze's sale to an outside buyer could have disastrous implications for the business. Some gallerists are now breathing a sigh of relief, knowing that Emanuel has a long history with Frieze; his company first purchased a stake in Frieze nine years ago before gaining full ownership in 2023. 'This is a stabilizing buyer,' said Alexander Gray, a Manhattan gallerist who also sits on the selection committee for Frieze London. 'The model of the art fair is one that some disrupters might think is disruptable, but this is not the market climate for any disruption.'
Vogue Singapore
27-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Vogue Singapore
The best museums to visit in Seoul—from art to food
@leeummuseumofart There's plenty to look forward to when visiting the city of Seoul, South Korea. Its booming entertainment scene, for one, thanks to the massive forces that are K-pop and K-dramas. Buzzy pop-ups and conceptual stores are dotted throughout the city's charming enclaves, belonging to the nation's coolest beauty and fashion brands. Then there's the dining scene, from the street food found in tented roadside pochas and traditional markets, to the city's eclectic cafes and vibrant fine-dining offerings. It's a city where tradition and innovation exist side-by-side—quite literally, as rows of hanoks and majestic palaces sit amidst skyscrapers and modern technological marvels. If you're seeking to gain a deeper understanding of Korean culture, there's no better place to do so than the city's many museums. Seoul has one of Asia's most dynamic art scenes—evident in events such as the rising international art fair Frieze Seoul—and this certainly comes through in the city's various art museums, which spotlight everything from photography to traditional craft. Beyond that, get a glimpse of Korea's rich culture through exhibitions dedicated to its history and its food. For those planning a trip to the Korean capital, we round up the best museums to visit whilst in Seoul. @seoulmuseumofcraftart 1 / 7 Seoul Museum of Craft Art While crafts like embroidery or metalwork might not have been as recognised as fine art mediums, the Seoul Museum of Craft Art seeks to change this. Housed in what was previously Pungmoon Girls' High School, the museum shines a spotlight on Korean crafts both traditional and contemporary. From embroidery to ceramics, a wide range of mediums showcase the technical, creative, practical and cultural value of craft. Seoul Museum of Craft Art , 4 Yulgok-ro 3-gil, Jongno District, Seoul, South Korea @nationalmuseums_korea 2 / 7 National Museum of Korea This behemoth of a museum is the one to visit if you can only spare the time for one. With over 13,000 works on display at any given time, it spans three floors, delving into the many facets of Korean history, culture and art. Within its premises, you'll also find immersive digital spaces, a children's museum full of multi-sensory interactive experiences and expansive outdoor grounds. National Museum of Korea , 137 Seobinggo-ro, Yongsan-gu, Seoul, 04383 @museumkimchikan 3 / 7 Museum Kimchikan A side dish consisting of salted and fermented vegetables, kimchi is a quintessential part of Korean culture—a staple in its cuisine since the first century. Nestled amidst the teahouses and traditional craft shops of Insadong, Museum Kimchichan is where you can learn all about the dish, from its evolution through the years to the communal nature of its preparation. Sample different kimchi varieties, discover all the ways it can be used in cooking, and try your hand at making the dish on your own in the museum's short kimchi-making workshops. Museum Kimchikan , 35-4 Insadong-gil, Jongno District, Seoul, South Korea @museumhanmi 4 / 7 Museum Hanmi A must-visit for photography enthusiasts, Museum Hanmi was founded in 2003 with the intention to develop domestic photography and revitalise it as an art form—although its curation has expanded to also include works of new media. A vast collection of more than 20,000 film rolls and prints are housed here, with a cold-storage space in the facility to ensure that vintage photographic prints are well preserved. Museum Hanmi , 45, Samcheong-ro 9-gil, Jongro-gu, Seoul @leeummuseumofart 5 / 7 Leeum Museum of Art Known for being one of the best private museums in South Korea, you'll find two distinct types of art at the Leeum Museum of Art. The first building features a collection of traditional Korean art—including calligraphy, ceramics and metal craftwork—of which 36 pieces are designated national treasures. The second houses modern art from both Korean and international artists, a clear contrast to the museum's traditional counterpart to illustrate the new mediums and styles that contemporary art today is evolving towards. Leeum Museum of Art , 60-16, Itaewon-ro 55-gil, Yongsan-gu, Seoul, 04348 @artsonje_center 6 / 7 Art Sonje Center Artistic innovation and cultural diversity lies at the heart of Seoul's Art Sonje Center—which focuses on introducing international art to Korean audiences, as well as growing Korean art on a global scale. Situated in Samcheong-dong, a neighborhood filled with buzzy art galleries, cafes and boutiques, the museum is known for its diverse range of arts programs—from exhibitions and performances to screenings and talks. Art Sonje Center , 87 Yulgok-ro 3-gil, Jongno District, Seoul, South Korea @amorepacificmuseum 7 / 7 Amorepacific Museum of Art What started as the private art collection of Amorepacific founder Sungwhan Suh is now the Amorepacific Museum of Art. Located in the architectural wonder that is the new Amorepacific headquarters, the museum houses art both traditional and contemporary—many of which relate to beauty and fashion. In the same building, you'll also find a library dedicated to over 10,000 catalogues of exhibitions worldwide. Amorepacific Museum of Art , 100 Hangang-daero, Yongsan District, Seoul, South Korea
Korea Herald
11-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Korea Herald
'Art should be more playful' : Shara Hughes, Austin Eddy invite us to fruit stand
Married couple opens first collaborative exhibition at Galerie Eva Presenhuber showroom in Seoul. Brooklyn-based artists Shara Hughes and Austin Eddy, partners since 2012 and married for the past two years, present their first-ever collaboration in Seoul. Centered on the theme of fruit, the show offers a glimpse into the couple's inner world through playful, yet introspective imagery. While their works appear similar due to the shared theme, they vary in terms of form and colors the artists used. Their paintings on display here speak about the artists themselves, but the stories deal with subjects in different aspects. They titled the exhibition 'Roots n' Fruits,' which is being held at the Galerie Eva Presenhuber's showroom in Seoul located in Hannam-dong. The gallery space is decorated with green stripes as a reference to fruit stands in France, they said. 'It is a sort of a way of asking people to come in and enjoy, as if you were sort of coming into a fruit stand,' Hughes said Wednesday. Eddy added that they wanted art to become more playful and fun, rather than too academic and heavy. Hughes' 'Just Peachy' painting shows a trunk, branch and foliage transformed into a red-green table of lines, creating the illusion of grass and leaves. The peach tree can be seen as herself — like a self-portrait — the artist said, adding that she is from Georgia, the US state famous for its affinity for peaches. 'The tree is speaking about how you grow and how you change,' she said. 'It is almost thinking about where your roots come from. And how it (a tree) grows, gets abstracted and changes throughout your life.' Eddy's painting of fruit in 'All Great And Precious Things' features cherries, bananas, pears and apples all together, showing different stages of decay. Unlike Hughes, he emphasizes demarcation in form and color. 'You have this rotting banana and then these two cherries — one is young and the other one is quite old,' Eddy said. "In essence, it is a larger conversation about time and sort of addressing selfness." An apple is horizontally cut in half in the painting 'Vulnerable,' created with watercolors, gouache and colored pencil, as though vulnerability is revealed with inner portions of the apple exposed. 'It is like that feeling when you expose yourself, sort of like me in this interview,' Eddy said. The European gallery has operated its showroom in Seoul since last year in collaboration with P21, a homegrown gallery in Seoul, after joining Frieze Seoul beginning in 2022. Managing director Andreas Grimm said the gallery is keeping an eye on the city as another art hub in Asia. 'We have been really welcomed here and wanted to be looked as a guest here. For us, it is nice to have the small space,' he said. 'We are very open, and we are always very flexible with a lot of ideas. We will go with the flow, and we will see what the future brings, and the momentum is something important.' The exhibition runs through May 17 at the showroom located at 74 Hoenamu-ro, Yongsan-gu, Seoul.
Korea Herald
12-02-2025
- Business
- Korea Herald
Korea challenged as Asia's rising art hub beset by uncertainties, weak Korean won
December martial law final blow to already troubled art scene The Korean art scene has been upbeat in the past few years, rising as an art hub in Asia with international galleries setting up here and Frieze Seoul launching in 2022. Now, the city's once-vibrant art scene faces multiple challenges as political uncertainties continue. The heyday of the Korean art market came in 2021, when market transactions reached 756.3 billion won ($520.5 million), a 96 percent increase from the previous year. It reached its peak the following year, with the market worth an unprecedented 806.6 billion won, according to the Korea Arts Management Service's annual reports. This was when international galleries began opening in the city, whose arrival coincided with the inauguration of Frieze Seoul. The festive mood in Seoul was short-lived, however. In 2023, the art market began declining. That year saw 692.8 billion won in market transactions as the market responded to the economic downturn. Last year was even worse with successful bids at the country's leading auction houses falling 25.2 percent on-year, according to Korea Art Authentication Appraisal Inc. figures. The declaration of martial law on Dec. 3 was the final blow. The hours-long martial law imposition is having a lasting effect, freezing the art market as the won declined sharply against the dollar to hover around the 1,400-won level. The martial law was like 'pouring cold water' on the bearish Korean art market, multiple gallerists said. 'It seems things have been put on hold at many galleries -- no investment and no events. We are staying low key,' said a gallerist in Seoul on condition of anonymity. Selection Seoul, a new art fair originally slated for a spring launch, saw its opening postponed to next year due to the weak won and declining consumer sentiment. Selection Seoul Director Kim Jyeong-yeon said that among the variables she took into account in preparing for the fair, martial law was beyond 'her imagination.' Martial law was the "trigger" that stopped everything, according to Kim. 'You know, the market was bearable before this happened. But now, the exchange rate has become a huge problem in terms of sales and shipping," she said. "We can't persuade Korean collectors at this exchange rate to buy art," she added. She also noted that sponsors have also turned "passive," unwilling to take risks. "Hopefully, things will be better by next year,' she said. When martial law was declared, Director Lee Joon-yub of Gallery Shilla, had to push back an exhibition of old masters as the artists expressed anxiety. 'As a young generation, we have no experience in such a thing. We learned what martial law was only from history textbooks, (it) happened in our parents' generation,' the 35-year-old director of the Daegu-based gallery said. 'But the older artists, who experienced martial law in the 1970s and 1980s, seemed really worried and wanted to call off the plan for an exhibition," Lee said. Recent tariff threats by US President Donald Trump have worsened consumer sentiment and weakened the Korean won against the dollar, which all work against Korea's art market. Weak Korean won pressures international galleries The continuing depreciation of the Korean won has hit international galleries harder as many of the artworks handled by international galleries are priced in foreign currencies. This has led to a 10-20 percent rise in the price of artwork for domestic collectors and a hike in shipping fees for exhibitions. Between 2021 and 2023, several large international galleries set up shop in Seoul, attracted by the city's vibrant culture scene, younger collectors and a favorable tax system. When European gallery Thaddaeus Ropac arrived in the city in October 2021, the Korean won-dollar rate was below 1,250 won to a dollar. 'The economic sentiment is not quite as good these days. Collectors are taking longer than usual to decide to buy artwork,' said Hwang Kyu-jin, the gallery's executive director in Seoul. 'The exchange rate fluctuated and moved to the 1,300-level last year, but we expected the exchange rate to settle down at some point soon. But, for now, it seems it will take longer." Lee Young-joo, senior vice president and director of Pace Gallery in Seoul, said the purchasing power of big collectors fell strikingly starting last year, following an economic downturn. The US gallery opened its Seoul venue in 2017 and expanded to the current 790-square-meter space in Hannam-dong in 2022. 'Economic uncertainty seems to cause people to push back purchasing art,' she said. 'What is more, the strong dollar against the won has raised the price of works traded in dollars, worsening the consumer sentiment," she said, adding buyers request large discounts to offset the rise in price caused by the weak won. White Cube Seoul arrived in Seoul in 2023 as White Cube's second permanent gallery in Asia. The gallery said it is 'proactively' seeking solutions following the depreciation of the Korean won. 'The depreciation of the Korean won has indeed had a significant impact, especially on our domestic clients,' said Jini Yang, director of White Cube Seoul. 'But we remain hopeful for a prompt stabilization of both domestic and international condition.' As a pioneering international gallery in the city, Lehmann Maupin in Seoul, launched in 2017, has witnessed the up-and-downs in the city's art scene, said Senior Director Emma Son. The 'exponentially' increased cost of shipping artworks this year due to the exchange rate has become a huge burden for the gallery, she noted. 'It is not just for Korea, the global art scene constantly goes through political and economic challenges. I think it is important to take a broader perspective and hold on to the belief that art has its role in the complex world. "Things will pass for sure, and we will turn it to our advantage, taking time to figure out how we can operate the gallery in Seoul more efficiently,' she said.
