From Shopping Space to Art Experience... Lotte Department Store Launches "Art VM Project"

Rising K-artists Jeong Geurim and Lee Geonwu Join the Project
19 Works on Display Along Key Customer Routes Including Escalator Areas

Lotte Department Store announced on February 18 that its Main Branch will make a new leap forward as an art-specialized "Art Flagship Store."

The Lotte Department Store Main Branch has been leading the revival of Myeong-dong, the largest tourist commercial district in Korea, by leveraging "art." It has not only applied art to its visual themes, but also held large-scale art-centered festivals, thereby reinforcing the image of "Art Myeong-dong."

As "art" has redefined the role of the Main Branch, Lotte Department Store has also selected the Main Branch as the first location for its newly launched Art VM Project (Art Visual Merchandising Project. The "Art VM Project" is a new initiative that allows customers to consume artistic experiences simultaneously with shopping, which is the core function of a department store. Reflecting customers' strong demand for "experiential consumption," the key is to move beyond a model where one must visit a specific exhibition space to encounter art, and instead enable customers to experience art naturally along their shopping routes.

A customer viewing the first 'Art VM Project' piece unveiled at the Lotte Department Store flagship in Sogong-dong, Seoul. Lotte Department Store

The annual theme of this year's Art VM Project is "MOVE : IN TRANSIT (Journey of the Senses)." Just as art awakens new senses, the project embodies the intention to propose a new shopping experience by combining shopping and art.

For the first installation at the Main Branch, "K-art" will be brought to the forefront through a collaboration with two "rising K-artists," Jeong Geurim and Lee Geonwu. This reflects the popularity of the Main Branch, which has established itself as a leading K-tourism destination in Korea, with foreign customer sales increasing by around 40 percent last year. A total of 19 works by artists Jeong Geurim and Lee Geonwu will be exhibited in key spaces along the customer journey, including the main circulation paths, connecting passages, and areas around escalators from Basement Level 1 to the 6th floor of the Main Branch. Centered on three-dimensional sculptural works, the displays are expected to capture the attention of visitors to the Main Branch and offer them a new spatial experience.

Artist "Jeong Geurim," who is participating in this project, is a globally noted artist who visualizes movement and energy based on lines and curves. She has collaborated with global luxury brands and has an exhibition track record in major overseas cities such as those in Germany and Italy. A total of 11 works by Jeong Geurim that express the diversity of the Main Branch will be presented on each floor from Basement Level 1 to the 5th floor of the Main Building until February 20 as three-dimensional sculptural pieces that can be appreciated from multiple angles.

The other K-artist, "Lee Geonwu," is an artist who has received worldwide acclaim for his representative series themed on wind and continues to be active both in Korea and abroad. The series of works symbolizing the growth potential and dynamism of the Main Branch will be on display across three floors, from the 4th to the 6th floor of the Main Building, until March 31.

In addition, the "Art VM Project" is also being considered for phased implementation at the Jamsil Branch. Since the Main Branch and the Jamsil Branch are located in different commercial districts north and south of the Han River, the plan is to introduce differentiated versions of the "Art VM Project," each with its own distinct appeal.

In the first half of this year, the Main Branch will be filled mainly with sculptural works through the "Art VM Project," while the Jamsil Branch will focus on providing a shopping experience integrated with art, centered on "famous paintings" at the Art Hall on the 6th floor of Avenuel. To mark the New Year, more than 60 original works by artists representing the 1970s to the 1990s, including Lee Daewon, Yoon Joongsik, Kwon Okyeon, Byun Shiji, Hwang Yeomsu, and Lim Jiksun, will be showcased until March 7.

Park Jiyoung, Head of Design at Lotte Department Store, said, "Going forward, the Main Branch will make a new leap not just as a space for displaying products, but as an art flagship store that expands customers' senses and tastes through art," adding, "In the future, we will also introduce an Art VM Project at the Jamsil Branch that is differentiated to meet high-end demand."