Kiaf, Seoul, 202517 Images
South Korea’s cultural scene has been booming for decades now, giving rise to some of the world’s most enduring pop phenomenons, from Squid Game and Parasite to BTS, Blackpink, and countless more. But the Korean Wave isn’t limited to music, film and advanced skincare; the country’s contemporary art scene is every bit as thriving, as Kiaf Seoul – returning next week – makes clear.
Founded in 2022, Kiaf Seoul is South Korea’s first and largest international art fair, with over 175 galleries from 20 countries taking part this September. For the third consecutive year, Kiaf has partnered with Frieze Seoul, taking place at the same time and at the same venue (the COEX Centre in Gangnam). Over 120 of the galleries showing are from South Korea itself, making the fair a global showcase for the country’s vibrant art scene. There is an impossibly vast amount to see during the fair’s three-day run, so we’ve picked out a few of the standout galleries and artists who’ve caught our attention ahead of the launch on September 4.
The fair’s international galleries include Tapei’s Artemin gallery, which is showing work by Mirza Cizmic, a Finnish painter whose work often depicts satirical or bawdy scenes. Bangkok’s Joyman Gallery is featuring work by Niam Mawornkanong, a Thai painter who paints oddly adorable animals resting inside urinals. Barcelona’s Pigment galleries is presenting an equally endearing series of ice-lolly sculptures by Juan Miguel Quiñones (depicting everything from a panda to a human foot), and Berlin’s Kornfeld Galerie is showing paintings by Japanese artist Etsu Egami, whose striking work is defined by vivid colours and broad brush-strokes.
Kiaf also features a special exhibition, Reverse Cabinet, which commemorates the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations between South Korea and Japan, following a long history of colonialism, occupation and conflict. The exhibition pairs works by four South Korean artists Sunpil Don, Jihye Yeom, Geumhyung Jeong and Kai Oh, with Japanese artists, Kei Takemura and Sen Takahashi. Each has created a personal “cabinet”, using installations, digital media, video, and archival materials, in an effort to examine their respective cultural contexts and shared history.
While many of the artists on display are well-established, including Pablo Picasso, Anish Kapoor and Anthony Gormley, Kiaf has a strong focus on championing new talent. Returning for its fourth year, Kiaf Plus is a curated platform spotlighting up-and-coming artists and galleries, both from within Korea – including Seoul’s Heen and THEO galleries – and from around the world.
Meanwhile, Kiaf Highlights is an award which focuses on emerging artists exhibiting at the fair. Ahead of three winners being announced on September 3, ten artists have made the shortlist: Moonassi; Eunsi Jo, Sejin Hong, Donghoon Rhee, Ahra Kim, Jungin Kim, YU Xiao, Geoffroy Pithon, Nohwan Park and Grim Park. With all but two of the nominees hailing from South Korea, Kiaf Highlights shows how bursting with talent the country’s art scene is today.
Moonassi’s paintings are stark and monochromatic, depicting embracing figures in poses both intimate and melancholy. Often working at a vast scale, Eunsi Jo – another Seoul native – combines natural landscapes with abstraction and geometric patterns.
Grim Park, meanwhile, creates rich, lavish work drawing inspiration from traditional Korean Buddhist painting and contemporary queer culture alike. Jungin Kim pursues a painting style blending abstraction and figuration, juxtaposing seemingly unrelated images on the canvas in an effort to defy easy interpretation and challenge the viewer to think more freely.
Visit the gallery above for a closer look.
Kiaf SEOUL is running at the COEX Centre, South Korea, from 3-7 September, 2025 .
