Culture Content Platform Yes24 Opens Book-Themed Exhibition in Seongsu-dong

Yes24 celebrated its 24th anniversary by hosting a media art exhibition titled "Cradle of the Thought Supremacists" at Seongsu-dong S Factory. As part of a campaign to transition from a bookstore to a cultural content platform, the exhibition featured works by seven artists centered around books and the act of reading.

Choi Sera, co-CEO of Yes24, said, "We have selected 24 'Books of the Year' annually and held events at libraries and other venues, but this is the first time we have combined it with an exhibition space." She added, "Books are not only experienced through paper, so we plan to continuously showcase diverse experiences."

The exhibition was designed to attract the younger generation, who are more interested in videos, back to books. Choi said, "To celebrate our 24th anniversary, we introduced a new logo with a youthful vibe to appeal to the younger generation, and we aim to reach them with various book-themed content." She also mentioned, "We plan to run an advertising campaign emphasizing the importance of books even in the era of AI and video."

The Tower of Ideological Absolutists
Photo by Seo Mideum

As Choi revealed, the exhibition was styled with a youthful sensibility. Straw was spread on the floor to create a retro atmosphere, and in the center, a "Tower of Thought Supremacists" was built by stacking used books returned by readers. The tower symbolizes the hope that the more one repeats the act of reading, the higher the book tower grows, reaching out to the universe.

Surrounding the book tower were works by seven artists themed around books. Artist VAKKI presented geometric works inspired by Italo Calvino’s novel "If on a Winter’s Night a Traveler." VAKKI explained, "The storytelling expresses a cyclical structure where a character who appears as a reader in the novel becomes the protagonist, and the story unfolds again."

Pakki 'One Winter Night, A Traveler'
Photo by Seo Mideum

Artist Kim Sun-ik captured images of buildings’ exterior walls, fences, and gardens where boundaries are blurred or intertwined. After reading Park Wan-seo’s novel "Namo," which made him more aware of bare trees (trees without leaves) and old trees, Kim said, "Unlike nature, which is indifferent to life and death, only humans fear death. Just as green trees and old trees suddenly appeared in everyday life, I expressed the sudden contemplation of life and death that unfolds before us."

Seon-ik Kim 'Temporary Garden'
Photo by Seomideum

The art group Sohyoso, a collaboration between musician Dunn (Hyojong) and artist Soki, visualized imaginative inspiration through books using acrylics. Soki said, "We focused on encouraging each audience member’s imagination," adding, "Through books and artworks, we want the audience to break down the boundaries of reality and discover their own new worlds."

Additionally, singer and visual artist Yunael presented a collage work shaped like an open book made from LP covers, and pop art artist Kim Tae-jung showcased a piece where book and famous album images were overlaid on the surface of a large wooden speaker. Visual artist Jeon Mirae revealed a work composed of 336,000 scripts stacked together. This piece, symbolizing enduring time and cycles, was designed to change form as visitors took script papers away.

Jeon Mirae 'Some Resurrection'
Photo by Seo Mideum

The exhibition runs until the 16th at Seongsu S Factory Building D.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.