Frieze Seoul will move to a new venue, Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP)—a curving, aluminium-clad cultural centre designed by Zaha Hadid—for its 2027 edition. The move is taking place because the fair’s current home, COEX, is being redeveloped.
DDP, which opened in 2014, is situated across the Han river in the north of the city, about a mile away from Frieze House Seoul, the permanent gallery space the fair established last year. The area is known for design, fashion and shopping; the building includes Korea’s sole public design museum and a history museum. This year it is hosting an edition of Design Miami (1-6 September).
DDP’s exhibition halls will give the fair “a more concentrated footprint” according to a Frieze statement, and the 2027 edition “will be carefully edited as a result, giving each gallery and presentation greater prominence within a single focused environment”.
The concurrent art fair Kiaf Seoul will stay at COEX. However the two organisations will continue to work together, and visitors will still be able to buy a joint ticket. Sunghoon Lee, the president of the Galleries Association of Korea, which runs Kiaf, said in a statement: “We wish Frieze Seoul every success in its new venue and I look forward to continuing or strong partnership as we work together to further strengthen Seoul’s position as a leading hub for contemporary art in Asia.”
COEX opened in 1979 and is undergoing a major redevelopment led by British firm Heatherwick Studios, which will add a modular façade inspired by cabinets of curiosities, as well as renovating the interior spaces. It is due for completion in 2029.