"Gallery in Front of Store" Shinsegae Gangnam Branch Strengthens 'Art Retail'

Luxury Stores and Dining Areas... Conversation Artworks in Popular Customer Spots
Special Spaces in Everyday Shopping Areas with Artist Park Yoon-kyung

Shinsegae Department Store is filling various spots in its Gangnam branch with works of art. It is showcasing installation paintings by artist Park Yoon-kyung, who is renowned for exhibiting paintings in three-dimensional spaces, throughout the store.

Park Yoon-kyung's artwork is installed at Shinsegae Department Store Gangnam Branch.
[Photo by Shinsegae Department Store].

On the 10th, Shinsegae Department Store announced that it has installed a total of four artworks at the Gangnam branch’s new building: the luxury goods store on the 2nd floor, the luxury jewelry and watch store on the 3rd floor, the men’s luxury store on the 6th floor, and the food court on the 11th floor. Among the various spaces inside the department store, the installations were placed in often overlooked idle spaces such as escalator halls and corners next to stores along customers’ usual paths.

The exhibition is titled "When Space(space) Becomes Place(place)," meaning that everyday spaces become special places offering new experiences to customers through the artworks. Even the area in front of stores, which customers usually pass by without much thought, can become a place for appreciating art or taking photos with family, providing unique and meaningful experiences.

Park Yoon-kyung’s works are characterized by multiple layers of paint applied on transparent materials such as chiffon or silk instead of canvas, creating overlapping colors. Through these abstract images of layered colors, the artist encourages viewers to engage more actively with the artworks.

While exhibitions inside department stores typically last one to two months, this exhibition will be on display for six months until February next year. This reflects the artist’s vision of fostering relationships among the artwork, the space, and the audience. It is hoped that customers will repeatedly encounter the artworks and create special experiences with the department store.

Shinsegae Department Store continues various initiatives with the goal of inspiring artistic creativity in customers’ daily lives beyond retail. In June, it showcased a large-scale installation artwork by artist Kim Woo-jin, known for sculptures made from recycled materials, at the rooftop garden S Garden of the Gangnam branch. Last month, it opened the Shinsegae Gallery in the basement of Boon the Shop Cheongdam, featuring an exhibition by Rirkrit Tiravanija, a contemporary artist known as a master of relational aesthetics.

Last month, Shinsegae became the first in the industry to partner with one of the world’s top three art fairs, "Frieze Seoul 2023," and introduced the Shinsegae Lounge at the event. The lounge featured works by leading Korean contemporary artists such as Jeon Gwang-young, Jung Chang-seop, and Lee Jung-jin.

A Shinsegae Department Store official said, "We are attempting various exhibitions so that the entire store can become a gallery," adding, "We will continue to pursue 'art retail,' naturally integrating cultural and artistic content into customers’ daily lives."

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