Little known during her lifetime, Seund Ja Rhee’s abstract works were hauled into the spotlight in April 2022 after K-pop supergroup BTS member RM revealed on Instagram that he owned one of her works. Her work Subitement la Loi (A Sudden Law) (1961) also sold for a record price of HK$5.67 million (US$722,000) at Christie’s Spring 2022 auction in Hong Kong. The artist practised in the early 20th century, at a time when better-known Korean male painters were developing their careers after studying in Japan; Rhee studied in France after the Second World War and drew on influences she found there. Characterised by geometric symbols and patterns that form a universal aesthetic—one not defined by a singular cultural tradition—her works will be on view at Gallery Hyundai’s booth in the Frieze Masters section. 

Hannah Woo is the winner of the inaugural Artist Award at Frieze Seoul, supported by Bulgari. Her winning commission, The Great Ballroom, is a large installation which will be suspended from the ceiling at the fair. In line with the flourishing trend in contemporary art that sees young artists drawing on world-building and mythology to render their own visual narratives, Woo’s works are centred around a myth she created herself. She uses fabric as a tactile invitation to viewers to enter her world and explore ideas of ageing and female bodies. Her works will also be on view at G Gallery’s booth in Frieze’s Focus Asia section.

Yun Suknam is a pioneering figure in Korean feminist art. She only started making art at the age of 40, prompted by the desire to be defined by more than her roles as “wife” and “mother”. Her husband encouraged her to study, including for a year in New York. Yun integrates drawing, sculpture, painting and crafting into her works—often wooden sculptures and portraits— which simultaneously evoke domestic themes and challenge women’s established roles in society. Her work will be on view at Hakgojae Gallery’s booth in the Frieze Masters section.

Soojung Jung’s vibrantly coloured paintings will be on view at contemporary art space A-Lounge’s booth. The Seoul-based artist connects disparate events and forges her own surreal narratives; points of departure for her work include unexplained phenomena, such as whale mass-mortality, spontaneous combustion of humans and the (rumoured) existence of Bigfoot’s footprints. Recently the artist has been incorporating historical moments in her work which question human nature, power, authority class, and inequality.

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