Frieze Seoul has announced details for its 2026 edition. The fair will return to the COEX in Gangnam, Seoul, for its fifth edition from September 3–5, with an invitation-only preview on September 2nd and the morning of the 3rd.
This year, the fair will feature over 125 galleries from 30 countries. More than 70% of participating galleries have spaces in the Asia-Pacific region, and more than 50 operate permanent spaces in Seoul.
The fair will again take place in partnership with Kiaf SEOUL, Korea’s longest-running international art fair, which runs concurrently at the COEX. Under the continued leadership of fair director Patrick Lee, Frieze Seoul has quickly established itself as a meeting point for the region’s art market and cultural institutions, reinforcing Seoul’s growing influence within the global contemporary art market.
“From the outset, Frieze Seoul has been rooted in the belief that Seoul is not simply a host city for an international art fair, but sits at the center of a country, defining the future of contemporary art in Asia,” said Lee in a statement. “This year’s fair reflects that conviction, looking outward while remaining closely connected to the artists, galleries and cultural heritage that make Seoul, and Korea’s wider cultural landscape, so compelling.”
The fair continues its strong representation of Korean galleries, with exhibitors including Kukje Gallery, Arario Gallery, Gallery Hyundai, Hakgojae Gallery, Johyun Gallery, Gallery Baton, Jason Haam, and P21. Japanese galleries also have a strong presence this year, with exhibitors including Taka Ishii Gallery, Nanzuka, and Take Ninagawa.
This year, some 85 international galleries are slated to participate. These include blue-chip galleries Hauser & Wirth, David Zwirner, White Cube, Pace Gallery, Thaddaeus Ropac, Sprüth Magers, Galerie Lelong, Lehmann Maupin, Tina Kim Gallery, and Lisson Gallery.
In a significant development, two new curated sectors are being introduced for 2026: Material Practice and Spotlight. Material Practice, curated by independent curator Hyeyoung Cho, will explore the intersection of contemporary art, craft, and design through presentations by galleries, including Art Space 3, Bienvenu Steinberg & C, Charles Burnand Gallery, Marta, and Soluna Fine Art.
Spotlight, meanwhile, will focus on solo presentations of figures overlooked by Western art history. Curated by Wonseok Koh, Spotlight will highlight 20th-century artists such as Nobuo Sekine, Po Po, Hoon Kwak, and Etsuko Nakatsuji.
Focus—the fair’s sector dedicated to emerging galleries—will also expand beyond Asia for the first time at Frieze’s Seoul fair. Curated by Seolhui Lee, the section will feature 16 galleries established in or after 2014, bringing together artists from Europe, the Americas, and Asia whose works engage themes of transformation, identity, and speculative futures.
Beyond the fair itself, Seoul Art Week will be in full swing, with major museum shows including ”Do Ho Suh” at MMCA Seoul, “Lee Bae” at Museum SAN, “Koo Jeong A” at Leeum Museum of Art, and “The Cubists: Inventing Modern Vision” at the newly unveiled Centre Pompidou Hanwha. Neighborhood Nights, the fair’s citywide after-hours program, will also return, bringing late openings and special events to Seoul’s major gallery districts.
