Your 2026 Korean Art Fair Calendar Is Here
Korea's art fair circuit doesn't follow a single rhythm. It moves between cities, scales, and audiences, from Busan's collector-first markets in April to Seoul's densely programmed September, from the focused galleries of COEX to Daegu's quieter, painting-centered rooms in autumn. If you're planning around art this year, this is the full picture.
Installation view at Frieze Seoul 2025. image courtesy of Frieze Seoul.
2026 Art Fair Calendar: Quick Reference
| Fair | Dates | Venue | City |
|---|---|---|---|
| BAMA (Busan Annual Market of Art) | Apr 2–5 | BEXCO | Busan |
| ART OnO | Apr 3–5 (VIP: Apr 2) | SETEC | Seoul |
| Galleries Art Fair | Apr 8–12 | COEX | Seoul |
| Art Busan | May 22–24 (VIP: May 21) | BEXCO | Busan |
| Frieze Seoul 2026 | Sep 2–5 | COEX | Seoul |
| Kiaf Seoul 2026 | Sep 2–6 | COEX | Seoul |
| DIAF (Daegu International Art Fair) | Oct 30–Nov 1 | EXCO | Daegu |
Spring: Busan and Seoul Set the Tone
BAMA — Busan Annual Market of Art
Apr 2–5, 2026 | BEXCO, Busan
Installation view at BAMA 2025. image courtesy of BAMA.
BAMA is deliberate in its priorities. The fair is built around accessible pricing and realistic first purchases, which makes it a different kind of experience from what you'll find later in the year. There's less spectacle here by design. What you get instead is a clear view of the domestic gallery scene and the kind of transactional seriousness that defines Busan's collector community. A useful fair if you're buying or want to understand what the Korean market looks like outside Seoul.
ART OnO
Apr 3–5, 2026 (VIP Preview: Apr 2) | SETEC, Seoul
Installation view at Art OnO. image courtesy of Art OnO
Running concurrently with BAMA, ART OnO is Seoul's quieter counterpoint — small-scale, unhurried, and focused on emerging artists and experimental practices. The SETEC venue, south of the Han River in Daechi-dong, keeps it slightly removed from the gallery-dense corridors of Samseong-dong, which suits the fair's temperament.
Galleries Art Fair
Apr 8–12, 2026 | COEX, Seoul
Installation view at Art OnO. image courtesy of Art OnO
Korea's oldest art fair and the one that established the gallery-centered model that most domestic fairs still follow. The range here is genuinely wide — emerging work sits alongside established names, and the price points reflect that spread. It's the best opportunity before September to see the breadth of Seoul's commercial gallery scene in a single building. COEX's Samseong-dong location puts it in the heart of Gangnam, which means the surrounding streets are worth exploring before or after your visit.
May: Art Busan Returns
Art Busan 2026
May 22–24, 2026 (VIP Preview: May 21) | BEXCO, Busan
Installation view at Art Busan 2024. image courtesy of Art Busan.
Art Busan has grown steadily into Busan's most internationally significant fair, and it now functions as the primary site for cross-border transactions outside of Seoul. International gallery participation has increased each year, and the fair's position in late May — away from the September rush — gives it room to operate at its own pace. If you're planning a trip to Busan anyway, the timing works well with the city's warmer, clearer weather before summer sets in.
September: Seoul Art Week
September is when the art fair calendar reaches its highest concentration. Frieze Seoul 2026 and Kiaf Seoul 2026 run simultaneously at COEX in Samseong-dong — different fairs, different floor configurations, same building complex. A joint visit in a single day is possible and, for most people, the most practical approach.
Frieze Seoul 2026
Sep 2–5, 2026 | COEX, Seoul
Installation view at Frieze Seoul 2025. image courtesy of Frieze Seoul.
Frieze operates as the most prominent international platform in Korea, connecting Seoul's art market directly to top-tier global galleries, collectors, and institutions. What distinguishes it from Kiaf isn't size but curation — the international galleries brought in tend to anchor it to a different set of conversations. For first-time visitors to Seoul's September fairs, Frieze is often the easier entry point, with clearer spatial logic and a narrower selection.
Learn more about Frieze Seoul
Kiaf Seoul 2026 — Korea International Art Fair
Sep 2–6, 2026 | COEX, Seoul
Installation view at Kiaf Seoul 2025. image courtesy of Kiaf Seoul.
Kiaf runs a day longer than Frieze and reflects the full weight of Korea's domestic gallery infrastructure. It carries the highest transaction density of any fair on this circuit, with the strongest concentration of Korean artists and the galleries that have represented them longest. If Frieze is the international window into Seoul's art market, Kiaf is the market itself. The two fairs complement each other well enough that attending both in a single visit is the standard approach for most collectors and curators during Seoul Art Week.
The broader September program extends well beyond COEX. Galleries across Hannam-dong, Seongsu-gu, and Samseong-dong mount satellite exhibitions and openings aligned with the week's traffic, which means the fair experience expands considerably once you leave the building.
Autumn: Daegu
DIAF — Daegu International Art Fair
Oct 30–Nov 1, 2026 | EXCO, Daegu
Installation view at Diaf 2025. image courtesy of Diaf.
DIAF is the circuit's closing point, and it reflects Daegu's particular relationship with art collecting, long-established, conservative in the best sense, and centered on painting and sculpture. The fair is quieter than anything in Seoul or Busan, and that's the point. If the September fairs feel compressed and crowded, DIAF offers a different kind of attention. Daegu's collector community is serious and present, and the fair benefits from that grounded, unhurried atmosphere.
For ticketing, hours, and gallery lists, check individual fair websites directly. This calendar reflects confirmed 2026 dates as of April 2026. All images courtesy of the respective fair organizations as credited.
