Kiaf SEOUL 2026, Korea’s largest contemporary art fair, has announced 175 exhibitors from 18 countries. Korea’s largest international art fair will return to COEX in Seoul from September 2–6, the same dates and location as Frieze Seoul. Organized by the Galleries Association of Korea, the fair marks its 25th anniversary and, for the first time, has appointed an external creative director: acclaimed designer Kuho Jung, known for his work across fashion, performance, and exhibition design. Jung who will lead the fair’s branding, spatial design, and special exhibition curation.
The fair is a central pillar of Seoul Art Week, which connects exhibitions and programs across the city through major institutions including Leeum Museum of Art, Art Sonje Center and Space K. The week also includes district-based evening programs in the city’s gallery districts of Samcheong, Hannam, and Cheongdam.
Kiaf SEOUL’s exhibitor list spans established and emerging galleries from Korea and internationally, including first-time participants Nino Mier Gallery and JD Malat Gallery. Returning exhibitors include Korean stalwarts such as Kukje Gallery, Gana Art, and Arario Gallery as well as major international names including Whitestone Gallery and Opera Gallery.
The fair will present a mix of historically significant and contemporary works. Korean modern art is well represented, with pieces from Lee Ufan’s “Wind” series, for example, shown across multiple galleries. Other Korean art highlights include mixed-media works by Dansaekhwa artist Seobo Park at Wellside Gallery, Nam June Paik’s Internet Dweller wol.five.ydpb (1994) at CMay Gallery, and abstract works by Seund Ja Rhee at Galerie Vazieux. Other major 20th century works on view include a 1982 tempera by Marc Chagall at Art of the World Gallery, Sol LeWitt’s Irregular Grid (1999) at Obscura Gallery, as well as works by Keith Haring at SH Gallery and David Hockney at Gallery Pici.
Kiaf PLUS, the fair’s section for emerging and experimental practices, features eight Korean galleries alongside 11 international participants from Bangkok, Tokyo, New York, Moscow, Taipei, Madrid and Osaka. Kiaf HIGHLIGHTS, an initiative launched in 2023 to support participating artists, returns in an expanded format with dedicated in-booth exhibition spaces, with the aim of offering visitors a more focused viewing experience. Ten artists will be shown at the fair following a jury process led by a panel of art professionals.
This year’s edition is themed “Coexistence,” which explores the “evolving relationship between humanity and technology.” Two special exhibitions at the fair expand this. One is entitled “HUMAL”—a portmanteau of “human” and “animal”—and brings together seven interdisciplinary artists examining instinct and embodied perception in an era of artificial intelligence. A second, titled “Invisible,” extends those themes into augmented reality, with AR artworks accessible via QR codes throughout the fair exhibition space.
