Innocean Turns Gangnam, Myeongdong Billboards Into Art Galleries, Unveils Works by 3 AI Artist Teams

Screening media art on large outdoor screens... on display through year-end
Led by AI creative unit i-Lab... expanding project by discovering artists

Innocean is turning large outdoor digital billboards across Seoul's Gangnam and Myeongdong districts into media art exhibition spaces. The initiative aims to broaden opportunities to experience art in urban spaces by screening works by artists who use artificial intelligence (AI) instead of advertisements.

(Clockwise from left) Kim Jiyoung's "Alien Beauty" at The Monte Gangnam; Kim Jihyun's "APERTURE (Gap)" at Shinsegae Gangnam Gate DS; and NEITHER.I's "BEHIND" at K Finance Myeongdong. Provided by Innocean.

Innocean announced on November 11 that it is launching the Innocean Open Museum (IOM), a project that opens outdoor media to the public as art spaces, and will screen its first works on large screens across Gangnam and Myeongdong. The project is led by i-Lab, a recently established AI creative research and development (R&D) unit.

The first works have been screening since mid-October at The Monte Gangnam on Gangnam-daero and Shinsegae Gangnam Gate DS at Central City. They were also shown at Central City Underworld DS throughout October, and will be expanded to the screens at K Finance Myeongdong in November. The works are scheduled to remain on display through the end of the year.

The first project's theme is "OPEN." Designer Kim Jiyoung presents "Alien Beauty," which reinterprets familiar standards of beauty through the skin and senses of unfamiliar beings. Kim Jihyun of creative studio ANREAL presents "APERTURE," capturing the growth of dandelions and the dispersal of their seeds, while creative duo NEITHER.I presents "BEHIND," depicting an unfamiliar scene beyond a screen.

Innocean produced separate videos for each work to suit the size of the screens and the movement of viewers. The project focuses on enabling people to experience the works on public screens in urban areas, rather than in galleries or online.

Innocean plans to continue the project by discovering new artists and works. It will also conduct artist interviews and archive the works. The company intends to expand the project beyond exhibitions dedicated solely to media art to include collaborations between brands and artists.

"Innocean has long found ways to bring brands' stories to people," said Kim Jung-ah, CEO of Innocean. "At a time when AI is changing the ways we create and the possibilities for expression, we wanted to open our capabilities and the city's screens to artists' perspectives." She added, "IOM today is not a space for advertising but a stage for the value of the works themselves. Going forward, we will work with new artists and, eventually, brands to build creative leadership in the AI era."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.