Lotte department stores transform into galleries for annual art week

Lotte Department Store is turning itself into an urban art museum this September.

The retailer said it will present its largest annual exhibition lineup as part of Lotte Art Week, running through Sept. 25. A total of six exhibitions will be held across its main branch, Jamsil branch and Incheon branch.

Solo shows will feature artists whose works are held by leading institutions including the Guggenheim Museum in New York and the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art: Shim Moon-seup (Tuesday through Oct. 22, Jamsil), Kim Sang-yeol (Tuesday through Nov. 2, main branch), Kwon Oh-sang (Tuesday through Nov. 2, Jamsil) and Kim Woo-jin (Tuesday through Sept. 23, Incheon).

On the ninth floor of the main branch, the exhibition "Face to Face" — a collaboration between Japanese art director Yoshi Yuni and photographer Kim Young-jun marking the 60th anniversary of South Korea-Japan diplomatic normalization — will run from Sept. 1 through Sept. 20. A special group show featuring art influencer and contemporary artist Lee.K and six other artists will also be on view.

Large-scale sculptures will be on display at the Jamsil and Incheon branches. Sculptor Kwon Oh-sang's "Fragments of Existence" will be shown at Jamsil's Avenue L, while sculptor Kim Woo-jin's "To Everyone, Utopia" will run at the Incheon branch.

A print exhibition has also been organized for customers interested in acquiring works. Across the second through sixth floors of the main branch, the show "Collecting Taste" will present signature works by 13 masters of Korean art — including Kim Whanki and Park Seo-bo — alongside sculptures by Kim Ok and Jeon Hyeong-ho. Art-themed merchandise produced in collaboration with print art brand Print Bakery will be available on Lotte Department Store Mall.

Visitors can also receive a "Lotte Art Week Gift Pack" containing postcards and sticker sets featuring representative works by the four featured artists — Shim Moon-seup, Kim Sang-yeol, Kwon Oh-sang and Kim Woo-jin. The gift packs will be available at the main branch and Incheon branch starting Tuesday, and at the Jamsil branch from Sept. 1.

"We are presenting a wide range of art content with the goal of becoming a retail art platform where customers can enjoy art beyond shopping," said Kim Jun-se, head of Lotte Department Store's branding division. "We have assembled the largest annual lineup of outstanding works by leading artists from Korea and abroad."