Kiaf SEOUL 2026 took place at COEX in Seoul from September 2 to 6. Marking its 25th anniversary, this year’s fair brought together 175 galleries from 18 countries and attracted approximately 80,000 visitors. With a creative director appointed for the first time, the fair introduced changes to its layout and programming. Works by major figures in modern and contemporary Korean art as well as emerging artists sold across a range of price points.
 
This year, Kiaf demonstrated changes in its approach to organizing the fair by improving the visitor experience. The next question is how these improvements can translate into sustained sales for participating galleries and the development of artists’ careers. The depth and expertise of its content on Korean art, the management of its website and archives, and the direction of its exhibitor selection will be important measures of Kiaf’s long-term competitiveness.

An Improved Visitor Experience and Expanded Programming
 
The most visible change this year was the layout of the exhibition halls. Creative Director Kuho Jung clearly defined the main circulation routes and distributed special exhibitions and rest areas throughout the venue. The layout was reorganized to encourage visitors to explore the inner sections of the fair rather than concentrate around the entrance and major galleries. On-site reports noted more open sightlines between booths and the addition of spaces that encouraged visitors to spend time in Hall B, which had previously received less foot traffic.
 
These changes were meaningful because they created more opportunities for visitors to discover works presented by smaller galleries. Spatial planning at an art fair affects not only visitor convenience but also galleries’ visibility and opportunities to engage with prospective buyers. The use of special exhibitions and rest areas to encourage visitors to explore the entire venue was a positive development.
 
The special exhibition 《HUMAL》, the augmented-reality exhibition 《VIRTUAL VITAL》, and the performance program “Kiaf Classic” further broadened the visitor experience. The artist-focused program “Kiaf HIGHLIGHTS” brought renewed attention to ten mid-career artists, while Kiaf PLUS introduced young galleries and emerging artists. By bringing together work across generations and a variety of programs, Kiaf demonstrated the breadth of its participant base.

Sales Across a Wide Price Range and Uneven Results Among Galleries
 
Publicly reported sales included both high-value works and pieces at more accessible price points. Kukje Gallery reportedly sold Yoo Youngkuk’s 1979 painting Work for KRW 600–720 million. Gallery Hyundai announced sales of works by Nam June Paik, Chung Sang-Hwa, Kim Bo Hie, and Kim Sung Yoon, among others. Gana Art reportedly sold six works by Park Eun Sun for a combined total exceeding KRW 500 million.
 
Works by emerging artists also found buyers. Kidari Gallery stated that it sold 46 works for approximately KRW 200 million, while Space Willing N Dealing reportedly sold 16 works by emerging artists priced between KRW 400,000 and KRW 3 million. These examples suggest that Kiaf can serve both established collectors and people beginning to purchase art with relatively modest budgets.
 
Sales performance, however, varied among galleries. While some reported high-value transactions and sold-out presentations, others noted that visitor interest did not necessarily translate into purchases. Transactions across multiple price ranges should not be taken as evidence that sales improved across the fair as a whole. Kiaf’s market performance needs to be assessed through individual success stories alongside the extent to which purchasing demand reached small and mid-sized galleries and a diverse range of artists.
 
 
 
Distinguishing Attendance from Market Performance
 
Kiaf attracted approximately 80,000 visitors this year, a figure comparable to the roughly 82,000 recorded last year. Attendance during the first two days rose by 5–10 percent year on year, and approximately 8,000 visitors attended on the final day, when Kiaf remained open after Frieze Seoul had closed. These figures indicate sustained interest in attending the fair, but they do not directly demonstrate an increase in new buyers or art transactions.
 
The Galleries Association of Korea referred to a gradual market recovery, yet total sales, sell-through rates, and year-on-year changes in sales value were not disclosed. The scope of the information released by individual galleries also varied, limiting what the available data can reveal about the market as a whole.
 
Visitor numbers measure interest in an event. An assessment of market performance also requires information on transactions by price bracket, the participation of new buyers, and the distribution of sales among galleries. Collecting information according to consistent criteria, within the limits of what can be disclosed, would give greater credibility to the organizer’s assessment.

Depth and Expertise in Presenting Korean Art
 
Differences between Frieze and Kiaf were also evident in the way they presented Korean artists and artworks online. Frieze produced content linking participating galleries’ presentations to artists’ working processes, museum exhibitions, and the city’s cultural context. Its video on Omyo Cho explained the artist’s process and the questions informing her work, while also providing gallery and booth information. Editorial features introducing key works likewise discussed the artists’ museum exhibitions and broader activities.
 
This editorial approach helps explain why particular works merit attention. Visitors can research artists before attending, while collectors and art professionals can explore practices of interest in greater depth. Among the materials reviewed, Frieze showed a more systematic approach to connecting artwork introductions with contextual analysis and practical visitor information.
 
Kiaf also presented interviews with its HIGHLIGHTS artists through its official lead media partner, Marie Claire Korea. Its official website, however, focused primarily on galleries’ exhibition news and program announcements. The editorial connections between artist-specific content and the fair’s overall program were comparatively underdeveloped.
 
Expertise in art content is demonstrated by how specifically it explains the development of an artist’s practice, the art-historical context of the work, and its contemporary significance. An art fair presenting Korean art internationally should provide sufficient context for overseas professionals to understand and assess its artists and artworks.

Continuity Across the Website and Archives
 
An art fair’s website allows visitors to prepare for the event and return afterward to research artists who captured their interest. For international professionals, it is also an important channel for continuing to explore galleries and artists after leaving Seoul.
 
As of September 14, the video section on Kiaf’s homepage displayed 2025 RECAP, SNAP, and TEASER videos alongside footage from earlier editions. Archives of past special exhibitions and talks were also available, but the lists reviewed showed entries through 2024 at the top. Beyond making individual materials available, the site needs updates and editorial organization that connect the latest fair with its historical record.
 
The records accumulated over 25 years are an asset that can help explain Kiaf’s role in the Korean art market. Connecting each edition’s major exhibitions and artists, interviews and talks, on-site documentation, and publicly reported results would make these records useful for current artist presentations and research. Content produced by external media partners should also be easy to find through the official website. Such an approach would give participating galleries and artists opportunities for exposure beyond the duration of the fair.

Promotional Direction and Expertise in Art
 
Partnerships with fashion and lifestyle media can broaden interest in art. They can also lead to an art fair being presented primarily through celebrities, event atmosphere, and images of taste and consumption. As promotional reach expands, it is important to consider whether understanding of the artworks deepens alongside it.
 
Marie Claire Korea participated as Kiaf’s official lead media partner. What matters in such a collaboration is how clearly Kiaf defines the editorial direction and standards of expertise for presenting artists and artworks. The choice of subjects, the approach to explaining them, and the perspective guiding which artists and works receive attention should reflect the fair’s identity.
 
When the buzz surrounding an event and its polished image take the place of an understanding of the artworks, artistic value risks being reduced to the appeal of lifestyle consumption. Social-media exposure can generate initial interest, but it needs to be followed by content that develops this interest into an understanding of artistic practice and art-historical significance. Promotional success should therefore be assessed not only by the scale of exposure but also by the understanding of art it helps shape.

Direction in the Selection of Galleries and Artists
 
This year, Kiaf maintained a broad participant base, including 127 Korean galleries. This breadth offers an opportunity to present different segments of the Korean art market. Assessing the overall lineup also requires examining which galleries and practices the fair is newly bringing forward and how their participation broadens its direction. The materials published for this year’s edition did not sufficiently explain how the rationale for these selections related to the fair’s overall composition.
 
“Kiaf HIGHLIGHTS” provided a concrete example of artist support by presenting ten mid-career artists and selecting Gosari and Lim Nosik through a separate judging process to each receive KRW 10 million in creative support funding. The achievements of this dedicated program can be assessed separately from the direction of exhibitor selection across the fair as a whole.
 
ArtAsiaPacific observed that this year’s Kiaf appeared comparatively weak in the middle ground between established artists with proven market standing and works at more affordable prices. Although this assessment was based on observations at the fair rather than comprehensive sales data, it raises the question of whether mid-career artists and work across diverse media are being adequately represented.
 
Kiaf’s approach to selecting galleries and artists should address not only who participates but also whose artistic development it intends to support over time. The process should provide opportunities for new galleries and artists, explain the reasons for their selection, and connect their participation to subsequent exhibitions, editorial content, and relationships with art professionals in Korea and abroad.
 
 
 
From Spatial Improvements to Platform Competitiveness
 
In 2027, Frieze Seoul will move to Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP), while Kiaf will remain at COEX. The partnership between the two fairs will continue through 2031, but the conditions that allowed them to share visitor and collector traffic under the same roof will change. Kiaf’s ability to give collectors compelling reasons to visit the fair and acquire works will therefore become increasingly important.
 
This year, Kiaf demonstrated its capacity for change by improving the visitor experience. Its next task is to connect gallery and artist selection, expert editorial content, and the management of its website and archives into an integrated, year-round framework for presenting galleries and artists. Enabling visitors to continue following artists encountered at the fair and to maintain relationships that can lead to exhibitions and purchases is an important part of running an art fair.
 
Once the fairs move to separate venues in 2027, Kiaf’s competitiveness will be demonstrated by its ability to attract collectors independently and translate their interest into sales for participating galleries and broader opportunities for artists. Drawing on the foundation built over 25 years, Kiaf must now clarify how it will communicate the value of Korean art, which audiences it will engage, and through which channels.
 


References

English titles of the Korean-language articles below are translations provided for reference.

- Kiaf SEOUL official website; Kiaf HIGHLIGHTS; Special Exhibition Archive; Talk Program Archive. Website structure reviewed September 14, 2026.
- Kiaf SEOUL, “Kiaf SEOUL 2026,” e-flux Announcements, July 20, 2026.
- Newsis, “Kiaf SEOUL 2026 Is More Spacious and Comfortable: ‘There Is More to See Than at Frieze’”, September 2, 2026. In Korean.
- Newsis, “‘There Was More to See Than at Frieze’: A More Spacious, Visually Striking Kiaf Draws 80,000 Visitors, but Sales Vary”, September 7, 2026. In Korean.
- Artsy, “What Sold at Frieze Seoul 2026”, September 2026. Includes Kiaf sales results.
- Yonhap News Agency, “Kiaf and Frieze Close with More Young Collectors and Active Art Trading”, September 6, 2026. In Korean.
- The Bell, “Lower Top Prices at Frieze, a Broader Visitor Experience at Kiaf”, September 7, 2026. In Korean.
- Aju Press, “At Kiaf and Frieze, Seoul’s Art Crowds Come Before the Buyers”, September 3, 2026.
- Frieze, “Meet Me in Seoul: Omyo Cho”, August 13, 2026.
- Frieze, “What Not to Miss at Frieze Seoul This Year”, August 21, 2026.
- Marie Claire Korea, “10 HIGHLIGHTS: Interviews with Kiaf’s Ten Highlight Artists—#1 Gosari” and “#4 Lim Hyun Jung”, September 2026. In Korean.
- Marie Claire Korea, “Marie Claire Art Day & Night 2026” event report, September 7, 2026. In Korean.
- Korea JoongAng Daily, “Frieze, Kiaf to Shine ‘Spotlight’ on ‘Coexistence’ in Final Year Under Same Roof”, August 19, 2026.
- News1, “Gosari and Lim Nosik Selected as the Final Artists for Kiaf HIGHLIGHTS 2026”, September 3, 2026. In Korean.
- ArtAsiaPacific, “Kiaf SEOUL at 25: A Market Split”, September 11, 2026.
- Frieze, “The Breadth of Asia’s Art Market Takes Center Stage at Frieze Seoul 2026”, September 2026.