Bodyfriend Offers Massage Chair Experience at 'Busan International Gallery Art Fair'

[Asia Economy Reporter Donghyun Choi] Bodyfriend announced on the 8th that it will welcome visitors at the special lounge of the ‘2022 Busan International Gallery Art Fair (BAMA)’ hosted by the Busan Gallery Association.

Now in its 11th year, the Busan International Gallery Art Fair is one of the top three art fairs in Korea certified by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Arts Management Support Center. Until the 10th, visitors can see over 5,000 works from 164 domestic and international galleries at BEXCO Exhibition Hall 1, Halls 2 and 3 in Busan.

Bodyfriend is conducting an art exhibition and massage chair experience under the theme ‘Imaginary Journey’ in the special lounge accessible to visitors holding VIP tickets or higher. The exhibition features 33 works by nine artists including Min Byunghoon, Kim Nampyo, Ham Doha, Kim Susu, Kang Junyoung, Ha Jihoon, Lee Dongwook, So Hyunwoo, and Jang Seil. Massage chairs are installed in front of the artworks to provide a comfortable viewing experience combined with massage.

Notably, Min Byunghoon, an art film director known for works such as ‘Miracle’ and ‘Touch,’ has transformed into a media artist and is screening his first work ‘Eternal and a Day.’ ‘Eternal and a Day’ is a video piece in which Director Min reinterprets images of nature while strolling through the sea and forests of Jeju over several years. The natural textures, colors, and subtle, clear movements offer a high level of immersion and a mysterious sense of relief. Like ‘Bulmyeong’ (fire gazing), ‘Sopmyeong’ (forest gazing), and ‘Badamyeong’ (sea gazing), it induces a full-body relaxation and ultimate comfort. It perfectly fits the theme of ‘Imaginary Journey’ for this Bodyfriend exhibition.

Visitors can also see ‘Fire (火)’ by emerging artist Kim Susu, winner of the Grand Prize at the 2018 Korea Art Competition; the Flower Series from Kang Junyoung, who is gaining attention across various fields from ceramics to painting, titled ‘When the Records We Choose Become Love’; and ‘Instant Landscape - Sexual Light’ by Kim Nampyo, which stands out for its surreal yet fresh visual direction.

The massage chair experience is provided using Bodyfriend’s flagship models The Pharaoh and The Phantom, equipped with ‘Imaginary Massage.’ Imaginary Massage combines three-dimensional ‘XD Sound,’ ‘Space Perfume’ infused with the scents of resorts, and Bodyfriend’s unique ‘Special Massage’ to recreate the serene atmosphere of a resort through tactile massage stimulation as well as auditory and olfactory senses. Visitors can virtually travel to five resorts: a mountain temple at the foot of Jirisan, Jeju’s autumn-colored fields, the Maldives’ sea and forest, an Icelandic aurora villa, and Venice.

Jung Hyejung, team leader of Bodyfriend Artlab who planned this event, said, “We are delighted to participate in one of Korea’s top three art fairs and meet many customers to offer healing and relaxation.” She added, “Bodyfriend will continue to strive to extend healthy life expectancy by 10 years through customers’ participation in art and to realize a valuable art life.”