I only know about Andy Warhol, so can I enjoy Frieze Seoul?

At 1 p.m. on the 4th, I headed to COEX in Gangnam, Seoul, to view 'Frieze Seoul 2025,' which is considered one of the world's top two art fairs along with Art Basel. In front of the escalator leading to the third floor, I, a 'mi-al-mot' (a person who does not know much about art), was filled more with fear than excitement as I scanned the QR code and entered Frieze Seoul.

'The Entrance of Hall C of Frieze Seoul 2025' is located on the 3rd floor of COEX, Seoul. /Courtesy of Kim Jeong-eun.

There are two entrances to Frieze Seoul. If you want to see works by emerging artists, you can choose Gate C; if you want works by masters, you should go for Gate D. My choice was D. First, I decided to view the masters' works through 'Frieze Masters.' Here, masterpieces showcasing thousands of years of art history, from ancient artifacts to 20th-century works, were displayed.

The first place that caught my eye was the world-renowned Gagosian Gallery. A crowd gathered in front of Takashi Murakami's 'A Picture of the Blessed Lion Who Nestles with the Secrets of Death and Life (2014).' At the Hauser & Wirth booth, works by contemporary artists such as Louise Bourgeois, Kathy Dorris, Jeffrey Gibson, and Rashid Johnson were exhibited.

'The Frieze Masters' section of Frieze Seoul is home to galleries such as Gallery Shilla, Asia Art Center, Gana Art, and Hakgojae Gallery. /Courtesy of Kim Jeong-eun.
The world-renowned Gagosian Gallery exhibits Takashi Murakami's 'A Picture of the Blessed Lion Who Nestles with the Secrets of Death and Life' (2014). /Courtesy of Kim Jeong-eun.

The presence of domestic galleries was also notable. Hakgojae Gallery showcased works by Park Soo-keun, who is considered one of Korea's representative masters along with Kim Whanki and Lee Jung-seop. In front of his work, displayed alongside a moon jar, visitors took commemorative photos, saying, 'That's a Park Soo-keun piece.' It is reported that a work by Kim Whanki that was exhibited at Hakgojae the day before was sold for 2 billion won. Following that, galleries like Son Gallery (artist Lee Jeong-ji) and Woodson Gallery (artist Choi Sang-chuel) also attracted attention.

After enjoying the masters' works, I headed to the consolidation corridor, where a booth for LG Electronics was located. Participating as the headline partner of Frieze Seoul for the fourth consecutive year, LG showcased media art that reinterprets the works of the late Park Seo-bo using OLED TVs. Thanks to the vivid colors, the boundary between the actual artwork and digital art felt ambiguous. Oh Hye-won, Senior Executive at LG Electronics' MS Experience Marketing, said, 'LG is collaborating with global art institutions like Frieze and the Guggenheim to expand the intersection of technology and art in Seoul, London, and New York.'

LG Electronics presents a media art piece that reinterprets the works of the late master of Korean Dansaekhwa, Park Seo-bo, on the LG OLED TV at Frieze Seoul 2025. /Courtesy of Kim Jeong-eun.

In Hall C, the 'Focus Asia' section highlighting emerging artists was held. Young artists such as Daiki Yokote from Tokyo Con Gallery, Choo Mi-rim from Seoul's Baek Art, Jung Yoo-jin from Sanghiit, and Christine Tien-wang from Taipei's PTT Space adorned the stage.

Sanghiit Gallery presented the work 'Scrapulance,' which fixed a rusty iron bar with a scrap drone. This piece is a deconstructed and recombined interpretation of the installation work 'WoW' for the 2024 Busan Biennale. The work by Christine Tien-wang at PTT Space captured the attention of visitors as it turned an Internet meme into pop art.

'Scrapulance', created by artist Jeong Yu-jin, is exhibited at Sanghihee Gallery. /Courtesy of Kim Jeong-eun.
PTT Space participates in the 'Focus Asia' section. /Courtesy of Kim Jeong-eun.

Corporate booths also stood out. Adidas collaborated with artists VAKKI, AHN JUN, and EMI KUSANO, who work at the S Factory in Seongsu-dong, to showcase limited edition works. An exhibition official noted, 'Adidas seeks to expand into new genres through artist collaborations, and this direction aligns well with Frieze Seoul, which is why we participated.'

The collaborative exhibition presented by SK IntelliX's wellness robotics brand NAMUHX and artist Choi Young-wook was bustling with people. NAMUHX showcased six pieces from Choi Young-wook's 'Comma' project along with wellness robots, where visitors enjoyed the exhibition by talking with the artist and taking photos with NAMUHX products.

Noroo Paint & Coatings participates as a partner of Frieze Seoul for the fourth consecutive year. /Courtesy of Noroo Paint & Coatings.

Frieze Seoul also had hidden supporters. Noroo Paint & Coatings, participating as the official local partner for Frieze Seoul for the fourth consecutive year, was responsible for the exhibition space's presentation. They consulted on the colors of the entire exhibition hall and the partitions displaying the artworks, and provided customized paints to match the theme and atmosphere. The person in charge I met on site said, 'Based on the color trend book we publish every year, we propose 48 colors, and each gallery selects the colors they want for the mixing process.'

Frieze Seoul 2025 runs until the 6th at COEX. On the 5th and 6th, general visitors can enter from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. During the same period, the representative Korean art fair 'Kiaf SEOUL' will also be held on the first floor, expected to attract visitors.

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