Heads of retail groups visited the art fair Frieze Seoul one after another. Bringing together high-net-worth individuals and collectors from Korea and abroad, Frieze has become a key social and marketing stage for the retail and luxury industries beyond a venue for buying and selling art. Corporations are moving to secure big-spending clients by officially sponsoring the event while hosting their own exhibitions and VIP events.
According to the industry on the 3rd, Frieze Seoul, which opened the previous day at COEX in Samseong-dong, Seoul, was visited by Chung Yong-jin Shinsegae(004170) Group Chairman, Chung Yoo-kyung Shinsegae Co. Chairman, Shin Dong-bin Lotte Group Chairman, and Seo Kyung-bae Amorepacific(090430) Group Chairman, among others. Third-generation family members also came to the venue, including idol Annie (Moon Seoyoon), daughter of Chairman Chung Yoo-kyung, and Lee Sun-ho, head of CJ Future Planning Group and eldest son of CJ Group Chairman Lee Jay-hyun.
Frieze is a global art fair that began in the United Kingdom in 2003 and chose Seoul in 2022 as its first and only host city in Asia. Korea International Art Fair (KIAF) Seoul, the country's largest art fair hosted by the Galleries Association of Korea, also opened the previous day alongside Frieze Seoul. Frieze Seoul runs through the 5th, and KIAF Seoul runs through the 6th.
The retail industry is focusing on Frieze because of visitors' strong purchasing power. Many art lovers who buy works priced from tens of millions to hundreds of millions of won are top-tier department store VIPs and core customers of luxury goods and high-end cosmetics. With big spenders from Korea and overseas gathered in one place, it is an opportunity for corporations to strengthen ties with existing VIPs and secure potential customers.
Shinsegae Group has been the most proactive this year. Starting this year, Shinsegae became the first domestic retail company to join Frieze Seoul as a headline partner and will collaborate for five years through 2030. A headline partner is a key sponsor that participates widely in event operations and major programs. Shinsegae Group Chairman Chung Yong-jin is said to have taken a close personal interest, directly overseeing the partnership process.
Shinsegae Group set up a Shinsegae-only lounge at the venue and is presenting a special exhibition by French artist Paul Cox, who works in Paris and Burgundy. The exhibition brings together 336 works from the artist's Diary series, in which the artist recorded nightly meditations for years, unveiled for the first time worldwide.
Outside the venue, programs tied to Frieze are also underway. From this day through the 6th, Starfield COEX Mall's Byeolmadang Library is exhibiting photographer Koo Bohnchang's Moon Jar series, among others, and will host a classical performance by violinist Daniel Lozakovich and pianist Park Jae-hong. General visitors without Frieze tickets can attend.
Shinsegae has continued art marketing since launching the Shinsegae Gallery in 1963, including exhibitions and artist collaborations. Recently, it has expanded related activities across affiliates, including Starfield's Byeolmadang Library, an open art competition, and the Chosun Hotels and Resorts Hidden Art Tour.
CJ Group is using Frieze as a platform to promote K-lifestyle. The previous day at the Leeum Museum of Art in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, it invited about 400 figures from the cultural and art scenes in Korea and abroad for CJ Night in Celebration of Frieze Seoul. The event, led by Vice Chair Lee Mie-kyung of CJ Group, was attended by key affiliate CEOs and executives, including Future Planning Group head Lee Sun-ho.
The venue featured dedicated spaces for K-pop, K-food, and K-beauty. The group brought together content and products owned by CJ ENM, CJ CheilJedang, CJ Olive Young, and others to introduce to attendees. This is the third time CJ has held such an event around Frieze Seoul, following 2022 and 2024.
Hyundai Department Store has participated as an official sponsor of KIAF Seoul for five consecutive years since 2022. This year as well, it is operating a VIP-only lounge at the venue. As it has become harder to differentiate from rivals through recruiting luxury brands and selling products alone, department stores are expanding marketing beyond operating in-store galleries and exhibiting and selling works to sponsoring large art fairs.
Global luxury brands are also rolling out their own exhibitions and art projects during Frieze. Many brands are inviting key customers to brand spaces set up in major areas of Seoul before and after the event. Loewe is holding a special exhibition from this day at Casa Loewe in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, showcasing more than 20 works by artist Park Jong-jin. As an official Frieze program, it will also host events for VIPs.
MCM is participating as an official partner of Frieze Week Seoul and opened an exhibition by artist Kim Chang-ok at MCM HAUS, its flagship store in Cheongdam-dong. Kim Chang-ok, known as a communication lecturer, is holding a first solo exhibition as a visual artist. Saint Laurent is also presenting art projects every year around the Frieze season.
The fashion industry is also active with Frieze marketing. FILA Holdings Corp. joined as an official partner of Frieze Seoul this year and unveiled the FILA Colore exhibition, which reinterprets the brand's color heritage through art. Three artists from Korea and abroad translated "silver," inspired by the signature sneaker Eshappe Silver Moon, into their works.
The fifth Frieze Seoul features 133 galleries from 30 countries and regions. The 25th KIAF has 175 galleries from 18 countries setting up booths.