Seoul According to: Jini Yang of White Cube 

White Cube opened its gallery in Seoul in September 2023, 30 years since its inception in London. Located in the Gangnam district, it brings the gallery’s roster of world-class artists to the Korean capital, while reflectiung the city’s own evolving art scene and growing art market. Its director Jini Yang discusses the recent changes in her city, the work the gallery is bringing to Frieze Seoul 2024, and why she loves the chopsticks policy at Solbam.

 What’s great about your gallery’s location?

We are located in Sinsa-dong, near Dosan Park, in the heart of Gangnam. Museums and galleries are spread out in both the Gangbuk and Gangnam districts, and Dosan Park is a memorial park for Ahn Chang Ho – also known as Dosan – who was a Korean independence activist. It’s a great place for the local community and visitors in the middle of a busy city. 

White Cube occupies a space in a building that is also home to the Horim Art Centre, a private museum dedicated to preserving Korean culture. It has a stunning collection of Korean modern art and antiquities. I find the location fitting: we are showing work by some of the most influential international artists of our times, and I always think of Seoul as a city in which the local and the global, and the traditional and the contemporary, sit side-by-side. 

What changes have you seen in your neighbourhood in the last few years and in the city in general? 

Sinsa-dong and Cheongdam-dong are known to be great for shopping and dining. But since the end of the pandemic, the audience has changed. It’s diversified. As the number of visitors from the younger age group known as ‘MZ generation’ has increased in the neighbourhood, it has affected the audiences visiting White Cube. 

What is the ethos of your gallery in Seoul? 

Our goal is to make the contemporary historical – with artists such as Marguerite Humeau, who had a hugely popular exhibition in our Seoul gallery recently, or Gabriel Orozco, who is the latest artist to show in our space – and to make the historical contemporary: for example, the exhibition of the late Brazilian neo-concrete artist Lygia Pape, who we presented in Asia for the first time earlier in the year.

Can you say more about the work you’re bringing to Frieze Seoul this year? 

Among the newly joined White Cube artists, I am thrilled to introduce those who have not yet been exhibited in Asia: Lynne Drexler, Howardena Pindell and Marina Rheingantz. Though their names might be unfamiliar to Korean audiences, I have faith that their beautiful and sophisticated works will make a strong impression. We are also presenting significant works by Tracey Emin, Theaster Gates, Takis, Isamu Noguchi and Gabriel Orozco.

Favourite museum or gallery in Seoul? 

I have a few places that I like to visit regularly, such as National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art (MMCA), Leeum Samsung Museum of Art, Amore Pacific Museum of Art, Hoam Museum of Art and Songeun. 

Last exhibition you went to?  

The most recent exhibition that I went to was Philippe Parreno’s ‘VOICES’ at Leeum Museum of Art – fish balloons drifting through the air as if in an aquarium, snowmen melting, snow piling on top of a piano, a noise/voice interrupting the moment as if someone is speaking. It is an exhibition that pushes the boundaries of the traditional notion of art.

What’s different about the Seoul art scene from that of other cities (your local scene in particular)? 

It’s a unique blend of traditional Korean aesthetics, contemporary art, and technology and innovation. 

Favourite place to eat in your neighbourhood?  

I have a few restaurants that I recommend. Positive Hotel is great for healthy Mediterranean cuisine. Vinology and OPNNG are the places when you are looking for good Western cuisine with a Korean touch (both restaurants have a great wine selection as well). Mater is a quiet and peaceful restaurant focusing on fermentation. Solbam offers an outstanding balance of tastes, aromas and flavours; customers can also choose their favourite pair of wooden chopsticks and receive them as a gift after the meal. I love that!

Best bar near White Cube? 

Currently, my favourite bar is Zest, which is within walking distance of White Cube Seoul. The atmosphere is great, and the curated cocktails are delicious and all made sustainably with zero waste!  

Best thing about Seoul? 

It’s safe. The city is well lit, and there is CCTV everywhere. Also, the public transport is efficient and runs late at night.  

Worst thing about Seoul? 

There are high levels of pollution, particularly between March and May. It’s a concern.

White Cube Seoul, 6, Dosan-daero 45-gil, Seoul, South Korea.

White Cube Seoul is taking part in Frieze Seoul, COEX, 4 – 7 September 2024.

Further Information

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^{Main image: Christine Ay Tjoe, Tracey Emin, Berlinde de Bruyckere, Katharina Fritsch, Louise Giovanelli, Marguerite Humeau and Lee Jinju, ‘The Embodied Spirit’, White Cube Seoul, 5 September – 21 December 2023. © The artists. Photo: © White Cube/Theo Christelis}