GS Munhwajaedan CEO Park Sunhee: "Dream of a Role Model Venue... Introducing Boundary-Free Artists"

GS Art Center aims to be a role model performance venue
Park Sun-hee: "A space where time and stories overlap"

"GS Art Center wants to become a role model performance venue."

Park Sun-hee, CEO of GS Cultural Foundation, responded this way when asked if there is a performance venue she considers a role model.

This April, marking the 20th anniversary of the founding of GS Group, the GS Art Center will open, officially launching GS Group's social contribution activities through cultural and artistic projects. On the 11th, Park Sun-hee, CEO of GS Cultural Foundation, which will be responsible for operating the GS Art Center, held a press conference at GS Tower in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, to announce the future operational direction and aspirations of the GS Art Center. The GS Art Center is located on the 5th floor of GS Tower, the former site of the LG Art Center. The LG Art Center relocated to Magok, Gangseo-gu, Seoul, in March 2021.

Park Sun-hee, CEO of GS Cultural Foundation, is explaining the operational direction of the GS Art Center, which will open on April 24, and the opening festival running until June 29, at the GS Tower in Gangnam-gu, Seoul on the 11th.
Photo by GS Cultural Foundation

Park explained, "We are investing 32 billion KRW to remodel the former LG Art Center performance hall," adding, "The GS Art Center will have 1,211 seats, 108 more than before." She continued, "The space where the LG Art Center was located holds memories accumulated over a long time, and countless stories flow within it," emphasizing, "I hope the GS Art Center becomes a space where time and stories overlap and a place that creates new cultural trends."

From April 24 to June 29, an opening festival celebrating the GS Art Center's inauguration will be held. The opening production will be the American Ballet Theatre (ABT), a representative ballet company from the United States, performing in Korea for the first time in 13 years. There will be five performances over four days from April 24 to 27, each featuring a different program to present a new stage. Leading principal dancers representing ABT will appear in large numbers, showcasing the true excellence of a world-class ballet company. Korean dancers such as Seo Hee and Ahn Joo-won, who are ABT principal dancers, as well as Park Sun-mi and Han Sung-woo, will also perform. The first day, April 24, will be a special invitation performance.

Performance scene of American Ballet Theatre (ABT)'s 'La Boutique' [Photo provided by GS Cultural Foundation, (c) Emma Zordan]

The performance that the GS Art Center will focus its capabilities on is the "Artists Series." Park explained, "We plan to select two or three artists each year who have a comprehensive artistic spectrum to holistically explore their artistic imagination and multidisciplinary works."

This year's first artists in the Artists Series are South African visual artist and director William Kentridge and Spanish choreographer Marcos Morau.

Park emphasized that the artists featured in the Artists Series are boundaryless in terms of genre. She said, "For ticket sales, we had to register the performances in the sales system, and we had the happy dilemma of whether to categorize the Artists Series performances as music or theater," adding, "We plan to invite artists with such characteristics."

Park stated, "I believe that nowadays consumers' consumption patterns are not limited to specific fields but show a tendency to consume very diverse things," emphasizing, "The GS Art Center will present works by boundaryless artists to audiences who consume such diverse cultures."

William Kentridge 'Sibyl' Performance Scene
[Photo provided by GS Cultural Foundation, (c) Stella Olivier]

Kentridge's "Sibyl," which will be performed on May 9-10 as part of the Artists Series, is a unique performance combining live music, theater, dance, literature, drawing animation, video, and moving sculptures. Another work by Kentridge, "Shostakovich 10: If I Could Dream of Another World," which will be staged on May 30, is a performance blending the orchestra's rendition of Shostakovich's Symphony No. 10 with videos produced by Kentridge. The Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra will perform the music.

Morau's works will be presented on three stages. The first piece, "Aphanador" (April 30-May 1), will be performed by the Spanish National Flamenco Ballet, which will visit Korea.

The grand finale of the opening festival will be presented by the National Ballet Company, performing the "Kylian Project" from June 26 to 29.

As part of rental performances, the musicals "The Great Gatsby" and "Life of Pi" will be presented in July and November, respectively. Both productions are Asian premieres. "The Great Gatsby" is led by Shin Chun-soo, CEO of Odi Company, as the lead producer. It opened on Broadway in New York last April and has continued its success. It is scheduled to open in London's West End this April.