Seoul is central to the art world

In early September, Seoul was bursting with energy. The second part of Frisian Seoul had just opened and the presence of K-pop stars RM from the band BTS and Jisoo from Blackpink had caused a stir.

On the other side of the city, more than a hundred artists and fans watched a multimedia presentation of dance, music, film and theater in one of the city’s major museums, part of a major retrospective of the works of the 87-year-old Korean avant-garde. guard artist Kim Kulim.

All in all, it seemed to sum up this city’s rise into the global spotlight.

Over the past seventy years, South Korea has seen highs and lows as an art movement born in the ashes of the Korean War took off and Korean films, TV shows, K-pop, fashion and beauty spread across the world. attracted the attention of the whole world. South Korea has gone from political turmoil to economic prosperity in the decades after the war, becoming a major player in the splashy sector of global art. And Seoul is, by many people’s estimation, poised to become the next big art center in Asia – just as South Florida became an art center in America after the arrival of Art Basel Miami Beach, which takes place this week.

For many in the global art scene, it’s a recognition of a city that has been overshadowed, at least in terms of buying and selling art, by Tokyo, Hong Kong and Singapore.

“You need a lot of factors to make an art center, and South Korea operates at a high level of sophistication and professionalism,” gallery owner Thaddaeus Ropac said in a recent telephone interview from London. “Paris, for example, is a combination of great museums, great collectors, a curatorial presence and a certain wealth, and Seoul has that same combination. Many collectors started building collections there three generations ago. In many homes there is radical art from the 80s that was not yet known at the time.”

Mr Ropac, who also has galleries in Paris, London and Salzburg, Austria, opened a gallery in Seoul – his first in Asia – in the fall of 2021, at a time when the city’s art scene was already building a buzz. That continued despite the scarcity of in-person events due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

“In 2019, we decided to start our gallery in Seoul, but we didn’t expect the city to become such a center of the world,” said Mr. Ropac. “We didn’t expect Frieze to even think about doing anything here. We would have been happy with the dynamics we expected.”

That dynamic seemed to change at warp speed, especially when Frieze Seoul arrived last September. This year’s edition attracted 121 galleries exhibiting artwork from around the world, putting the fair roughly on par with Frieze Los Angeles, which attracted 128 galleries in February. Frieze does not release sales figures, but the galleries featured in Frieze Seoul reported sales in the millions of dollars.

During both years, Frieze Seoul was active at the same time (and in the same convention center) as Kiaf Seoul, an international art fair that debuted in 2002, during a period known as Seoul Arts Week. Frieze Seoul attracted around 70,000 visitors both years, compared to around 85,000 visitors in Great Britain (the fair’s origin) for Frieze London and Frieze Masters.

“We were looking for a city that could really become the arts center for Asia,” said Simon Fox, CEO of Frieze, in a recent phone interview from London. “And these visitor numbers really show how strong the appetite is in Korea – that we are already within touching distance of London’s volume for a second year.”

Patrick Lee, director of Frieze Seoul, referred to two major exhibitions in the United States, “Only the young: Experimental art in Korea, 1960s and 1970s” at the Guggenheim Museum in New York (until January 7) And “The Space Between: The Modern in Korean Art,” which ran through February at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, exemplifying the growing visibility of South Korean art.

“The choice of Seoul is an affirmation of its great art scene,” said Mr Lee. “All areas of culture, film, music, design and fashion have been recognized, but in a way it took a little longer because of the unique machinations of art and the way things move.”

Several high-profile galleries have opened locations in Seoul in the past year. Perrotin opened a second gallery in Seoul around the time of the first Frieze Seoul; It has since closed its original gallery to focus on the new gallery, which is located in the upscale Gangnam district, one of the city’s fast-growing art epicenters, with dozens of galleries.

“The Korean art scene is very internationally connected and has a real desire to participate in what is happening globally,” says Sook-Kyung Lee, a South Korean native who is the new director of The Whitworth art gallery at the University of Manchester . , in England, and was previously senior curator of international art at Tate Modern in London. “And within Seoul you have healthy public and private financing and so many artists live there.”

Francis Belin, president of Asia Pacific at Christie’s, said Seoul has become a “vibrant arts hub”; this year the auction house co-hosted one exhibition of works by Andy Warhol and Jean-Michel Basquiat during Frieze Seoul.

“I have no doubt that Seoul will continue to grow and attract international attention,” Mr. Belin said in an email, adding: “the Warhol-Basquiat event was a reflection of our commitment to art of international significance share with South Korea.”

And then of course there are the city’s many museums, where the history of South Korea is told in art. That is one big exhibition career review by Mr Kulim, the avant-garde artist, which is on display at the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art (MMCA) until February 12. During a September 7 matinee at Frieze Seoul, about 70 dancers performed some of his early works for a standing audience of young Korean artists and fans. Mr. Kim was there to direct and even came on stage for a segment to thunderous applause.

On the museum’s lower floor, dozens of his paintings and sculptures covered several rooms, a testament to his role in the country’s growing art profile since the end of the Korean War. While it hasn’t always been a smooth road, the Republic of Korea is now stable – and that stability set the stage for Seoul’s moment in the spotlight.

“The biggest change in South Korea’s art scene has to do with Hong Kong, because of the way the Chinese government is trying to govern that city,” said Kyung-mee Park, 65, the founder and president of PKM Gallery in the affluent Samcheong-dong district. “In recent years, many Western people have left Hong Kong. They looked for another place outside Hong Kong.”

Ms. Park, who grew up in South Korea and opened her gallery in 2001, also pointed out that South Korea does not impose import taxes on art, like many Asian countries. She said a new generation of South Koreans are seeing art as a solid investment option. K-pop star RM, who made waves at Frieze Seoul this year, is known for his art collection, which has sparked interest among his fans.

“Real estate is considered the most important investment here, but young people cannot afford houses, so they need a new investment,” Ms Park said.

Mr Ropac said South Korea’s combined creative and business environment is unparalleled in Asia. “You can move art in and out of the country without restrictions,” he said. “Moreover, art world centers cannot exist if no artists live there, and that is what makes Seoul truly special. It’s amazing that it took the international art world so long to realize this.”