Lotte Department Store said on the 18th that it will transform the Myeong-dong main store into an "art flagship store." It designated the store as the first site of the new Art Visual Merchandising Project and aims to create a place where customers can consume art experiences alongside shopping, the core of a department store.
The Art Visual Merchandising Project, which begins this time, is designed so that people naturally encounter artworks along the shopping route, rather than in a separate exhibition space. This year's theme is "MOVE: IN TRANSIT (a journey of the senses)," proposing a sensory experience that combines shopping and art.
The first collaborating artists are Jeong Geurim and Lee Geon-woo. Nineteen sculptural works by the two artists will be placed along key routes from the basement level 1 to the sixth floor. Eleven works by Jeong Geurim, including Mono Series, Serenity, and Baekjeop Yo-yeong, will be on display through Apr. 20, and the Baram (Wind) series by Lee Geon-woo can be seen through Mar. 31.
Lotte Department Store is also reviewing phased application of the Art Visual Merchandising Project to the Jamsil store going forward. Park Ji-young, head of design at Lotte Department Store, said, "From now on, the main store will make a new leap as an art flagship store that goes beyond a space for displaying goods to expand customers' senses and tastes through art," adding, "We will later introduce a differentiated Art Visual Merchandising Project for premium demand at the Jamsil store as well."