From billboards to media art exhibitions... The transformation of COEX electronic displays

[Financial News]
The large LED screen at COEX in Seoul is being utilized as a media art exhibition space. Timed to coincide with Frieze Seoul and KIAF Seoul, it screens works by world-renowned media artist John Gerard, serving as a space where people can experience contemporary art in the heart of the city.
According to industry sources on the 3rd, CJ CGV and Kinoton will screen the representative work 'Western Flag (2017)' by Irish media artist John Gerard at 'K-POP SQUARE MEDIA' in COEX, Samseong-dong, Seoul.
The work being unveiled this time is 'Western Flag for Seoul,' a Seoul-exclusive version produced to fit K-Pop Square Media's curved and asymmetrical screens.
This work is set in Spindletop, Texas, considered the starting point of the U.S. oil industry. Black smoke continuously billows from a flagpole erected in the middle of a desolate oil field, forming the shape of a flag. By visualizing invisible carbon dioxide as black smoke, the piece expresses the environmental issues and modern industries that have grown based on fossil fuels. Although it appears to be actual footage, it is realized through a real-time simulation utilizing digital technology.
John Gerard is an artist who has addressed energy, industrial, and environmental issues through digital simulations. His works are held in the collections of the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York, the Guggenheim Museum, the Tate in the UK, and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA).
This project is being carried out to coincide with the hosting of Frieze Seoul and KIAF Seoul. It is characterized by allowing people to experience media art in busy urban spaces without having to visit museums or galleries in person.
CJ CGV provided the LED screens, and Kinotone was responsible for the selection and curation of works, screening planning, and media implementation.
Park Tae-choon, Managing Director of Kinoton, stated, "Showcasing Western Flag in Seoul's urban environment is an attempt to broaden the ways in which artworks connect with the public," adding, "We will continue to collaborate with domestic and international artists to introduce works tailored to the characteristics of the space and media."
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