19 October, 2021
Last week, the London (and international) art scene was delighted to be able to once again visit Frieze London and Frieze Masters after the pandemic had forced its doors to close. In general, art lovers roamed through a generally quieter fair than they may have experienced in the past, perhaps a sign of ongoing hesitance at venturing out as restrictions slowly ease or a consequence of the strictly timed ticketing system. Despite this slower pace, the fair delivered some interesting indications regarding future trends in the art market. We’ve gathered a few below.
Collectors are turning to Korea
Do Ho Suh, Hub-2, Breakfast Corner, 260-7, Sungbook-dong, Sungboo-Ku, Seoul, Korea, 2018.
The rise of Korean art was a dominant theme across Frieze with Korean artists and K-Pop-inspired works observed across many stalls, mainly Lehmann Maupin’s stand. One such example is London-based Do Ho Suh, who is particularly successful with American collectors, and whose pink Korean breakfast nook installation stole the show at the fair. Works by Korean painters, including Park Seo-Bo and Ha Chong-Hyun, were also quickly sold on the stand of New York gallery Tina Kim.
The renowned Italian Mazzoleni gallery also officially partnered with Kukje Gallery for Frieze Masters, where they portrayed the ‘aesthetics of difference’ of both Dansaekhwa artists in Korea and the abstract artists in Europe. Supported by the news that Frieze is preparing to open a Seoul art fair, could Hong Kong be losing its crown to Seoul?