Looking Ahead to Frieze 2026: Moktan Productions’ Ongoing Partnership with Frieze Seoul
Looking Ahead to Frieze 2026
8/17/26
Since the launch of Frieze Seoul in 2022, Moktan Productions has been involved in the production of Art:LIVE, supporting Frieze’s coverage of one of Asia’s most significant contemporary art events.
Our role began with on-location filming for the inaugural 2022 edition and expanded from 2023 onward, when Moktan took responsibility for the full production workflow, including pre-production, filming, and post-production. Over four editions, the partnership has grown alongside Frieze Seoul itself, with Moktan capturing artists, galleries, curators, collectors, cultural figures, and the wider energy surrounding the fair.
The collaboration continues in 2026, as Frieze Seoul returns to COEX for its fifth edition.
Introducing Frieze and Frieze Seoul
Frieze is one of the world’s leading contemporary art organisations, known for its international art fairs, exhibitions, editorial content, and cultural programming. Its global fair programme spans six cities: London, New York, Los Angeles, Seoul, Chicago, and Abu Dhabi.
Frieze Seoul launched in September 2022 as Frieze’s first art fair in Asia. Its arrival represented an important moment for Seoul’s position within the international art world, reflecting growing global recognition of Korean contemporary art and the wider creative industries in the country.
The fair brings together international galleries alongside galleries from across Asia, major Korean artists, and perspectives from Seoul-based curators, dealers, and cultural figures. Held at COEX in Gangnam alongside Kiaf SEOUL, Frieze Seoul connects Seoul’s established art infrastructure with the international gallery network brought together by Frieze.
The significance of this development extends beyond the fair itself. International galleries have increasingly established permanent spaces in Seoul, while Korean artists and institutions have gained greater visibility internationally. Frieze Seoul has become part of this broader development, positioning Seoul as an increasingly important centre for contemporary art in Asia.
What is Art:LIVE?
A central part of Frieze’s digital storytelling is Art:LIVE, an original video series designed to make contemporary art and culture more accessible through expert perspectives, interviews, and on-location reporting.
Produced in partnership with Frieze’s Global Lead Partner Deutsche Bank, Art:LIVE brings viewers directly into the environments where contemporary art is being presented and discussed. The series combines interviews with artists, curators, gallerists, and cultural figures with visual coverage of exhibitions, installations, performances, and the surrounding city.
For Frieze Seoul, this makes Art:LIVE particularly valuable. The videos do more than document what is happening inside the fair. They introduce an international audience to Seoul’s wider art ecosystem and the people shaping it.
Moktan’s role has been to translate this editorial concept into a complete production, from planning and filming through post-production and final delivery.
Frieze Seoul 2022: The Beginning
The first edition of Frieze Seoul marked Frieze’s entry into Asia. For Art:LIVE, Moktan provided on-location filming, following Frieze’s Matthew McLean through Seoul and the opening day of the fair at COEX.
The video introduced viewers to the city’s creative environment while exploring the fair itself, featuring young galleries from across Asia, major Korean masters, and perspectives from Seoul-based curators and dealers.
The production also included an interview with actor Lee Jung-jae, adding another perspective to the growing relationship between Seoul’s cultural, entertainment, and art communities.
The 2022 edition established the foundation for what would become a recurring collaboration. At this stage, Moktan’s role was focused on filming, working alongside Frieze’s wider production team to capture the material required for the final Art:LIVE piece.
The following year marked a significant expansion of our role.
Frieze Seoul 2023: Expanding to Full Production
The second edition of Frieze Seoul expanded on the momentum of the inaugural fair. More than 120 galleries participated, with the event again running alongside Kiaf SEOUL at COEX. The wider programme expanded to include Frieze Film, Talks, Frieze Music, and the first Frieze Seoul Artist Award.
The 2023 edition of Art:LIVE focused on the energy surrounding the opening of the fair, bringing viewers closer to artists, art experts, galleries, and collectors from Seoul and across Asia.
From this edition onward, Moktan took responsibility for the complete production of the Art:LIVE content, including pre-production, filming, post-production, and final delivery.
This expanded role allowed Moktan to become more directly involved in the entire creative and production process. Pre-production involved planning the filming schedule, coordinating interviews and locations, and preparing the requirements for coverage across the fair. Production involved capturing interviews, artworks, installations, and the atmosphere of the event. Post-production then brought these elements together into the final editorial piece.
Rather than treating the fair as a static exhibition, the production captured it as an active environment. Gallery presentations, artist projects, conversations, and the movement of visitors became part of the story.
Working across a large and constantly changing exhibition environment also required the team to remain flexible. Interviews had to be coordinated alongside ongoing activity on the fair floor, while artwork and installation coverage required careful attention to composition, lighting, and the surrounding environment.
Frieze Seoul 2024: Two Productions and a New Partnership
By 2024, Moktan’s role had developed into a full-service production partnership with Frieze. Having taken responsibility for the complete Art:LIVE production workflow from 2023 onward, the team continued to handle the series from pre-production through post-production.
The 2024 edition also expanded the relationship beyond the main Art:LIVE programme through a new production partnership connected to Stone Island, the official sponsor of the Focus Asia section.
This resulted in two separate videos connected to Frieze Seoul.
Art:LIVE: Seoul as a Gathering Point for Asian Art
The main 2024 edition of Art:LIVE was hosted by Matthew McLean, Creative Director of Frieze Studios.
The film focused on Seoul as a gathering point for the art community across Asia, taking viewers inside the fair while exploring the wider creative landscape surrounding Frieze Seoul.
The production included an advance look at the first presentation of the Pinault Collection in Korea, discoveries from artists and galleries working across Asia, and coverage of the launch of Frieze LIVE, a new curated programme of performances by Korean contemporary artists.
The film moved between interviews, artworks, gallery presentations, and performances, capturing both the international character of the fair and Seoul’s role within the wider Asian art community.
ArtDrunk’s Gary Yeh’s Tour of Focus Asia
The second 2024 production was “ArtDrunk’s Gary Yeh’s Tour of ‘Focus Asia’, Supported by Stone Island | Frieze Seoul 2024.”
The film follows ArtDrunk’s Gary Yeh as he takes a personal tour of the Focus Asia section, supported by Stone Island.
The programme features artists Hyori Cho, Supawich Weesapen, and Lu Yang, whose presentation by Tokyo’s Parcel Gallery won the 2024 Focus Asia Stand Prize for its exploration of identity and fantasy through sophisticated digital avatars.
Yeh also speaks with Seoul-based gallerists Suyoung Lee of G Gallery, Dooyoung Ro of CYLINDER, and Kaiah Lee of Barakat Contemporary. Barakat’s presentation included Soyung Jun’s video work Syncope, which uses trains and rainforests to explore borders, change, and time.
The film’s themes of nature, travel, discovery, and technology also connect with Stone Island’s focus on exploration and its ongoing use of advanced fabrics and materials.
Expanding the Production Partnership
Producing two films in 2024 represented an expansion of Moktan’s work with Frieze. The main Art:LIVE production continued the annual editorial coverage of Frieze Seoul, while the Stone Island project introduced a new dimension to the partnership.
The Stone Island production was handled entirely by Moktan, from pre-production through filming, post-production, and final export.
This demonstrated Moktan’s ability to manage a complete production workflow for an international art and fashion brand while maintaining the visual and editorial requirements of the project.
Frieze Seoul 2025: Capturing a Growing Art Ecosystem
The fourth edition of Frieze Seoul continued to expand the fair’s international presence. More than 120 galleries participated, with exhibitors from countries including China, Indonesia, Japan, Taiwan, and Thailand, alongside internationally recognised artists spanning generations and regions.
The 2025 edition of Art:LIVE focused on the opening days of the fair, bringing viewers into close encounters with artists, gallerists, and collectors.
The production covered gallery presentations and artist projects while also looking beyond the main fair. One major addition was Frieze House Seoul, a permanent Frieze space in a historic building in Yaksu-dong, with architectural interventions by SANAA and the opening exhibition UnHouse, curated by Jae Seok Kim.
The production therefore became a broader portrait of Seoul’s art ecosystem rather than simply a record of activity at COEX.
Moktan’s coverage included interviews with artists, gallerists, collectors, and other cultural figures, alongside detailed footage of artworks, installations, performances, and the atmosphere of the fair itself.
The 2025 edition also featured internationally recognised artist Takashi Murakami, adding another high-profile dimension to the coverage.
What Moktan Does on the Ground
Producing Art:LIVE requires a combination of editorial awareness, technical precision, and the ability to work within an active art environment.
The coverage typically begins with the presenter, who introduces the fair and provides a personal perspective on the experience. From there, the production moves between interviews, artwork coverage, gallery presentations, installations, performances, and the overall atmosphere of the event.
Since taking on the full production workflow in 2023, Moktan’s responsibilities have extended across the entire process. This includes pre-production planning, interview and filming coordination, camera and audio production, lighting where necessary, post-production, editing, and final delivery.
Interview subjects can range from internationally recognised artists to emerging artists, gallerists, curators, collectors, and other guests. Each requires a slightly different approach, particularly when filming within an active exhibition environment.
At the same time, individual artworks and installations need to be captured with sufficient detail to communicate their materiality and scale. This requires moving between wide environmental compositions and close-up coverage while maintaining a consistent visual language across a large number of subjects.
The result is a production process that is highly responsive. The team needs to know when to step forward for an interview, when to remain unobtrusive around visitors and artwork, and how to adapt quickly as the schedule changes.
A Shared International Perspective
The strength of the partnership comes from the fact that Moktan and Frieze both approach the production from an international perspective.
Although Moktan is based in Seoul, our work regularly involves international brands, agencies, broadcasters, production companies, and creative teams. This experience means our team is accustomed to working across different production cultures, creative expectations, and editorial approaches.
Our role therefore extends beyond simply providing local production services. We engage directly with the creative objectives of an international project while bringing the production knowledge required to execute those ideas effectively in Korea.
For Art:LIVE, this is particularly important. The content is created in Seoul, but its audience extends far beyond Korea. The production needs to communicate the character of the fair and Seoul’s art scene in a way that feels relevant to an international audience while remaining grounded in the local context.
Over the years, the partnership has developed into a collaborative production process in which both sides bring their own expertise to the work. Frieze brings its global editorial and cultural perspective, while Moktan contributes production, visual, and cultural knowledge developed through years of working with international creative teams in Korea.
A Partnership Built Over Four Editions
There is a significant difference between supporting a one-off international production and developing a long-term production partnership.
Moktan’s relationship with Frieze began with filming the inaugural Seoul edition in 2022 and expanded into full-service production from 2023 onward.
Over the following editions, the team has developed a detailed understanding of the production requirements of Art:LIVE, while continuing to adapt to the different artists, galleries, programmes, partners, and locations featured each year.
This continuity allows Moktan to contribute across the entire production process, from planning and filming through editing and final delivery, while maintaining consistency across the series.
At the same time, each edition remains different. New artists, exhibitions, programmes, and editorial priorities require the team to respond creatively and technically to the specific demands of each year’s fair.
This combination of established experience and flexibility has become one of the key strengths of the ongoing partnership.
Looking Ahead: Frieze Seoul 2026
The collaboration continues in 2026 as Frieze Seoul returns to COEX from September 2 to 5 for its fifth edition.
This year’s fair will bring together more than 125 galleries from 30 countries, further establishing Seoul’s role within the international art ecosystem.
The 2026 programme will include Frieze LIVE, the Frieze Seoul Artist Award, Frieze Film, Frieze Music, and a talks programme featuring artists, curators, and cultural voices from Korea and beyond. A citywide programme will also extend Frieze Week beyond COEX into galleries, institutions, and neighbourhoods across Seoul.
Moktan will once again provide full production for the Seoul edition, continuing the partnership that began with filming the inaugural fair in 2022 and developed into a full pre-production, production, and post-production role from 2023 onward.
For the 2026 coverage, audiences can expect the same combination of presenter-led exploration, artist and curator interviews, artwork and installation coverage, and a broader look at the energy surrounding Frieze Seoul.
The upcoming edition represents another step in an ongoing collaboration that has now spanned five editions of Frieze Seoul.
Supporting the International Art World in Korea
Moktan Productions’ ongoing work with Frieze represents the kind of international production partnership that brings together global creative direction and Korea-based production expertise.
From filming major international artists and collectors to capturing emerging galleries, performances, installations, and the atmosphere of a major art fair, the production requires an understanding of both the content and the environment in which it is being created.
Our work with Frieze has grown from filming a single inaugural event into a continuing full-service production partnership. Across Art:LIVE and related projects, Moktan has contributed to the planning, filming, editing, and delivery of content introducing Seoul’s art scene to an international audience.
As Frieze Seoul enters its fifth edition, Moktan looks forward to continuing this partnership and documenting the artists, ideas, people, and experiences shaping Seoul’s place within the global art world.
