Frieze Seoul returns for its fourth edition this September, once again transforming COEX in Gangnam into a hub of international art. Partnering with KIAF, the fair continues to draw global attention but the energy extends far beyond the fairgrounds. Across the city, galleries are unveiling ambitious presentations that weave art into the very fabric of Seoul.
Izumi Kato at Perrotin Seoul
Installation views of Izumi Kato’s solo exhibition at Perrotin Seoul. Photo: Hwang Jung Wook. Courtersy of the artist and Perrotin
Perrotin presents a solo exhibition of Japanese contemporary artist Izumi Kato, marking his second show with the gallery in Seoul. Originally trained as a painter, Kato has expanded into wood and stone, crafting primitive, totemic figures that blur the boundaries between sculpture and painting. His enigmatic, otherworldly forms invite contemplation of human sensitivity and existence, offering a fresh perspective on the essential dimensions of art.
Ann Veronica Janssens at Esther Schipper
Exhibition view: Ann Veronica Janssens, September in Seoul, Esther Schipper, Seoul, 2025. Photo © Andrea Rossetti. © the artist / VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn 2025
Esther Schipper brings September in Seoul, Ann Veronica Janssens’s first solo exhibition in the city. The show gathers glass and light sculptures that reveal her enduring fascination with perception and Minimalist influence. Structures composed of repeating glass bricks—ranging in number from four to seventy-five—capture light in endlessly shifting ways. Variations in color, surface, and the tiny imperfections within each brick transform strict grids into luminous, ever-changing architectures. The result is an immersive experience that dissolves boundaries between sculpture, light, and space.
Antony Gormley: Sculpture and the City
Photo by : White Cube Seoul
Among this year’s highlights is Antony Gormley, whose iconic human-form sculptures are presented in a two-part exhibition across White Cube and Thaddaeus Ropac. Titled Inextricable, the show examines the deep entanglement between humanity and the urban environment—a relationship Gormley describes as one in which “the world now builds us.” Marking his first solo presentation in Seoul, the exhibition resonates with a global moment in which over half the population lives within city grids. His works will also be on view at Museum SAN, installed in a space designed by Tadao Ando—a dialogue between sculpture and architecture that promises to be unforgettable.
Minjung Kim at Gallery Hyundai
Installation view of “Minjung Kim: One after the Other” at Gallery Hyundai
Gallery Hyundai shines a spotlight on Minjung Kim with One after the Other, running from August 27 through October 19, 2025. Known for her meditative use of paper, ink, and fire, Kim has built a practice rooted in East Asian calligraphy and philosophy while expanding the language of contemporary abstraction. This marks her third solo show with the gallery and her first in Korea since her acclaimed presentation at Fondation Maeght in 2024. Kim describes her process as “a path toward a spiritual state,” and this exhibition continues her exploration of discipline, endurance, and transcendence.
A Week Woven Into Seoul
With presentations spanning from Gangnam to Insadong, Frieze Seoul 2025 is shaping up to be more than just a fair—it’s a citywide celebration. From Gormley’s interrogation of the urban condition to Kim’s meditative abstractions, from Kato’s totemic figures to Janssens’s luminous explorations of light, this year offers a rare opportunity to experience world-class art woven seamlessly into the rhythm of Seoul.