Leeahn Gallery Makes Bold Statement at Frieze Seoul 2025: Korean Contemporary Art Takes Center Stage

The Rise of Korean Art on the Global Stage

As we approach the fourth edition of Frieze Seoul 2025, scheduled from September 3-6 at COEX in Gangnam, the Korean art scene continues to demonstrate its growing influence on the international stage. This year's fair brings together 120 leading galleries from more than 30 countries, marking a significant milestone in Asia's art calendar. Among the participating galleries, Leeahn Gallery stands out with its carefully curated presentation that bridges Korean contemporary art with international perspectives.

The fair has quickly evolved into a crucial gathering point for both Korean and international audiences, as noted by Patrick Lee, director of Frieze Seoul. This year's program promises to deepen cultural exchanges not only within COEX but across the entire city, reinforcing Seoul's position as Asia's vital hub within the global art calendar. The launch of Frieze House Seoul, a new exhibition space in Yaksu-dong, further demonstrates the fair's commitment to fostering deeper engagement with Seoul's vibrant art communities.

Nam Chunmo: Redefining Korean Dansaekhwa for the Modern Era

At the forefront of Leeahn Gallery's presentation is Nam Chunmo's impressive 'Stroke-Lines' series, which represents a bold evolution of Korean Dansaekhwa. Born in 1961 in Daegu, Nam Chunmo represents a new era of this influential South Korean art movement that emerged in the 1960s with its radically abstract, largely monochrome approach. His work demonstrates a unique consistency in the reduction of the drawn line, which he simultaneously interprets in three dimensions through resin-hardened fabrics that give his ideas a sculptural dimension.

The artist's approach to the 'Stroke-Lines' series showcases his innovative use of industrial materials while maintaining the contemplative essence of traditional Korean monochrome painting. His works transform lines and surfaces into heights and depths, often colored monochromatically, creating a bridge between the meditative qualities of traditional Dansaekhwa and contemporary material experimentation. This evolution reflects the broader transformation of Korean contemporary art, where artists are increasingly incorporating industrial materials and techniques while preserving the philosophical underpinnings of their cultural heritage.

Anna Park: Digital Age Identity in Charcoal and Memory

Adjacent to Nam Chunmo's sculptural works, visitors encounter the striking black and white pieces by Anna Park, a New York-based artist who has garnered significant international attention. Born in 1996 in Daegu, South Korea, Park's work addresses the complex relationship between identity, gender, and power in our social media-saturated environment. Her monumental drawings, often exceeding three meters in length, are not mere illustrations but visual manifestos confronting our pathological relationship with social media and information overload.

Park's artistic approach involves creating nightmarish scenes where bodies twist, fragment, and dissolve in a maelstrom of frenetic energy, capturing the chaos of our digital age. Her female figures, often inspired by 1950s advertising, smile mechanically while their faces disintegrate into vortices of charcoal, representing the tension between authentic identity and digital personas. The artist's recent solo exhibition at Leeahn Gallery Daegu in May 2025 provided Korean audiences with an intimate look at her exploration of contemporary digital culture through traditional drawing techniques.

Yoon-Hee: Temporal Sculptures and the Philosophy of Becoming

Filling one wall and floor space of the booth are the sculptural works of Yoon-Hee, a Korean-born artist who has been working in France for over four decades. Born in Gaeseong in 1950, Yoon-Hee completed her studies at Ewha Womans University before establishing herself in the French art scene. Her work explores the tension between the artist's intentional planning and external variables, capturing moments of incomplete formation through her unique sculptural process.

Yoon-Hee's artistic philosophy centers on the concept of 'becoming' rather than 'being'. Her sculptures undergo continuous transformation as metals collected from industrial sites are melted at temperatures between 800-1200°C and poured into molds with varying force, direction, speed, and amount. The artist cannot predict the final result beyond the basic form of the mold, leaving her to 'wait' for the material to reveal its 'accidental' form. This process reflects her interest in the essence of substance itself and temporality, where time becomes both a medium and a subject of artistic exploration.

International Voices: Matsuyama and Yoon Jongsuk's Cross-Cultural Perspectives

The gallery's presentation extends beyond Korean artists to include international voices that resonate with contemporary global themes. Tomokazu Matsuyama, a New York-based artist known for his complex cultural background and self-expression, brings his distinctive approach to identity and cultural hybridity. His work reflects the increasingly interconnected nature of contemporary art, where artists navigate multiple cultural identities and artistic traditions.

Equally compelling is the work of Yoon Jongsuk, a Korean-German artist whose solo exhibition at Leeahn Gallery Seoul in May 2025 showcased her meditative landscape abstractions. Her paintings feature whimsical scenes of distant mountains and rolling hills that emerge from translucent shapes, colors, and lines, with a candy-colored palette that evokes nostalgia and references to Korea's spring season. Two monumental paintings, 'April Mai' (2023) and 'August' (2024), depict sweeping vistas of amorphous shapes in pinks, yellows, and oranges, demonstrating her exploration of memory and place across cultural boundaries.

Masters of Korean Avant-Garde: Lee Kun-Yong and Contemporary Pioneers

Leeahn Gallery's booth also features works by Lee Kun-Yong, a pioneering figure in Korean avant-garde art who rose to prominence in the 1970s. Born in 1942 in Sariwon, North Korea, Lee is best known for his 'Bodyscape' paintings, which involve the artist painting traces of his bodily movements across the canvas. His work represents a fundamental shift in Korean art, where the artist's body becomes both medium and subject, challenging traditional modes of artmaking.

Lee's experimental practice integrates his body as an index and medium, setting limits related to his physical state—arm length, stride, and height—and recording the traces of movement on canvas. His performances of routine and repetitive actions such as walking, eating, and counting have earned him recognition as 'Korea's first-generation performance artist' and 'a pioneer of Korean avant-garde art'. This body of work represents a crucial link between traditional Korean artistic practices and contemporary international art movements.

The Future of Korean Contemporary Art at Frieze Seoul 2025

As Frieze Seoul 2025 approaches, the fair continues to strengthen its position as a cornerstone of Asian contemporary art. The event's expansion includes the launch of Frieze House Seoul, offering over 210 square meters of display space across four floors with a landscaped garden. This new initiative follows the success of No. 9 Cork Street in London and represents a natural evolution of Frieze's presence in Korea.

The fair's commitment to showcasing both established and emerging artists creates a dynamic environment where Korean contemporary art can be seen in dialogue with international trends and movements. Through galleries like Leeahn, which thoughtfully curate presentations that span generations and geographical boundaries, Frieze Seoul 2025 promises to be a defining moment for Korean art's continued global recognition. The careful balance between honoring traditional Korean artistic philosophies and embracing contemporary innovation reflects the broader trajectory of Korean culture's influence on the international stage, making this year's fair a must-see event for anyone interested in the future of contemporary art.