Seoul to turn into citywide art playground with Kiaf, Frieze in September

Seoul is gearing up for a blockbuster month of art and culture in September, as Kiaf Seoul and Frieze Seoul return with expanded citywide programs ranging from classical music and public art to film and late-night gallery events. This year’s Kiaf Seoul, Korea’s largest international art fair, runs from Sept. 2-6 at Coex in southern Seoul under the theme “Coexistence,” reflecting on the relationship between humans and technology in the age of artificial intelligence (AI). The Galleries Association of Korea is introducing two special exhibitions — “Humal” and “Virtual Vital” — that examine how human instinct, animal vitality and digital systems intersect in contemporary art. “Humal,” a portmanteau of “human” and “animal,” brings together seven Korean artists, including Kang Gun, Kwak Ji-soo and Hwang Soo-yeon, in sculpture, installation, painting and photography that foreground the body and primal sensibilities long suppressed by rationalism and civilization. “Virtual Vital” extends the questions raised in “Humal” into augmented reality, inviting vis