Money S | Easily Encountering Art Even at the Neighborhood Convenience Store

Easily Encountering Art Even at the Neighborhood Convenience Store

Artists' works are making their way into everyday life. From beverages easily found at the neighborhood convenience store to cosmetics used every day, companies are releasing limited editions that incorporate artists' work into product design.

Artist editions give companies a fresh new value to add to existing products, and give artists a chance to connect more closely with the public, while consumers get to encounter an artist's work in daily life, which has been drawing an enthusiastic response.

In particular, the growth of social media (SNS) has produced more and more artists gaining popularity for distinctively personal work in recent years. As a result, artists across many fields -- from installation artists to tattooists -- are unveiling distinctively designed editions through collaborations with companies.

◆ A meeting with globally active pop artist Lim Ji-bin, who runs an installation-art project using bear art

Glaceau Vitamin Water released the 'Glaceau Vitamin Water Art Collaboration Edition' in collaboration with emerging pop artist Lim Ji-bin.

Lim Ji-bin is an artist known for his 'EVERYWHERE' project, installing giant balloon-bear artworks at landmarks around the world.

This collaboration product is notable for being designed with characters and phrases matched to the traits of Glaceau Vitamin Water's four varieties.

Power-C is paired with "Cheer up, Power-C," Energy with "I'm your energy," Multi-V with "Together we're multiplayers," and XXX with "The fearless trio," so each product's distinctive style and story can be enjoyed together.

◆ A win-win between brand and artist through collaboration with a Korean painter

Cafe O'gada made headlines earlier this year with a limited-edition Lunar New Year gift set created in collaboration with Korean painter Kim Hyun Jung, and held an exhibition and signing event in-store.

The collaboration is regarded in the industry as a win-win, pairing the brand image of Kim Hyun Jung, who has popularized Korean painting through social media, with Cafe O'gada's reinterpretation of traditional tea beverages in a contemporary sensibility.

Lotte Nestle Korea's premium coffee-mix brand 'Nescafe Supremo' unveiled the 'Nescafe Supremo X Kim Hyun Jung Art Tumbler Special Pack' as a limited special product in collaboration with Korean painter Kim Hyun Jung. The collaboration artwork is notable for capturing, in the artist's characteristically delicate and distinctive style, the mood of the moment when Kim Hyun Jung's signature 'Naesoong girl' savors a cup of Nescafe Supremo coffee.

AmorePacific's herbal premium shampoo brand Ryo (呂) collaborated this spring with Oriental painter Hong Ji-yoon, known for her vivid, striking fusion Korean paintings. A limited art-collaboration edition was released featuring Hong's signature saekdong-flower motif on the Anti-Hair-Loss Shampoo and Geukson Damage Care Shampoo lines.

An industry source said, "Artist editions born from collaborations between everyday consumer products -- in food and beverage, fashion, and beauty -- and artists let people encounter art easily anywhere, contributing to the popularization of art, while also letting companies add fresh value to their products, making it a win-win that creates synergy for both sides," adding, "As social media lets artists reach a wider public beyond limited spaces like galleries, more distinctive artists are gaining new attention, and we expect collaborations across an even wider range of fields going forward."

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Written by — Reporter Kang Dong-wan