Watching Frieze Seoul 2025 unfold remotely offered a unique perspective: a chance to see trends emerge without the noise of the crowd.Tracking exhibitors and standout sales, certain themes rose clearly to the forefront. American artist Mark Bradford’s triptych broke the $4.5 million mark on opening day, underscoring the art market’s appetite for material-driven narrative. Kukje Gallery—well known for its anchoring of Korean Modernism—sold works by Park Seo-Bo and Ha Chong-Hyun in the mid-six-figure range.Here are four distinctive trends that defined this year’s fair and the Saatchi Art artists who can bring these perspectives into your collection.Korean Modernism | DansaekhwaDansaekhwa, or “monochrome painting,” emerged in Korea in the 1950s as artists grappled with the influence of Western abstraction while seeking a distinctly Korean identity. These artists developed meditative practices that emphasized process, repetition, and the physical act of making. Korean artist Byungjin Kim uses ink to resemble this tradition—rubbing, pushing, and dragging materials across the canvas until surface and gesture become inseparable.Spiritual and Philosophical InfluenceA compelling undercurrent at Frieze was art as a contemplative space, drawing from mystical traditions and existential inquiry. One standout moment was the Seoul Mediacity Biennale, Séance: Technology of the Spirit at the Seoul Museum of Art. This show highlighted the 19th-century spiritualist movement, including Hilma af Klint’s mystical geometries.Works that evoke ritual, transcendence, or the cosmic create immersive, meditative entry points within a collection. Saatchi Art artists Jaehee Yoo, Jay Chung, or Karolina Zglobicka offer compelling options for collectors seeking this kind of contemplative presence.Material ExperimentationIf Mark Bradford’s huge sale wasn’t signal enough, it is clear that materials are part of the message, and collectors are responding to the stories embedded in these surfaces. Contemporary artists are choosing their materials to carry meaning, memory, and history.Material experimentation opens a dialogue to engage and form a deeper connection to the process behind the art. If materials matter, consider Saatchi Art artists Margreet Zwetsloot, Almudena Torró, and Jennifer Langhammer.Psychedelic and Digitally InspiredLastly, on the edgier end of things, artists embraced a hallucinatory mix of pop culture references and digital aesthetics. Perrotin’s booth features Takashi Murakami’s brightly surreal canvases. Class of 2023 Rising Star Dylan Morris’ collages combine a barrage of consumer ephemera to create glitch-like compositions, speaking to the overstimulation of digital media. Kyeonghoon Oh’s whimsical paintings read like animations, mixing Eastern and Western mythologies.Discover a full selection of standout artworks inspired by Frieze Seoul here. If you’re interested in any of the artists highlighted here or exploring custom commissions, feel free to contact us at curator@saatchiart.com.The post Curator’s Notes on Frieze Seoul 2025 appeared first on Canvas: A Blog By Saatchi Art.