Seoul-based artist Choi Geon has won the 2024 Frieze Seoul Artist Award, which goes to an emerging or mid-career artist. The prize comes with a commission that will debut at the fair, slated to run in the Korean capital from September 4 to September 7.
Born in 1985, Choi is known for making sculptures using discarded everyday objects. She has had exhibitions at Seoul institutions such as Art Sonje (in 2023), Amado Art Space (2022), and the Buk-Seoul Museum of Art (2022). At Frieze Seoul, Choi will present a large-scale installation that will meld together found items, including exhaust pipes and air-conditioning units; the piece will “consider the fair venue as a vast technological medium,” according to a release.
Choi was selected by a four-member jury that included artist Jeon Jonnho and curators Serena Choo (of the Leeum Museum of Art in Seoul), Kim Sung woo (Primary Practice, Seoul), and Yung Ma (Hayward Gallery, London).
Frieze launched its artist award program in 2014 with its London fair; past winners of that award include Rachel Rose, Alberta Whittle, Sung Tieu, and Abbas Zahedi. It also staged one for its New York fair in 2018, 2019, and 2021. The winners during those years were Kapwani Kiwanga, Lauren Halsey, and Precious Okoyomon, respectively.
This is the second time Frieze has awarded a prize through its Seoul fair. The first Seoul winner was Woo Hannah.
In a statement, Frieze Seoul director Patrick Lee said, “With the Frieze Artist Awards in both Seoul and London spotlighting advanced technologies this year, it will be fascinating to see how two artists interpret this concept differently. Our heartfelt congratulations to Choi Goen, a highly respected figure in Korea’s art scene. We are privileged to showcase artists of Goen’s caliber at Frieze Seoul, and eagerly anticipate our audience discovering more about her remarkable work.”
