T.O.P with Kaneuji Teppei’s Avalanche, 2016. Photo courtesy of Sothebys Hong Kong
K-pop has taken over Asia, as we recently reported, to the point that even the art market couldn’t escape. Sotheby’s Hong Kong recently enlisted South Korean rapping sensation Choi Seung Hyun (aka. T.O.P) to serve as guest curator for their October sale to incredible results.
The auction, which has been given the title “#TTTOP” is in honour of the star’s five-million-follower Instagram account – an enormous following which created a level of buzz for the Hong Kong sale. On October 3, surpassing all predictions, Sotheby’s sales totaled HK$136 million ($17.4 million), a figure which is a record for a sale of Western art in Hong Kong, according to auction house.
This actually wasn’t the first time Seung Hyun has ventured into the art world. Citing his family of creatives as the reason for his love of art, T.O.P had serious contributions to two major contemporary art exhibitions last year. As well as co-curating contemporary Asian art exhibition “The Eye Zone,” the star also backed “Haegue Yang: Shooting the Elephant Thinking the Elephant” by loaning works from his private collection. “I hope the event will help provide a stable workplace for the young, financially struggling artists” said T.O.P previous to the auction.
The excitement of one of Asia’s favourite pop-starts being involved in the auction drew in a much younger crowd that was recorded for the other autumn auctions, and also brought sales up for the three month period. European buyers were being outbid by 30-40 year old Asian purchasers, proving that targeting an audience by appealing directly to their interests is going to sell more art. “Combining celebrity and art is not a new formula,” stated art advisor Jehan Chu, before adding “finding someone with T.O.P.’s star power was a coup for Sotheby’s.”
Choi Seung Hyun’s band Big Bang. Image from wikimedia.org
Choi Seung Hyun. Image from bigbangmusic.info