Frieze Seoul is moving. Ahead of the fair’s fifth edition opening at COEX next month, Frieze has revealed that its 2027 edition will take place at Zaha Hadid’s Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP), as the COEX site prepares for redevelopment.
The move will see Frieze Seoul’s sixth edition take over one of the South Korean capital’s most recognisable pieces of contemporary architecture.
Designed by Zaha Hadid and opened in 2014, DDP sits in Seoul’s Dongdaemun district and has developed into a major destination for design, fashion and contemporary culture. More than 120 million people have visited the building over the past 11 years, with around 17 million visitors annually.
Before then, there is still one more Frieze Seoul to come at COEX. The fair returns to Gangnam from 2nd–5th September 2026 for its fifth edition, ahead of the planned redevelopment of its current home.
The change of venue will also alter the physical character of the fair. DDP’s exhibition halls offer a more concentrated footprint than COEX, with Frieze saying the 2027 edition will consequently be more tightly edited, giving individual galleries and presentations greater prominence within a single environment.
It could prove an interesting shift. Hadid’s sweeping, futuristic building is considerably more architecturally assertive than a conventional convention centre, placing the fair within a district where fashion, design, architecture and contemporary culture already overlap.
Patrick Lee, Director of Frieze Seoul, said:
“Frieze Seoul has never been about a building. It is about the artists, galleries and institutions that make this city one of the most compelling places in the world to look at art, and about the audiences who come with real curiosity. DDP is an extraordinary setting and a landmark that Seoul has made its own. Its distinctive architecture and more concentrated footprint will create new possibilities for our galleries, and I look forward to seeing how they respond. Before then, we look forward to returning to COEX this September for our fifth edition.”
The move comes four years after Frieze Seoul launched in 2022 and is being positioned by the fair as part of its longer-term commitment to South Korea.
Since arriving in the city, Frieze has developed partnerships with Korean galleries, museums and cultural organisations while building its programme around Seoul’s existing art ecosystem, including the city-wide Neighborhood Nights that connect visitors with galleries, museums and artist-run spaces during Frieze Week.
Frieze Seoul will also continue its partnership with Kiaf SEOUL, with the two fairs remaining concurrent and visitors able to buy a joint ticket giving access to both.
Simon Fox, CEO of Frieze, said:
“We are in Seoul for the long term, and DDP gives Frieze Seoul an exceptional new home as COEX enters its redevelopment. Since 2022, the fair has grown through partnership: with Korean galleries and institutions, with Kiaf SEOUL and with audiences in Seoul and across the region. DDP offers a remarkable setting in which to build on that foundation.”
Sunghoon Lee, President of the Galleries Association of Korea, added:
“Kiaf SEOUL and Frieze Seoul have been held concurrently since 2022, playing an important role in establishing Seoul as one of the world’s leading art capitals. We wish Frieze Seoul every success at its new venue and look forward to continuing our strong partnership as we work together to further strengthen Seoul’s position as a leading hub for contemporary art in Asia.”
Further details of the galleries and programme for the 2027 edition will be announced later.
For now, Frieze Seoul 2026 takes place at COEX from 2nd–5th September — giving the art world one final Frieze at the Gangnam venue before the fair heads across the city to DDP.
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Mark Westall has spent over thirty years creating platforms for culture. Since founding FAD Magazine in 2006, he’s dedicated his career to documenting, championing and questioning contemporary art through publishing, criticism and conversation. As founder and editorial director of one of the UK’s leading independent contemporary art publications, he has interviewed artists, reviewed exhibitions and covered the ideas shaping contemporary visual culture for more than two decades. He also founded Art of Conversation, Despoke and FAD Bazaar, and regularly serves as a judge for international art and photography awards.