“LG OLED’s Digital Canvas, BMW’s Art Car Collection, and NOROO’s media art”
Frieze Seoul 2024 showcased its growth beyond being just a platform for world-renowned artworks, shining a spotlight on innovative collaborations between global brands and artists. This year’s fair emphasized “corporate-art collaborations,” where companies teamed up with artists to express their brand messages through art, often involving unique product designs. Many of the featured works reflected the essence of the partnering brands.
As one of the world’s top two art fairs, alongside Art Basel, Frieze Seoul exhibited notable pieces from acclaimed artists. Highlights included Amoako Boafo’s “Deep Red Begonia Dress,” Nam June Paik’s “Sfera/Punto Elettronico (Ball/Point Electro),” and Yayoi Kusama’s “Pumpkin.”
What made this year’s event particularly distinctive was the emphasis on collaborations between artists and companies. Visitors encountered various art pieces co-created with corporate partners as they moved through booths filled with renowned works.
One of the most striking displays was “Suh Se-ok X LG OLED” by LG Electronics. The company reimagined the late Suh Se-ok’s abstract ink works using its “transparent OLED TV.”
In a space designed by Suh’s sons, artist Suh Do-ho and architect Suh Eul-ho, their father’s art was layered by placing an OLED evo panel behind the transparent OLED TV. This created a depth effect, with pioneering Korean ink painter Suh Se-ok’s iconic works, such as “Person” and “Wayfarer,” appearing to overlap on the two screens. This unveiling marked the debut of the transparent OLED TV in Korea.
Son Emma, senior director of Lehmann Maupin’s Seoul gallery, commented, “Collaborating with artists allows companies to elevate and diversify how they engage with customers, while offering artists new platforms to reach wider audiences. These partnerships enhance brand value and help make art more accessible to the public.”
BMW captured attention with the Asian debut of its “20th Art Car,” created by acclaimed abstract painter Julie Mehretu. Using the BMW M Hybrid V8 race car as her canvas, Mehretu layered vibrant colors in intricate designs. Since 1975, BMW has collaborated with prominent artists to turn its cars into pieces of art, with contributions from legends like Andy Warhol and Jeff Koons to its renowned Art Car Collection.
NOROO Paint & Coatings highlighted its color technology through a media wall featuring “Hong Chul Wonderland,” a video collaboration between Korean entertainer Ro Hong-chul and Spanish visual artist Okuda San Miguel. The vibrant video celebrated individuality through a spectrum of colors, carrying the message, “Wherever you are, NOROO will always be with life.”
British fragrance and lifestyle brand Jo Malone London presented a sensory installation in collaboration with artist Lee Kwang-ho. Their booth offered an immersive experience combining scent, touch, and memory, inspired by Jo Malone’s signature scent-layering technique. The installation visualized a blend of two popular scents—Blackberry & Bay and English Oak & Hazelnut—drawing from Lee’s childhood memories of his grandparents’ rural farm.
Illycaffè also made a notable appearance, showcasing its collaboration with renowned Korean artist Lee Ufan for “The Illy Art Collection Lee Ufan.” They also treated attendees to coffee served in cups from their long-running Art Collection, which has seen over 130 artists transform everyday coffee cups into unique canvases over the past 30 years.
