Cover Patrick Lee, the director of Frieze Seoul (Photo: courtesy of Frieze Seoul and Deniz Guzel)
Patrick Lee, the director of Frieze Seoul (Photo: courtesy of Frieze Seoul and Deniz Guzel)
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Seoul’s art calendar returns next month as Frieze Seoul takes over the city with exhibitions and parties. Fair director Patrick Lee shares how to best navigate the fair, discover new sectors and explore late-night gallery districts
September is one of the most exciting times to visit Seoul. As autumn arrives with vibrant red foliage and lantern-lit festival nights along the Han River, the South Korean capital also embarks on its premier art week. The city hosts two of Asia’s most respected coinciding art fairs: Frieze Seoul, which celebrates its fifth edition this year, and Kiaf Seoul, a long-standing fair founded by the Galleries Association of Korea.
Within Frieze Seoul alone, the calendar is packed. Returning to the Coex convention centre in Gangnam from September 2 to 5, this year’s fair brings together more than 125 leading international and regional galleries. The edition expands its curatorial scope with two brand-new sections—Material Practice, exploring the intersection of contemporary art, craft and design, and Spotlight, dedicated to solo presentations of underrepresented 20th-century historical masters—alongside a reimagined Focus section for emerging galleries.
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Above Frieze Seoul 2026 will return in September (Photo: courtesy of Frieze Seoul)
Frieze Seoul 2026 will return in September (Photo: courtesy of Frieze Seoul)
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Yet Frieze Seoul extends far beyond the fair halls. Across the city, distinct neighbourhoods collaborate for Neighbourhood Nights, featuring major museum retrospectives, pop-up projects and late-night gallery parties spanning districts such as Euljiro, Hannam, Cheongdam and Samcheong. Many galleries also extend their opening hours, transforming Seoul into a vibrant, round-the-clock cultural destination.
Frieze Seoul also continues its partnership with Kiaf Seoul this year, bringing their combined total to around 300 participating galleries.
With Frieze Seoul taking place across just four days, navigating the sheer volume of fair booths, late-night district events and local cultural hotspots requires a smart strategy. Ahead of the opening, Frieze Seoul director Patrick Lee shares his expert recommendations on how to structure an unforgettable, multi-day art itinerary.
Above ‘Raw Proof’ (2024) by the 2026 Frieze Seoul Artist Award winner, Seoul-based collective Yagwang (Photo: courtesy of the artist)
‘Raw Proof’ (2024) by the 2026 Frieze Seoul Artist Award winner, Seoul-based collective Yagwang (Photo: courtesy of the artist)
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Frieze Seoul has grown into an immersive, city-wide phenomenon. How does Frieze Seoul establish its own distinct identity compared to other global art fairs?
From the very beginning, it was crucial that Frieze Seoul had its own character. I did not want it to feel as though another Frieze fair had simply been transplanted here with the exact same galleries. Having a balance between major international spaces and leading Asian galleries is a key mandate. Frieze Seoul serves as an essential platform where Asian galleries can connect with a much broader global audience.
Beyond the fair halls at Coex, the best art fairs are those that truly link with the cultural fabric of the city. In Seoul, museum attendance is breaking records, and the public is deeply engaged across fine art, music, design, film and food. Frieze acts as a catalyst, shining a spotlight on an extraordinarily robust art scene that has been developing organically over decades.
What new curated sectors should visitors look out for inside the fair halls this year?
We have introduced new curated sectors that showcase the evolution of the fair. The first is Spotlight, curated by Wonseok Koh, which features focused solo presentations of underappreciated 20th-century historical artists.
Another exciting addition is Material Practice, curated by Hyeyoung Cho. Korea has an exceptional appreciation for craftsmanship, ceramics, textiles and design, so this section highlights contemporary artworks that deal directly with material innovation and process.
Finally, our Focus sector, curated by Seolhui Lee, features 16 emerging galleries. This year, we expanded Focus beyond Asia to invite young, dynamic galleries from all over the world.
Above Entrance to Frieze House Seoul, featuring a site-specific installation by Japanese architecture studio SANAA in 2025, which opened last year as an additional exhibition space for the art fair (Photo: courtesy of Frieze Seoul)
Entrance to Frieze House Seoul, featuring a site-specific installation by Japanese architecture studio SANAA in 2025, which opened last year as an additional exhibition space for the art fair (Photo: courtesy of Frieze Seoul)
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How can a visitor structure their time to balance intense fair days with exploring Seoul’s distinct art districts?
Frieze Week actually begins two days before the fair opens. While our main VIP preview at Coex starts on Wednesday, the city comes alive from Monday with major institutional shows, gallery dinners, and district activations.
The best way to maximize your time is to follow our Neighbourhood Nights, where galleries across different districts stay open late. I suggest spreading your fair visits over two days so you can properly explore the 120-plus galleries without feeling rushed, and then dedicating your remaining time to the city’s districts and world-class museums.
Could you walk us through the distinct personalities of these art districts?
Seoul is quite spread out, and each neighbourhood brings a completely different energy. Euljiro, also known as “Hipjiro” (because it’s “hip”), is grittier and industrial with an incredible energy, filled with small alleys, great bars and hole-in-the-wall eateries where you can find young, experimental, artist-run spaces like Whistle, YPC (Yellow Pen Club) and Doosan Art Centre.
Hannam-dong offers a vibrant cluster featuring world-class institutions like the Leeum Museum of Art alongside major international gallery outposts such as Pace, Thaddaeus Ropac and Gladstone, mixed in with edgy local spaces like P21.
Moving over to Samcheong-dong near the historic palaces, you enter the traditional heart of the Korean art scene. It houses major commercial galleries like Kukje, Gallery Hyundai and Hakgojae, alongside premier institutions like the MMCA and Art Sonje Center.
Finally, Cheongdam-dong, located south of the river in Gangnam, is sleeker and glitzier, housing flagship fashion boutiques alongside major corporate art spaces like SongEun Art Space.
What is your personal advice for making a Frieze Seoul trip truly memorable?
Beyond looking at art, take time to enjoy Seoul’s world-class culinary scene, coffee culture and nightlife. In the mornings before the galleries open, I always encourage visitors to get outside because Seoul is surrounded by beautiful mountains. Taking an hour-long walk over Inwangsan Mountain drops you right near the historic galleries of Buam-dong and Samcheong-dong with a breathtaking view of the city. Balancing physical movement, great food, and immersive art is what keeps your energy high and makes the entire experience deeply rewarding.
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Zabrina is the Senior Editor, Arts and Culture of Tatler Hong Kong. She specialises in performing arts, visual art and film. Her wanderlust was first fuelled by the Mighty Rovers Antarctica Expedition 2010. Over the years, she has interviewed A-list artists and filmmakers, including Oscar winners Chlóe Zhao and Tim Yip, Golden Horse winner Sylvia Chang, In the Mood for Love cinematographer Christopher Doyle, Pachinko author Min Jin Lee, and Coachella’s first Chinese solo singer Jackson Wang. She won gold at the WAN-IFRA Asian Media Awards for her 2021 feature on the waves of hate crimes targeting Asian Americans.
