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In Seoul, Pavilion’s Debut, Design Miami’s Return and Frieze’s “Beyond the Canon” Approach

Seoul Art Week returns this September with a series of new arrivals that put the South Korean capital firmly at the center of the global art world’s gaze. Here's what to know.

After launching in Taipei last year and hosting its signature edition in Hong Kong in March as an “evolution” of Supper Club, the more fluid and unconventional fair Pavilion is bringing its third edition to Seoul, adding another event to the city’s ever-expanding art week. Held in partnership with Kumsung Cultural Space (KCS) on September 1-6, the upcoming edition of the alternative fair pushes even further against the traditional booth-centered structure, shifting the focus toward artworks and relationships.

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Participating galleries include PHD Group—the Hong Kong gallery led by two of the fair’s co-founders, Willem Molesworth and Ysabelle Cheung—alongside younger spaces such as Sangheeut in Seoul, NORITO in London, Brownie Space in Shanghai, Ara Contemporary in Jakarta and FOUNDRY in Seoul, as well as established names including Tomio Koyama in Tokyo and ShangART in Shanghai, Beijing and Singapore. The 17-participant roster also includes a group of international nonprofit art spaces such as CURRENT PLANS in Hong Kong, YPC in Seoul and starch in Singapore. Taking cues from alternative models such as Basel Social Club, Pavilion is built around a similarly community-centered, experimental and collaborative approach, with a strong talks and performance program integrated into the structure of the fair.

“Seoul is an incredible city with an amazing art scene, but like so many art hubs it also craves something different, a sort of gathering that speaks the same language as the local scene and meets it where it stands,” PHD Group founder Willem Molesworth told Observer. “I think people have grown tired of hearing that every city is the next huge international art hub and they just want something authentic. My friends in Seoul feel this way too and wanted to do something more responsive, grounded and fun.”

Molesworth sees Pavilion as offering not just an alternative to traditional art fairs but also a new paradigm for cultural gatherings—one still grounded in human encounters and authentic moments of exchange and connection. “It just morphs depending on where you place it, but it always ends up being really authentic and special. So why Seoul? Because Seoul wants it, and it deserves it!”

KCS is centrally located in Yongsan-gu, which Molesworth describes as one of the city’s most exciting and lively districts, filled with restaurants and places to gather. “We’re incredibly fortunate to be working with KCS Seoul and Kumsung Publishing as our Venue Partner, who have lent us three of their spaces that we’ve asked BEAU, our Architecture Partner, to help us adapt.”

Meanwhile, Frieze returns to Seoul on September 2-5, finally avoiding, for the first time, the long-criticized overlap with The Armory Show in New York—now part of the same portfolio. Running alongside the historic Kiaf at COEX, the two fairs now appear to have refined their partnership after some initial tensions, maintaining distinct profiles in both exhibitor selection and offerings while collaborating on ticketing and the overall organization and promotion of art week. An expansive program extends throughout the city via Neighborhood Nights across Seoul’s gallery districts.

“We’re in our fifth edition and now the fair reflects a clearer sense of Seoul’s........

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