BMW at Frieze Seoul 2025 with Lee Kun-Yong and Art Car anniversary

BMW celebrates 30 years in Korea and 50 years of Art Cars at Frieze Seoul 2025 with artist Lee Kun-Yong and music by Crush, highlighting art, culture and technology.

From September 3 to 6, the COEX convention center in Seoul will host Frieze Seoul 2025, a major event on the global art calendar. This year the fair carries special weight for BMW, marking two anniversaries: 30 years of BMW Korea and 50 years of the BMW Art Car Collection.

The highlight of the celebration is the collaboration with Lee Kun-Yong, one of Korea’s most influential avant-garde artists. Born in 1942 and co-founder of the experimental group Space & Time, he is best known for his “Bodyscape” series, where movements of his body are recorded directly on canvas. At Frieze Seoul, he presents a new interpretation of this series by creating a unique wrap for the fully electric BMW i7, turning the car into a mobile canvas where gesture and technology intersect.

On September 4, Lee will stage a live performance, producing a new canvas inspired by his reflections on motion, time and space. For him, movement is not just about speed but about perception and the intimate dialogue between body and machine.

The anniversary of the BMW Art Cars is underscored by the global BMW Art Car World Tour. Since 1975, the series has grown to 20 cars created by leading artists including Alexander Calder, Andy Warhol and Julie Mehretu. Her design for the BMW M Hybrid V8 was unveiled at the Centre Pompidou in 2024 before competing in the 24 Hours of Le Mans. At the BMW Lounge in Seoul, visitors can also explore miniatures of 18 Art Cars, offering historical context to the new collaboration.

The significance of the Korean market adds further meaning to this milestone. South Korea is BMW’s fifth-largest market worldwide, and in 2023 and 2024 the brand ranked first among importers, selling over 77,000 cars in 2023 and nearly 74,000 in 2024, according to KAIDA. The opening of the BMW R&D Center Korea in Incheon in 2024 and the expansion of the charging network to more than 2,000 points reflect the company’s long-term commitment.

Music will also play a role. On September 5, R&B singer Crush will perform as part of Frieze Music. Launched in Los Angeles in 2019, this joint initiative between BMW and Frieze explores the intersection of sound and visual art, creating a platform for experimentation and exchange.

Frieze Seoul 2025 thus unfolds as more than an art fair. It becomes a layered cultural event where history meets innovation, where art and technology converge, and where South Korea confirms its status as a strategic hub for BMW.