[Gallery Talk] Art dealer dedicated to fostering young talent
This is the ninth in a 10-part series on prominent art galleries in Korea. –Ed
Starting with Park Ryu-sook Gallery in 1983, art galleries opened in the Cheongdam-dong area one by one.
Now, with more than 40 galleries situated along the main boulevard between the Galleria Department Store and the Cheongdam crossroads, art insiders say that the area is pretty much outdoing the Insa-dong area, Seoul’s first art gallery mecca, which has turned into a tourist spot.
Park Ryu-sook gallery came out from the back streets of Cheongdam-dong and moved into the Nature Poem building on the main street and holds some 10 galleries.
“I expect this shift to Cheongdam-dong will continue. As many galleries are located in a single building, we see a big synergy effect. More visitors are coming and there is possibility that this could lead on to more sales,” said Park Ryu-sook, founder and director of the gallery.
Park is one of the few gallery owners who actually studied art. Ever since she fell in love with an old, traditional tile in Anabji, in Gyeongju, South Gyeongsang Province near her aunt’s house at the age of 14, it became a hobby to wander around Insa-dong and Ahyeon-dong in Seoul, browsing through Korean antiques. She studied crafts in Hongik University and started her career as a journalist -- and later editor-in-chief -- for art magazines. She met many art insiders and artists and finally decided to open her own gallery.
“I started to wonder why galleries hold exhibitions only for established artists. The art market was really small at the time and there were few chances that a young and unknown artist could make a debut. I wanted to become a famous art dealer who made many young artists debut in the market,” said Park.
She succeeded in introducing many young artists through her gallery -- Jeon Gwang-young, Kim Jong-hak, Kim Jeom-seon and Kwon Ki-soo are now all well-known artists.
“I watch artists who make tireless efforts based on their unique ideas. It can be a problem if they have a side job because I think it keeps them from concentrating fully on their creations,” said Park.
Park has also been making efforts to introduce many talented Korean artists overseas through international art fairs. The gallery is one of the Korean galleries that most actively attended art fairs since its first participation at Art Basel in 1995.
Park confessed that being a gallery owner is very different from simply being an artist or an art fan.
“It is difficult because I have a weak business-oriented mind. I am continuously studying, trying to supplement the weakness,” she said.
Park opened two branches of her gallery in 2007 and 2008 in Jeju-do and in Shanghai, respectively. Built in a form of a home gallery in a condominium near Pinx Golf Club, the Jeju branch claims to promote the concept of “rest.” Many golfers and art collectors visit the gallery on weekends as the gallery is closed during weekdays.
The Shanghai branch was closed down last June due to financial difficulties.
“It ran into red figures especially because the art market was in such a slump last year. And the foreign exchange rate had rocketed up as well. The market is slowly recovering, but not yet revitalized,” said Park.
Choi Soo-yeon, Park’s daughter who ran the Shanghai branch, returned to Seoul to help operate the Cheongdam branch.
“We have to work hard this year, to recover from the losses. We will be focusing more on the domestic market,” said Park.
For more information on the gallery, visit www.parkryusookgallery.co.kr.
By Park Min-young (claire@heraldm.com)
Starting with Park Ryu-sook Gallery in 1983, art galleries opened in the Cheongdam-dong area one by one.
Now, with more than 40 galleries situated along the main boulevard between the Galleria Department Store and the Cheongdam crossroads, art insiders say that the area is pretty much outdoing the Insa-dong area, Seoul’s first art gallery mecca, which has turned into a tourist spot.
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| Park Ryu-sook, founder and director of Park Ryu-sook Gallery Kim Myung-sub/The Korea Herald |
“I expect this shift to Cheongdam-dong will continue. As many galleries are located in a single building, we see a big synergy effect. More visitors are coming and there is possibility that this could lead on to more sales,” said Park Ryu-sook, founder and director of the gallery.
Park is one of the few gallery owners who actually studied art. Ever since she fell in love with an old, traditional tile in Anabji, in Gyeongju, South Gyeongsang Province near her aunt’s house at the age of 14, it became a hobby to wander around Insa-dong and Ahyeon-dong in Seoul, browsing through Korean antiques. She studied crafts in Hongik University and started her career as a journalist -- and later editor-in-chief -- for art magazines. She met many art insiders and artists and finally decided to open her own gallery.
“I started to wonder why galleries hold exhibitions only for established artists. The art market was really small at the time and there were few chances that a young and unknown artist could make a debut. I wanted to become a famous art dealer who made many young artists debut in the market,” said Park.
She succeeded in introducing many young artists through her gallery -- Jeon Gwang-young, Kim Jong-hak, Kim Jeom-seon and Kwon Ki-soo are now all well-known artists.
“I watch artists who make tireless efforts based on their unique ideas. It can be a problem if they have a side job because I think it keeps them from concentrating fully on their creations,” said Park.
Park has also been making efforts to introduce many talented Korean artists overseas through international art fairs. The gallery is one of the Korean galleries that most actively attended art fairs since its first participation at Art Basel in 1995.
Park confessed that being a gallery owner is very different from simply being an artist or an art fan.
“It is difficult because I have a weak business-oriented mind. I am continuously studying, trying to supplement the weakness,” she said.
Park opened two branches of her gallery in 2007 and 2008 in Jeju-do and in Shanghai, respectively. Built in a form of a home gallery in a condominium near Pinx Golf Club, the Jeju branch claims to promote the concept of “rest.” Many golfers and art collectors visit the gallery on weekends as the gallery is closed during weekdays.
The Shanghai branch was closed down last June due to financial difficulties.
“It ran into red figures especially because the art market was in such a slump last year. And the foreign exchange rate had rocketed up as well. The market is slowly recovering, but not yet revitalized,” said Park.
Choi Soo-yeon, Park’s daughter who ran the Shanghai branch, returned to Seoul to help operate the Cheongdam branch.
“We have to work hard this year, to recover from the losses. We will be focusing more on the domestic market,” said Park.
For more information on the gallery, visit www.parkryusookgallery.co.kr.
By Park Min-young (claire@heraldm.com)
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답글삭제갤러리토크_박여숙대표 인터뷰 [Gallery Talk] Art dealer dedicated to fostering young talent This is the ninth in a 10-part series on prominent art galleries in Ko..