SOUTH KOREA. Shinsegae Duty Free has teamed up with the Youngin Museum of Literature and contemporary media artist HWI (Hwang Hwi) to showcase a public media art exhibition at its Myeong-dong flagship in Seoul.
Titled ‘Reflection Media Art Series 1: Eureka!’, the immersive installation is displayed on the large-scale media façade within the 10th floor Iconic Zone, reinterpreting literary philosophy through digital visuals and music.
Beyond its in-store presentation, the exhibition is also being broadcast in an expanded format on the large-scale outdoor media screen at COEX K-POP Square in Samseong-dong, Seoul, until 28 February.
The project forms part of the retailer’s long-term public cultural initiative, combining literature, art and digital media through partnerships with esteemed cultural institutions.
The series advances Shinsegae Duty Free’s cultural strategy, reimagining Korean literary and intellectual heritage in contemporary media, with plans to build on the concept in future editions.
Eureka! pays tribute to one of Korea’s renowned intellectuals and cultural critics, Lee O-young, marking the fourth anniversary of his passing, and reflects themes from his book Life is Capital. The work translates moments of discovery and realisation into an immersive audiovisual format.
Developed by media artist HWI, the work delves into the cyclical patterns of enlightenment and return, with the goldfish and flying fish symbolising the fleeting yet transformative nature of the ‘eureka’ moment.
View this post on Instagram
Reflecting her signature style, HWI combines electronic music, visuals and storytelling into a unified sensory experience.
The project extends art into the city life, connecting Myeongdong’s commercial façade with public cultural platforms supported by the Seoul Foundation for Arts and Culture and Gangnam Eyes at COEX.
A Shinsegae Duty Free representative said, “Eureka! goes beyond media content. It is a public cultural art project that reinterprets the intellectual legacy of Korean literature through a contemporary lens.
“Through continued collaboration across art, literature, and technology, we aim to expand the role of duty-free retail into a dynamic urban cultural platform.” ✈
