Pavilion Fair Debuts In Seoul, Frieze Highlights“Beyond The Canon”

(MENAFN- USA Art News) The alternative art fair Pavilion is launching its third edition in Seoul from September 1–6, partnering with Kumsung Cultural Space (KCS). This marks another addition to Seoul's expanding art week, following previous editions in Taipei last year and Hong Kong in March. Pavilion aims to challenge the conventional booth-centric fair model, emphasizing artworks and artist relationships.

Participating galleries include PHD Group, co-founded by Willem Molesworth and Ysabelle Cheung, alongside emerging spaces such as Sangheeut in Seoul, Norito in London, Brownie Space in Shanghai, Ara Contemporary in Jakarta, and FOUNDRY in Seoul. Established names like Tomio Koyama in Tokyo and ShangART, with locations in Shanghai, Beijing, and Singapore, are also participating. The fair's 17-participant roster features international nonprofit art spaces, including Current Plans in Hong Kong, YPC in Seoul, and starch in Singapore. Pavilion adopts a community-centered, experimental, and collaborative approach, integrating a robust program of talks and performances.

PHD Group founder Willem Molesworth explained the choice of location, stating,“Seoul is an incredible city with an amazing art scene, but like so many art hubs it also craves something different, a sort of gathering that speaks the same language as the local scene and meets it where it stands.” He added,“I think people have grown tired of hearing that every city is the next huge international art hub and they just want something authentic. My friends in Seoul feel this way too and wanted to do something more responsive, grounded and fun.” Molesworth described Pavilion as offering a new paradigm for cultural gatherings, focusing on human encounters and authentic exchange. KCS is situated in Yongsan-gu, a vibrant district Molesworth considers one of the city's most exciting. He noted,“We're incredibly fortunate to be working with KCS Seoul and Kumsung Publishing as our Venue Partner, who have lent us three of their spaces that we've asked BEAU, our Architecture Partner, to help us adapt.”

Concurrently, Frieze Seoul returns from September 2–5, avoiding its previous overlap with The Armory Show in New York. The fair runs alongside Kiaf at COEX, and their partnership has matured, maintaining distinct profiles in exhibitor selection while collaborating on ticketing, organization, and promotion for art week. The program extends throughout the city with“Neighborhood Nights” across Seoul's gallery districts.

Patrick Lee, Frieze Seoul director, commented on the fair's evolution, stating,“We're in our fifth edition and now the fair reflects a clearer sense of Seoul's position. Seoul has developed a distinct place within the international art landscape, and I think that is increasingly visible in the fair itself.” He continued,“Neighborhood Nights and our expansive citywide program are also an important part of that. For me, it speaks to a market and cultural ecosystem that has matured beyond the initial excitement of discovering Seoul, towards a deeper understanding of what the city, its artists and its institutions are contributing to the global conversation.”

Frieze Seoul aims for a more specific role within the Asian art ecosystem this year with its curated approach titled“Beyond the Canon.” This initiative emphasizes the fair's role in contextualizing overlooked or less familiar artistic practices. Key questions explore art histories outside the Western-centered 20th-century canon, contemporary practices and galleries operating beyond typically recognized cities, the reactivation of materials across geographies, and the integration of these histories into a global art-historical narrative.

The fair features three distinct curated sections.“Material Practice,” curated by Hyeyoung Cho, examines cross-disciplinary exchange between contemporary art, craft, and design.“Focus” returns, expanding beyond Asia for the first time under the guidance of Seolhui Lee, providing a platform for emerging practices and galleries founded within the past 12 years. Highlights include Cub_ism_ Artspace 's presentation of Lilyjon; São Paulo gallery Yehudi Hollander-Pappi 's debut with a Gabriel Massan installation; Foundry Seoul showcasing Omyo Cho 's high-tech sculptures; and N/A presenting Muyeong Kim 's new hand-colored photographs and leather sculptures, coinciding with Kim's first institutional solo exhibition at Art Sonje.

The“Spotlight” section, curated by Wonseok Koh, debuts with 15 monographic perspectives on 20th-century artists, focusing on works created between 1950 and 1990. Highlights include BAIK presenting photographer Han Youngsoo, whose images depict postwar Seoul beyond devastation or modernization. Ames Yavuz features Po Po, one of the first Myanmar artists to exhibit abroad in the 1990s, with previously unexhibited works from 1986–1990, including pieces from his“Painting for the Blind” series. Yoshiaki Inoue Gallery presents Etsuko Nakatsuji, an early precursor of postwar Japanese installation art, while Tansbao Gallery spotlights Lain Singh Bangdel (1919–2002), a Nepalese artist, novelist, and art historian. YOD Gallery features Nobuo Sekine (1942–2019), whose work influenced Mono-ha.“Spotlight” also extends its focus beyond Asia, including figures like Serbian-born abstract painter Djordje Ivačković, presented by Double Q. Die Galerie focuses on German artist and filmmaker Karl Otto Götz, tracing his trajectory from the CoBrA movement to Informel abstraction. In the main section, Gagosian will feature a solo booth dedicated to Damien Hirst, showcasing works from his acclaimed series, including Pill Cabinets, Spin Paintings, Spot Paintings, and Treasures.

We previously reported:

Pavilion Seoul, an alternative art event, will run from September 1 to 6, offering an exhibition-like approach without traditional booths.

The founders of Basel Social Club will launch Tokyo Jazz Club, a new experimental art event, from November 1-8 as part of Tokyo Art Week.

Source: Observer Arts

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