Essential Art Shows to See During Frieze Seoul

You could spend a couple weeks in Seoul and still not make it to all the galleries, project spaces, and artist-run venues that call it home. While many do congregate in neighborhoods like Samcheong-dong and Itaewon, just as many are scattered around town, with delights hidden at the end of long alleys, in basements, and up in anonymous buildings. Even just hitting the blue-chip offerings would take a couple days in this increasingly art-filled (and increasingly moneyed) metropolis. So plan ahead a bit, and take some risks: You will be rewarded. To that end, Artnet has highlighted an array of shows that will be on view during Frieze Seoul at galleries, from ultra-blue-chip enterprises to out-of-the-way, fly-by-night spots. Enjoy!

“Yoo Youngkuk: Stand on the Golden Mean”
PKM Gallery
Through October 10

If you love abstract painting, if you love artists who absolutely refuse to be stopped, who just have to make their work, or if you just love potent, pioneering art, you have to know the work of Yoo Youngkuk. His life, from 1916 to 2002, spans the entire history of modern Korean, from the early years of Japanese colonialism through independence and the Korean War (when he temporarily had to set aside his practice) to its rise as an economic and cultural juggernaut. Starting out as a vanguard Informel painter, Yoo developed a language that distilled the natural world into radiant planes of color. (Someone do a two-person show with Yoo and Etel Adnan!) A giant in Korea, Yoo is too little known beyond it. His first solo show beyond its borders, at Pace in New York last year, helped to raise his profile; another is now on view in Venice. Become a fan now.

The Preview Art Fair
S Factory, Building D
August 31 through September 3, with a preview on August 30

Alright, no, this is not a gallery show. This is an art fair. But it is a special one, focusing on young, untested dealers, project spaces, and artists from South Korea. It has been running since 2021, and in the two editions that I caught, the quality varied widely, but in a charming way. “If we only wanted to look at masterpieces, we’d spend all our time at the Frick,” Alex Katz once said. A few artists blew me away each time. This year’s edition will have around 40 exhibitors, including admirably venturesome enterprises like Space Cadalogs, Shower, and Sangheeut. Wisely, the Preview’s organizers scheduled their fair’s run before Frieze and KIAF open. If you are in town and don’t attend, you are making a regrettable decision.

“Vampire Problem?”
N/A
September 2 through October 5

It is always a joy to see two smart, scrappy galleries collaborating—all the more so when the partnership is intercontinental. Here we have Freddie Powell, of London’s Ginny on Frederick, staging a toothsome-sounding group show at N/A, a razor-sharp space in Seoul’s hip Euljiro neighborhood. A baker’s dozen of artists will be on offer, including the wily painter and sculptor Alexandra Metcalf; Kiki Xuebing Wang, who makes paintings that are at once effervescent and libidinal; and Mira Mann, a sculptor of uncanny objects. What unites them in this oddly named affair? Their works “grapple with a material notion of transformation, using a variety of methods and mediums,” writer Róisín Tapponi says in a lively text. Discuss it afterward at one of the many BBQ restaurants that spill out into the nearby streets.

“Anton Munar: Malas Hierbas”
Peres Projects
September 4 through October 27

Great paintings always bring a refreshing breeze to art weeks with breathless schedules, and so this show is a must-see for me. Anton Munar (who was born in 1997) will be making his Korean debut at Peres Projects. He grew up in Copenhagen and Majorca, a duality reflected in his paintings, which feature the careful use of colors typical to Scandinavia and the strong shadows of the Mediterranean sun. Many of the works in the exhibition are painted on wood, linen, and jute (some even directly on old wooden drawers), with oil paint, ink, charcoal, and pastels creating grainy strokes—and a captivating narrative quality.

“Urs Fischer: Feelings“
Jason Haam
Through December 7

“Feelings” is Urs Fischer’s second solo exhibition with ambitious young dealer Jason Haam, and it also marks an important chapter for his eponymous Seoul gallery. Nearly six years after the gallery was founded, Haam has decided to expand his space by taking over an adjacent structure in Seongbuk-dong. Fischer’s large-scale show, which features a variety of the Swiss artist’s quirky sculptures and walled works from 2009 to 2023, will take over this expanded space before it is demolished to make room for a new gallery building. Haam is also presenting “Paintings for Uncertain Times,” Linn Meyers’ second solo show with the gallery, at his original space. It will feature an array of new abstract paintings by the American artist and runs through October 19.

“Kyungah Ham: Phantom and A Map”
Kukje Gallery
August 30 through November 3

If you are already familiar with Kyungah Ham’s iconic chandelier embroidery installations, you will probably be curious to see her impressive new body of work at Kukje Gallery. In her latest efforts, Ham continues to explore embroidered paintings and political metaphors, with a focus on North Korean hand embroidery. This time, she has created vibrant maps that have been abstracted into distorted or neatly arranged abstract lines. Meticulously embroidered by workers who toil around the clock, each piece is labeled with the number of hours of labor involved. What was once an everyday, soft material now takes on an increasingly unsettling quality.

“Transposition 1: Observing the Walking Patterns”
Whistle
September 3 through October 19

Whistle, the Itaewon-based gallery founded by dealer Kyungmin Lee in 2017, has become known as a collaborative venture, and this upcoming group show is a solid testament to that reputation. “Transposition 1: Observing Walking Patterns” is Whistle’s collaboration with three galleries from Asia: ROH from Jakarta, Misako and Rosen from Tokyo, and the Hong Kong-based Kiang Malingue, all exhibiting at Frieze Seoul. As the first edition of a project called “Transposition,” which aims to expand the meaning of exhibition, the show features artists represented by these galleries, Phillip Lai, Wong Ping, Yui Yaegashi, COBRA, Davy Linggar, Faisai Habibi, Dongho, and Min ha Park. That this kind of partnership is taking place beyond the Frieze fairgrounds is an encouraging sign for the growth of Asia’s art scene.

“Correspondence: Lee Ufan and Mark Rothko”
Pace
September 4 through October 26

“Correspondence: Lee Ufan and Mark Rothko” at Pace is the ultimate blockbuster gallery show of Frieze Week in Seoul. Curated by Lee in collaboration with the Rothko family, it draws works from Lee’s “Dialogue” and “Response” series between 2018 and 2023, and places them in dialogue with Rothko’s majestic color-field paintings from the 1950s and 1960s. Having two masters of different eras—one from the East, one from the West—engaged in a silent dialogue through their very different interpretations and presentations of color, space, and brushstroke is one poetic art rendezvous not to be missed. —