Jessica Hong’s Five Favourite Works from Frieze Seoul Viewing Room
The chief curator at the Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art picks Yeesookyung’s take on Joseon-dynasty and a Lotus Kang sculpture
The chief curator at the Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art picks Yeesookyung’s take on Joseon-dynasty and a Lotus Kang sculpture
Lotus Kang, Molt (Woodridge-Basel-Seoul), 2024–25
Tanned and unfixed film (continually sensitive), spherical magnets, steel, cast aluminum kelp knot, 290 x 127 x 9 cm. Presented by Commonwealth and Council
These ‘tanned’ sheets of draped photo paper suspend like limp bodies in space, ready to melt and transform. Often referencing her Korean heritage and bridging the contexts she inhabits, Lotus Kang poetically foregrounds ideas of porousness, impermanence, permeability, and change, reminding us that we have the ability and the inherent drive to evolve – even when we refuse to acknowledge it.
Wonder Buhle Mbambo, Inkosana, 2023
Mixed media, 103.6 x 103.5 x 10.5 cm. Presented by Gallery 1957
The artist has carefully composed spoon bowls to cover one half of the composition, creating a tapestry of community – capturing the actions and experiences of those who once enjoyed and consumed whatever these vessels contained. What emerges is a striking portrait of a young regal figure, upheld and supported by this abstract yet ever-present community.
Sunghong Min, Exercise for Painting Mirror, 2025
Fragments of collected objects, ballpoint pen, copper powder on canvas, 126 x 126 cm. Presented by Gallery Chosun
While formally subtle, this work demands intimate engagement. Through restrained visual language, Sunghong Min lays bare the residues of what we overlook, pointing to the effects of redevelopment, the displacement of communities – and the attempts to erase their traces. Using a mirror as a substrate, we can partially see ourselves reflected, perhaps implicating us and our complicity.
Yeesookyung, Translated Vase_2022 TVSHW 1, 2022
Ceramic shards, epoxy, 24k gold leaf, 106 cm x 51 cm x 50 cm. Presented by Esther Schipper
Considering Kansas City’s rich ceramics legacy, I deeply respect artists who expand the boundaries of the medium. Drawing on the work of master craftspeople, Yeesookyung masterfully composes and transforms broken shards into something monumental, regardless of scale. Inspired by a project in which she commissioned an Italian potter to create works in the style of Joseon Dynasty ceramics, this body of work celebrates the transformative potential of cross-cultural exchange.
Jam Wu, Bonfire–Weaving–169, 2025
Paper, acrylic, embroidery, 88 x 61 cm. Presented by Tina Keng Gallery
Jam Wu critically foregrounds the power of matriarchal traditions, particularly those rooted in Minnan culture. In this composition, he reimagines related mythological figures holding vessels, which carry history, traditions and forms of knowledge. Wu emphasizes paper (an ancient and enduring tradition) that continues to bear information, memories and knowledge for ensuing generations.
About Jessica Hong
In her current role as chief curator at the Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art in Kansas City, MO, Hong is responsible for shaping a dynamic, globally engaged programme in the region. She was the 2025 curator for EXPO Chicago’s IN/SITU and a member of the US pavilion curatorial advisory committee for the 2023 Venice Architecture Biennale. She received her MA from the Institute of Fine Arts, New York University, and BA from Barnard College, Columbia University.
About Frieze Seoul Viewing Room
Open to all from 27 August to 12 September 2025, Frieze Viewing Room is the online catalogue for the fair, giving global audiences access to gallery presentations coming to Frieze Seoul 2025. Visitors can search by artist, price, date and medium, save favourite artworks and presentations, chat with galleries and much more.
Further Information
Frieze Seoul, COEX, 3 – 6 September 2025.
For all the latest news from Frieze, sign up to the newsletter at frieze.com, and follow @friezeofficial on Instagram and Frieze Official on Facebook.
Frieze Seoul is supported by Headline Partner LG OLED, in a collaboration that merges the worlds of art and technology, and Global Lead Partner Deutsche Bank, continuing over two decades of shared commitment to artistic excellence.
Main image: Wonder Buhle Mbambo, Inkosana, 2023. Mixed media, 103.6 x 103.5 x 10.5 cm. Courtesy: the artist and Gallery 1957
