Shinsegae Group said on the 26th that it will present the "Shinsegae Lounge" at Frieze Seoul 2026, the global art fair to be held at COEX in Seoul from the 2nd to the 5th of next month.
The Shinsegae Lounge brings together the space and content planning capabilities the group has built over the years. Shinsegae Group is joining Frieze Seoul as its headline partner over the next five years, starting this year.
The lounge reflects the management philosophy of Shinsegae Group Chairman Chung Yong-jin, who aims to "create everyday cultural spaces where customers want to stay." The group sees the core of its retail innovation not in simply selling products but in expanding the "time and experience" customers spend in offline spaces.
The Shinsegae Lounge will host a special exhibition, "The Infinity of the Everyday: Monumental Daily Life," offering an in-depth introduction to the work of French artist Paul Cox. Based in Paris and Burgundy, Cox will present, for the first time in the world, 336 pieces from his "Diary" series, in which he recorded meditations he continued every evening over several years using gouache.
Over the past six decades or so, Shinsegae Group has presented retail spaces where customers can encounter culture and the arts in their daily lives. At "Shinsegae Gallery," which opened in 1963 as the first dedicated art space in Korea's retail industry, the group has introduced works by contemporary artists and masters from home and abroad.
On the rooftop of Shinsegae Department Store's main branch, the group created "Trinity Garden," an outdoor sculpture park where visitors can view sculptures by world-renowned contemporary artists against the backdrop of Namsan. Beyond this, the group connects the public with art and supports creative activity through a range of exhibitions, competitions and artist collaborations, including Starfield's "Byeolmadang Library," the emerging-artist discovery program "Open Art Competition" and Josun Hotels & Resorts' "Art Tour."
Shinsegae Group plans to continue expanding customer experiences that combine retail and art. It also intends to actively help raise the international standing of Korea's art market by building a foundation for major galleries, artists, collectors and cultural institutions at home and abroad to exchange actively in Korea.
An official at Shinsegae Group said, "Shinsegae has continuously pursued becoming a lifestyle platform that adds artistic richness to the retail spaces where customers stay and shop," adding, "We hope that visitors to this year's Frieze Seoul will enjoy an experience at the Shinsegae Lounge of seeing a familiar day in a slightly unfamiliar light and discovering the beauty within it."
