Mark your calendars, fashion and culture enthusiasts, it’s time to book a trip to Seoul this October! Through a cultural project entitled Gucci Cultural Month, Italian luxury fashion house Gucci is paying homage to Korean culture by showcasing the contributions of individuals who have elevated local arts on the global stage across various mediums.

Beginning October 15 in Seoul, the work of four world-renowned talents, comprising conceptual artist Kimsooja, filmmaker Chan Wook Park, pianist Seong Jin Cho, and contemporary dancer Eun Me Ahn, will be celebrated at the event through a series of photography, videos, exhibitions, special performances, and cultural lectures.

Learn more about these four talents below:

Kimsooja

Kimsooja redefined women’s domestic labour within contemporary art in the early ’80s through the adoption of sewing and wrapping as modes of painting, and is involved in diverse artistic forms through works of painting, sewing, installation, performance, video, light, sound, and architecture.

Fusing everyday life and art into her work, her artistic inquiry has evolved over the years to explore numerous issues spanning from sociopolitical to existential borders, from migration and displacement to identity, poverty, and religious clashes. The award-winning artist has also been spotlighted in solo exhibitions in major global museums, as well as in over 40 biennials, including the 55th Venice Biennale in 2013.

Chan Wook Park

Park is one of the most renowned filmmakers of South Korean cinema, best recognised for his Vengeance Trilogy consisting of the movies Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance, Oldboy, and Lady Vengeance. The 2003 film Oldboy won the Grand Prix at the 57th Cannes Film Festival and subsequently positioned Park as a distinguished director beyond his native land.

Park’s work continued to garner international acclaim, like Thirst which won the Jury Prize at the 62nd Cannes Film Festival in 2009, The Handmaiden which earned him the BAFTA Award for Best Film Not in the English Language in 2018, and Decision to Leave in which he was named the Best Director at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival. He is also one of the executive producers for Snowpiercer, and co-created as well as directed episodes of The Sympathizer starring Robert Downey Jr.

Seong Jin Cho

A piano powerhouse, Cho shot to fame within South Korea and the global classical music scene in 2015 when he won First Prize at the Chopin International Competition in Warsaw. He sealed an exclusive contract with Deutsche Grammophon in 2016, and in 2023, he won the prestigious Samsung Ho-Am Prize in the Arts for his contributions to the world of classical music.

Cho is currently based in Berlin, Germany, and has had the privilege to work with the world’s key orchestras, such as Berliner Philharmoniker, Wiener Philharmoniker, London Sympony Orchestra, and the Boston Symphony Orchestra, amongst others.

Eun Me Ahn

Ahn has produced and presented over 100 avant-garde works since her first short piece Siral in 1986 and her first full-length production Paper Steps in 1988. Known for her shaved-head look, wild moves, and outlandish stage presence that depicted an intense surge of grotesque human emotions, she attained choreographer awards from the Manhattan Arts Foundation in 1999 and the New York Cultural Foundation in 2002.

Once she returned to South Korea, she fulfilled her role as the artistic director of the Daegu City Dance Company from 2000 to 2004, conceptualising works like The Little Match-seller, Sky Pepper, and Eun Me’s Chunyang. She later served as the artistic director for the Seoul City Spring Festival in 2008 and 2009.

Gucci Cultural Month is aimed at strengthening the brand’s presence in South Korea. The event follows other brand-building efforts, including the staging of the cruise 2024 fashion show at Gyeongbokgung Palace in 2023, and the opening of Gucci Osteria restaurant in 2022, which is perched atop the Gucci Gaok flagship store that was unveiled the previous year.

Additionally, Gucci is no stranger to leveraging on K-culture as brand ambassadors, including K-drama actress Park Gyu Young, Squid Game star Lee Jung-jae, rapper Jay Park, and lead singer of the Korean girl group NewJeans, Hanni.

Featured image: Gucci Cruise Show 2024