Shinsegae Department Store Launches Mobile Art Auction... Opens Digital Gallery

원본보기 아이콘

[Asia Economy Reporter Yuri Kim] Shinsegae Department Store is opening a digital art gallery on its mobile application (app).

On the 17th, Shinsegae Department Store announced, "As the first department store in Korea to open a gallery, Shinsegae is newly launching an online digital art gallery and will hold the industry's first mobile art auction."

The newly introduced digital art gallery, 'Art Gallery with Seoul Auction,' allows anyone to view exhibitions for free by logging into the department store app and also participate in online auctions. The first digital gallery exhibition, 'Zerobase: The Edit,' will be held from the 18th to the 31st. The artwork auction held alongside the exhibition can also be participated in through the department store’s mobile app. The online auction will close sequentially starting at 2 p.m. on the 31st.

Zerobase is an online auction platform launched by Seoul Auction in 2019, providing participation opportunities to emerging artists who do not have many sales records. By moving away from the traditional auction pricing method and starting auctions at zero won, Zerobase aims to lower the entry barrier to the art auction market for department store customers while supporting emerging artists by providing sales channels for their work.

This exhibition will showcase 128 works by 19 promising artists among Zerobase artists, including 275C, Kim Heekyung, Lee Jonggi, Lim Hyunhee, Choi Yeji, and Han Imsu. From the 25th to the 31st, an offline exhibition will also be held simultaneously at the Gangnam branch event hall and Seoul Auction Gangnam Center, allowing visitors to appreciate the artworks both online and offline.

In this auction, for some original artworks, the winning bidders will receive both the physical artwork and a Non-Fungible Token (NFT) artwork. The NFT artworks include 51 pieces by artists Kang Taegumon, Han Imsu, Heo Hyeyoung, Choi Wooyoung, Dakseollap, Kim Heekyung, Jihi, and Kim Hyunju.

The Shinsegae Department Store mobile app has moved beyond simply delivering shopping information and is the first in the retail industry to introduce services such as e-book rentals, music curation, seasonal food recipes, and social services. Recently, it gained attention by planning an event that distributed self-produced NFTs to customers, the first of its kind in the retail industry. The NFT event saw more than twice the participation compared to previous events, and new customer inflow increased by over 10%. It also was the first in the industry to live broadcast overseas fashion shows. From last month to early this month, luxury brand fashion shows at Milan and Paris Fashion Weeks were live-streamed through the department store’s mobile app.

Seonghwan Lee, Executive Director of Sales Strategy at Shinsegae Department Store, said, "Shinsegae, which has introduced various content, is now attempting a digital art gallery. We will continue to offer customers new shopping experiences through differentiated marketing that aligns with trends."

© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.