Resonance at the Fair

Kiaf Seoul was held this year from September 3rd to September 7th, hosting 175 galleries from over 20 countries around the world. This year's theme is "Resonance", emphasizing art's resilience and transformative force, and cultivating a space where galleries, artists, collectors, and partner institutions can engage in dialogue, foster genuine connections, and nurture sustainable growth. This was the 24th edition of the fair, located at COEX convention center's ground floor for the 4th year in a row, alongside Frieze, located on the 3rd floor. This year's fair coincided with Seoul art week, allowing for people all over Seoul to enjoy many different art related events all over the city.

Whitestone Artists in Focus

Whitestone Gallery Booth

Whitestone Gallery invited visitors to booth A11 this year, presenting works by Miwa Komatsu, Soonik Kwon, Karen Shiozawa, Chen Yingjie, Huang Pin-Tong and together with other artists who are highlighted later in this report.

Whitestone also invited guests to view the works of Aruta Soup, fresh off the success of his first solo exhibition in Seoul. His pieces feature "Zero," a bandaged rabbit character born from the void, symbolizing transformation and emotional resilience. The works of two newly represented artists, Caroline Denervaud and Henrik Uldalen, also attracted considerable attention at the booth. Both are holding solo exhibitions concurrent with the fair, each presenting one work from their Seoul shows at Kiaf.

Whitestone Gallery Booth

VIP day on September 3rd welcomed hundreds of visitors, many of whom stopped by the Whitestone Gallery booth. The fair was bustling with excitement, especially with the First Lady of South Korea, Mrs. Kim Hye-kyung, walking through the fair.

Particularly popular at the Whitestone booth were two Korean artists, Lee Jaehyun and MANE, with many of their works drew significant attention during the VIP opening day. The Korean artist MANE will hold his first solo exhibition with Whitestone Gallery in Tokyo in October 2025. The strong interest collectors showed in his works at the fair, with all three selling out quickly, indicates high anticipation for the new works to be presented in his upcoming show.

MANE

It was a pleasure to welcome several of our artists to the booth, where they engaged directly with collectors. We had Soonik Kwon, Kim Deok Han, Henrik Uldalen, Caroline Denervaud, Ahhi Choi, Haiyun Jung, and Lee Chae come by our booth and talk to collectors about their works being shown. We also got a visit from some of our other artists, Park Ki-woong and Phillip Colbert.

Kim Deok Han

Events and Impressions from Seoul

As part of a Kiaf event this year was the Kiaf X Marie Claire ARTVERSE A-Day & night, hosted at the Shila hotel. During the day, guests were able to enjoy a Korean media art exhibition with art talks by artists chosen in the Kiaf Highlights section. From 6:30PM was the Kiaf Seoul Art Week Opening Party, with food and drinks as well as a DJ performance where guests were still able to enjoy the media installations. The event was hosted at the beautiful Shila hotel, with the backdrop of a traditional hanok, located in the center of Seoul.

Kiaf Seoul 2025

Kiaf Seoul 2025 proved to be an inspiring and dynamic week, bringing together galleries, artists, collectors, and art lovers from across the globe. For Whitestone Gallery, it was a meaningful opportunity to showcase both established names and exciting new voices, while deepening connections with collectors and institutions. The fair's energy, paired with Seoul's vibrant art week programming, highlighted not only the strength of the city's cultural scene but also the growing resonance of contemporary art on an international scale.