Gwangju Shinsegae Contributes to the Advancement of Culture and the Arts for 30 Years

Operation of Gallery, Hosting of Art Festival, and Sponsorship of Gwangju Biennale

Gwangju Shinsegae Co., Ltd. (CEO Lee Donghoon) has contributed to the advancement of culture and the arts with the goal of mutual growth with the local community over the past 30 years. On July 24, Gwangju Shinsegae announced that it has operated the Shinsegae Gallery within its store, hosted art festivals, and sponsored the Gwangju Biennale.

Exterior view of Gwangju Shinsegae. Provided by Gwangju Shinsegae

The activities of Gwangju Shinsegae, as a local corporation, are credited with not only enhancing the company’s image but also raising the overall cultural standards of the region.

Mecenat activities have been an area of consistent focus for Gwangju Shinsegae, with a history that began in 1995 when the store first opened and has continued for 30 years to the present day.

Mecenat refers to activities in which companies support culture and the arts, thereby contributing to society and enhancing national competitiveness. Recently, such activities are also classified as a form of corporate social responsibility, with companies carrying out or supporting public interest projects for culture and the arts.

These activities play a key role in creating a virtuous cycle in which companies and culture and the arts grow and develop together. In this context, Gwangju Shinsegae operates the Gwangju Shinsegae Gallery, hosts the Shinsegae Art Festival, and supports cultural and artistic organizations.

A representative example of Mecenat activities is the operation of the Gwangju Shinsegae Gallery. Located on the first floor of the main building, the gallery offers a variety of exhibitions to provide not only customers but also the general public with cultural experiences. With the hope that more people will be able to experience art, the gallery plans and operates new exhibitions every month.

This year, in particular, to mark the 30th anniversary of its opening, Gwangju Shinsegae is holding a special exhibition themed on street art, titled 'Street of Summer,' until September 1. During this period, every Friday, a DJing performance is held inside the gallery for about one hour, offering visitors a new experience.

The Gwangju Shinsegae Art Festival serves as a gateway for emerging local artists, contributing to the nurturing of artistic talent and the development of culture. The Gwangju Shinsegae Art Festival has been held as an open competition since 1996 to discover talented regional artists and promote the local art scene. Any artist who is active in or originally from the Gwangju and Jeonnam regions is eligible to participate.

Since last year, the Gwangju Shinsegae Art Festival has focused on providing practical support to artists, increasing the grand prize award by 5 million KRW to a total of 20 million KRW, including exhibition support funds. Emerging artists receive a total prize of 10 million KRW. After the awards, solo exhibitions are held in the gallery so that customers can directly view the artists’ works.

Through these efforts, more than 90 artists, including Lee Lee-nam, are now actively working both in Korea and abroad. In this way, the Gwangju Shinsegae Art Festival strives to foster a progressive and future-oriented local art culture by discovering talented artists and supporting their creative activities.

Gwangju Shinsegae has accompanied the Gwangju Biennale, the region’s representative international event, since its inception in 1995, providing sponsorship for every edition. To date, the total amount Gwangju Shinsegae has contributed to the Gwangju Biennale has reached 2 billion KRW.

Since 2011, Gwangju Shinsegae has also provided 100 million KRW in sponsorship for the Gwangju Design Biennale. The 'Gwangju Student Art Competition,' held for the first time last year, aligns with these efforts to support local culture and the arts.

The art competition, organized by the Gwangju Museum of Art Association and sponsored by Gwangju Shinsegae, has been well received for strengthening the artistic capabilities of elementary, middle, and high school students in Gwangju and establishing a hub for nurturing talent.

Lee Donghoon, CEO of Gwangju Shinsegae, stated, "Over the past 30 years, Gwangju Shinsegae has grown together with the local culture and arts community. We will continue to do our best to serve as a catalyst for the development of local culture and the arts and to be a model of mutual growth in the region."

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