Young founder of new Seoul art fair Art OnO on why he wants champion emerging artists, and his own curious collection
- Noh Jae-myung has been collecting art for the past 15 years, and has amassed almost 300 paintings and sculptures, with a focus on emerging artists
- He talks about his coming Seoul art fair Art OnO, which will feature artworks from around 40 galleries from 15 countries around the world
Tucked away in the winding alleys of Sinchon, a bustling university neighbourhood in western Seoul, stands a rather unassuming three-storey building.
But its modest size and sombre grey facade belie the visual feast within.
Upon entering, visitors are engulfed by a whirlpool of unexpected shapes and colours emanating from every corner. Immediately meeting their gaze is an enigmatic bust that appears to be half-human, half-rabbit. Nearby, waxen legs sprawl upon an equally hollow daybed. On the wall, a two-metre-long canvas is filled with drippy pink brushstrokes and braids of synthetic hair.
These whimsical, grotesque, and downright bizarre sculptures and paintings are part of the collection of nearly 300 artworks amassed by 33-year-old Noh Jae-myung over the past 15 years.
Noh’s private art storage, housing a treasure trove, has turned into an unofficial gathering spot frequented by gallerists, museum patrons, art professionals and fellow collectors from around the globe, who journey to Korea to witness its burgeoning cultural scene.
The vast majority of pieces in his collection are by emerging contemporary artists – Richard Kennedy, Marc Padeu, Choi Ji-won, Rebecca Ackroyd and Megan Rooney, to name but a few – who have caught his attention during visits to galleries and art fairs in Miami, Basel, Hong Kong, Tokyo and Seoul.
