KIAF SEOUL 2026 Brings 175 Galleries to Seoul This September

Installation Gallery View of Kiaf SEOUL 2025.

Photo: Kiaf SEOUL 2025. Courtesy of Galleries Association of Korea ⓒ Creative Resource
사진 제공: 한국화랑협회 ⓒ Creative Resource

This September, Seoul will welcome the 25th edition of Kiaf SEOUL. From September 2–6, 2026, 175 galleries from 18 countries and territories will gather at COEX. The anniversary edition will bring together established artists, emerging voices, and influential galleries from Korea and abroad.

Creative Director Kuho Jung has centered this year’s fair on the theme “Coexistence.” The concept examines the shifting relationship between humanity and technology. At a moment when artificial intelligence increasingly shapes how we work, communicate, and create, Kiaf SEOUL asks what remains uniquely human about artistic expression.

The answer takes many forms across the fair. Painting, sculpture, printmaking, mixed media, and new media will come together across the gallery presentations.

Kiaf SEOUL 2026 returns to Seoul from September 2–6 for its 25th anniversary.

Keith Haring, Growing 2(Littmann p.90) , ed. 100, screenprint , 76.0x101.5cm, 1988, SH Gallery.

Keith Haring, Growing 2(Littmann p.90) , ed. 100, screenprint , 76.0×101.5cm, 1988, SH Gallery.

Sol LeWitt, Irregular Grid, Gouache on paper, 40x65cm, 1999, Obscura.

Marc Chagall, Couple d’Amoureux au Bouquet de Fleurs, Tempera, brush and ink on Masonite, 32.1x23.8cm, 1982, Art of the World Gallery

Marc Chagall, Couple d’Amoureux au Bouquet de Fleurs, Tempera, brush and ink on Masonite, 32.1×23.8cm, 1982, Art of the World Gallery.

Several internationally acclaimed artists anchor the lineup. Art of the World Gallery will present a 1982 tempera painting by Marc Chagall, rich with the symbolic language of love and vitality. At Obscura, Sol LeWitt’s Irregular Grid (1999) transforms geometric structure into a dynamic study of order and variation. SH Gallery will feature works by Keith Haring, while Yeasung Gallery will show Damien Hirst’s limited-edition print For the Love of God (2012).

Modern and contemporary Korean art will take an equally prominent place. Wellside Gallery will present mixed-media works by Park Seobo, a central figure in the Dansaekhwa movement. PYO Gallery will showcase Kim Tschangyeul’s celebrated paintings of water droplets. At Galerie Vazieux, an abstract work by Lee Ungno will offer another perspective on the international legacy of Korean modernism.

Lee Ungno, People, Ink and colors on hanji paper, 33.5x33cm, 1986, Galerie Vazieux.

Seobo Park, Ecriture No. 950815, Mixed Media with Korean Hanji Paper on Canvas, 227.5x182cm, 1995, PARK SEOB, Wellside Gallery.

KIM Tschangyeul, SA98042(SH97026), Acrylic and Oil on canvas, 80x195cm, 1998, PYO GALLERY.

The fair will bring 175 galleries from 18 countries and territories to COEX.

The fair also brings together artists working across cultures and disciplines. Kukje Gallery will present Korakrit Arunanondchai’s The Angel (2025), a mixed-media work incorporating bleached denim. At Gallery JJ, Meekyoung Shin turns soap into a delicate relief of dancing angels. Park Eunsun will present a towering sculptural work defined by contrasting stripes and deliberate fissures. Elsewhere, KAWS brings graphic contours and saturated color to the fair. André Butzer contributes one of his wide-eyed figures.

KAWS, Response Ability, Acrylic on canvas, 168x274cm, 2018 ©Jimmy de Paris, Opera Gallery.

Park Eunsun, Colonna Infinita- Accrescimento, Marmo Bianco Carrara e Verde Ming, 253x66x66cm, 2022, Gana Art.

Korakrit Arunanondchai, The Angel, Acrylic polymer on metallic foil on bleached denim on inkjet print on canvas, 101.6x88.9x3.8cm, 2025, Kukje Gallery

Korakrit Arunanondchai, The Angel, Acrylic polymer on metallic foil on bleached denim on inkjet print on canvas, 101.6×88.9×3.8cm, 2025, Kukje Gallery.

Meekyoung Shin, Angels, Soap, fragrance oil, varnish, 30x39.5x6cm, 2007, Gallery JJ.

Meekyoung Shin, Angels, Soap, fragrance oil, varnish, 30×39.5x6cm, 2007, Gallery JJ.

This year’s theme, “Coexistence,” explores the relationship between human creativity and technology.

Jonathan Miles, All the Paintings I Never Painted, Acrylic on paper, 59.4x106cm, 2006, LucieChangFineArts.

Hui-Hsuan Hsu , Funk for Cats, Oil on Linen, 38x48cm, 2025, SAN Gallery.

Michael Fried, Has Not Been Seen And Refuses To, Oil on Cnavas, 30.5x35.6cm, 2026, SARAHCROWN.

Michael Fried, Has Not Been Seen And Refuses To, Oil on Cnavas, 30.5×35.6cm, 2026, SARAHCROWN.

Carsten Goering, Display09-329, Oil, Acrylic on Linen, 130.5x100.5x6.5cm, 2025, Mizuiro Gallery.

Carsten Goering, Display09-329, Oil, Acrylic on Linen, 130.5×100.5×6.5cm, 2025, Mizuiro Gallery.

Wonmi Seo, Talk without words; Wait, Oil on linen, 130.3x162.2cm, 2024, La Heen Gallery.

Wonmi Seo, Talk without words; Wait, Oil on linen, 130.3×162.2cm, 2024, La Heen Gallery.

Beyond the booths, Kiaf SEOUL will extend its theme through special programming. HUMAL brings together seven interdisciplinary artists to consider instinct, embodiment, and vitality in an age shaped by artificial intelligence. Invisible takes the conversation into augmented reality. Visitors can scan QR codes throughout the exhibition to reveal digital works within the physical environment.

Kiaf HIGHLIGHTS will spotlight 10 emerging artists. Their practices engage with subjects including ecology, materiality, and Eastern philosophy. Each artist will receive a dedicated presentation through their gallery, offering a closer look at the next generation of contemporary voices.

Ahnnlee Lee, Terraqué 24, mixed media on salvaged fiberglass boat fragments, 85x90x3cm, 2026 ⓒ Wooson Gallery.

Seonghi Bahk, An aggregation – Relationship 20240305, Charcoal, Nylon threads, Plywood, etc., 330x80x80cm, 2024, 021gallery.

Works by Marc Chagall, Lee Ufan, Nam June Paik, KAWS, and other artists will join special exhibitions, augmented reality projects, and a performance by pianist Seong-Jin Cho.

The anniversary edition will also move into music. On September 4, pianist Seong-Jin Cho will perform at the COEX Auditorium as part of Kiaf Classic: Resonance of Coexistence with Seong-Jin Cho. His performance will extend the fair's investigation of creativity and perception beyond the visual arts.

For its 25th anniversary, Kiaf SEOUL brings history and experimentation into the same space. Its galleries look across generations and borders. Its special exhibitions look toward an increasingly technological future. Together, they offer a portrait of contemporary art at a moment when the relationship between human creativity and technology continues to evolve.