In Photos: Kiaf SEOUL 2025
3–7 September 2025 Save to My OculaKiaf Seoul 2025 unfolded over the first week of September amidst much anticipation. Korea’s leading contemporary art fair drew 9,600 visitors on VIP day, among them Korea’s First Lady Kim Hye-kyung, RM of BTS, and two-time Olympic medallist Kim Yuna.
175 exhibitors from over 20 countries convened at COEX, the fair’s long-time home, including seasoned Korean galleries such as Kukje Gallery, Gallery Shilla, and SUN Gallery, and returning international galleries Gallery Marguo, Lazy Mike, JARILAGER Gallery, and Tang Contemporary Art.
Highlights included a solo presentation of Don Sunpil’s ‘Portrait Fist’ (2020), a series of bust sculptures sprouting second faces, and Yang Jung Uk’s centipede-like kinetic sculpture at Gallery Hyundai’s booth.
In addition to the Galleries section, featuring 156 exhibitors, Kiaf Plus is committed to young artists and galleries, and Kiaf Highlights foregrounds the practices of ten emerging artists. This year’s Highlights Prize was awarded to Grim Park, presented by Seoul-based gallery THEO, whose paintings draw from the idiosyncratic visual languages of taenghwa (Buddhist hanging painting) and traditional Korean painting to address queer identity and self-discovery in contemporary society. —[O]
Main image: Kiaf SEOUL 2025 (3–7 September 2025). Courtesy Kiaf. Photo: Kiaf Operating Committee.
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