Why the Paint Industry Is Obsessed with Art Collaborations

Support for Our Paint at Famous Exhibition
Popup Store Featuring Popular MZ Generation Characters Also Operated

Interior view of Hangaram Art Museum located in Seoul Arts Center, Seocho-gu, Seoul, where the exhibition 'Raoul Dufy: The Melody of Colors' is being held.

Domestic paint companies are increasingly collaborating with famous exhibitions and brand pop-up stores. This is interpreted as a strategy to expand their touchpoints into the cultural and artistic fields, break away from a conservative image, and target the MZ generation (Millennials + Generation Z) consumer base.

Samwha Paint is sponsoring "Raoul Dufy: The Melody of Colors," held at the Hangaram Art Museum in Seoul’s Seocho-gu district until September 10. This is a special exhibition commemorating the 30th anniversary of the opening of the entire Seoul Arts Center and the first domestic exhibition honoring the 70th anniversary of Raoul Dufy’s death. Raoul Dufy is a French modern artist known as the "Painter of Colors."

To highlight Raoul Dufy’s works, which emphasize vivid colors, Samwha Paint decorated the interior of the exhibition hall using the "NCS Color System." NCS is a Swedish color specialist company that has collaborated with Samwha Paint on color marketing and various projects since 2012. Samwha Paint filled and colored the walls and structures according to Raoul Dufy’s color theory. They also used the high-quality eco-friendly paint "iLux Durox," which prevents scratches, wear, and contamination. It has been verified for antibacterial and antifungal performance and has received eco-friendly certification marks. A Samwha Paint official said, "Until now, foreign famous paints were mainly used at the Seoul Arts Center, so it is meaningful that our products were used this time," adding, "We will continue to support cultural and artistic fields such as museums, exhibitions, and photo exhibitions."

Noru Paint is collaborating on the "Henri Matisse 70th Death Anniversary Special Exhibition," which runs until the end of the year. Henri Matisse, a French Fauvist master, is regarded as one of the greatest painters of the 20th century alongside Picasso. Noru Paint richly applied Pantone Paint’s premium high-chroma color "Turkish Sea" to the exhibition space. This was to create an atmosphere that harmonizes well with Matisse’s signature deep blue color. Noru Paint decorated the space using a variety of colors tailored to each section’s artworks, including their eco-friendly water-based paint "Soon & Soo."

Noru Paint also sponsored Pantone Paint for the exhibition "Edward Hopper: On the Road," which ranked first in ticket sales in the first half of this year, and the "Picasso and 20th Century Masters" exhibition commemorating the 140th anniversary of Korea-Germany diplomatic relations. In March, they signed an agreement with the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art to provide paint and sponsorship funds. Last year, they actively supported the cultural and artistic fields by exclusively supplying paint to "Frieze Seoul," Asia’s largest art fair.

KCC operated a Mashimaro character collaboration pop-up store on the 5th floor children's section of Hyundai Department Store Pangyo branch.

KCC has been conducting collaborative marketing with Mashimaro, a character famous for its quirky rabbit, since the beginning of this year, the Year of the Black Rabbit. Mashimaro is a native character selected as Korea’s top character of the 2000s. A large 1-meter-tall Mashimaro figure is displayed on the first floor of KCC’s Seocho headquarters.

KCC is focusing on the younger generation by producing goods featuring Mashimaro and opening pop-up stores. From the 14th to the 23rd, they operated a pop-up store in collaboration with the Mashimaro character on the 5th floor children’s section of Hyundai Department Store Pangyo branch. Buyers of limited-edition eco-bags featuring Mashimaro received a package including a can of the eco-friendly water-based paint "Forest Self" and goods, promoting their products. A KCC official said, "The Mashimaro pop-up store is also popular as a photo spot, so we plan to operate additional stores this year," adding, "We will increase opportunities to communicate with consumers on-site."

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