Promotion: as part of Frieze Seoul 2026, Korean retail giant Shinsegae Group exhibited the meditative work of French artist Paul Cox, which also highlighted the group's focus on weaving art and culture into everyday spaces.
From 2 - 5 September, the exhibition space – named Shinsegae Lounge – featured L'Immensité du Quotidien: The Monumental Everyday, displaying 336 works from Cox's Diary series, which were presented publicly for the first time.
Hung across the walls were hundreds of Cox's gouache paintings, displaying everyday objects and scenes, from buildings and trees to fields and pathways.
According to Shinsegae Group, each painting grew out of Cox's daily meditative practice. Throughout the exhibition, the works are featured chronologically, revealing the evolution of his creative process, from simple line drawings to structured blocks of colour.
Individually, each piece represents a different scene, yet when viewed holistically, they merge together to represent a cohesive landscape.
"Individually modest in scale, together the works accumulate into a monumental landscape shaped by repetition, observation and time," said Shinsegae Group.
As visitors made their way through Frieze Seoul 2026, the exhibition aimed to offer a reflective space, prompting guests to contemplate the beauty of simple, everyday scenes that might otherwise go unseen.
"Against the pace of an international art fair, that attention to the familiar offers a quiet counterpoint, inviting visitors to look longer at what might otherwise pass unseen," the group added.
Shinsegae Group is one of South Korea's leading retail groups, anchored by Emart, the country's largest hypermarket chain, and Shinsegae Department Store, a prominent name in Korean luxury retail.
The company explained that this year's Frieze Seoul 2026 exhibition was designed based on its chairman Chung Yong-jin's belief that "retail should offer more than transactions".
Similarly to the curation of Shinsegae Lounge, Shinsegae Group aims to integrate art and culture into its portfolio of spaces to "give people a reason to linger".
Cox's exhibition marked Shinsegae Group's five-year partnership as the headline partner of Frieze in Seoul.
Throughout the five-year period, Shinsegae Group intends to carry its cultural philosophy throughout the partnership, developing experiences at the intersection of the retail and art sectors, whilst also supporting the global growth and visibility of Korea's art market.
The group also aims to strengthen Seoul as a platform for exchange between Korean and international artists, galleries, collectors and cultural institutions.
"Through innovative projects that redefine the customer experience, Shinsegae Group continues to shape the future of retail and urban lifestyle in Korea," the company explained.
Shinsegae Group has expanded its portfolio and now spans e-commerce, hotels and leisure, food and beverage, fashion, lifestyle, construction, IT, venture investment, and professional sports.
Its commitment to "bringing art into everyday life" began in 1963, with the opening of the Shinsegae Gallery, the first art gallery established by a Korean retailer.
To learn more about Shinsegae Group, visit its website.
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