FOCUS Art Fair London 2025 – almost cancelled, but pulled off
The fair almost didn’t happen. Ten days before the VIP opening, Saatchi Gallery cancelled the hire agreement over unpaid fees. Somehow it got resolved, and London’s Saatchi Gallery hosted the 2025 edition from 16–19 October, showcasing over 50 contemporary Asian artists from 15 countries and regions. Attendance was strong, and the work had a clarity and energy that made you forget the chaos backstage.
FOCUS was founded in 2017 by Paris agency HongLee Curator to connect physical and digital art. This edition leaned into that vision, with LG Electronics supplying advanced display technology. Exhibitors included Gore Gallery, East Atelier Gallery Seoul, Jay Chung Gallery, and a cross-disciplinary highlight: Michelin-starred chef Kiran “KiKi” Kim, whose Art on Table performance merged gastronomy with visual art.
The highlight of the fair was Kento Senga’s FiNGAiSM – Essence of Love. Better known as a pop performer with Kis-My-Ft2, Senga turned a gallery room into a small world of figures, paintings, and animation. Visitors passed through a corridor of pale, quiet sculptures before entering a larger space where the same characters reappeared, bigger, holding red hearts. The shift from muted tones to bright colour felt immediate and physical. FiNGA, the central figure, carries traces of memory and empathy, its gestures hinting at the rhythm of Senga’s choreography. A sugar sculpture made with Le Cordon Bleu echoed the shapes of the figures, letting the work spill from visual into edible form.
Senga’s FiNGAiSM summed up the fair’s spirit: playful, precise, and unexpectedly moving. Contemporary Asian art can be tender, exact, and layered, and this edition proved that risk, technical innovation, and emotional clarity can coexist.
Some critics framed FOCUS as being all about hype, but that misses the reality of any contemporary art fair. Attention is pulled in a million directions, and buzz is part of how galleries and artists, even the most respected, reach collectors and audiences. Large fairs will always have works that fade from memory quickly — FOCUS was no exception. The question is whether the strongest works leave an impression, and in this respect, projects like Senga’s FiNGAiSM succeeded.
Over-commercial? It’s a fair. The very nature of the event is to sell art and showcase talent. In fact, FOCUS may need to lean further into strategy and programming; the near-cancellation by Saatchi just ten days before opening showed how precarious the business side can be. Art fairs are risky ventures, and one can only hope all parties streamline agreements, grow their strategies, and return bigger and stronger.
Elena Leo is the Culture & Lifestyle Editor of Ikon London Magazine.
