SEOUL, September 01 (AJP) - The Italian Embassy in Seoul opened a joint exhibition of Korean and Italian art Tuesday as part of its Frieze week program, highlighting growing cultural ties between the two countries.
"Italy at Frieze: The Golden Trace" pairs Korean artist Yeesookyung with Italian artist Andrea Francolino at the Italian ambassador's residence in Hannam-dong, central Seoul. Now in its third Seoul edition, the show runs alongside the fifth Frieze Seoul through Saturday, with Bulgari as the main sponsor.
For the opening, rooms inside the ambassador's residence were turned into exhibition spaces, with guests moving between Yeesookyung's ceramic sculptures joined with gold and Francolino's works tracing cracks across concrete and other surfaces.
The reception brought together artists, curators, diplomats and guests for a viewing of the works, opening remarks and a presentation of the exhibition, followed by a decoration ceremony for the head of Bulgari Korea.
Italian Ambassador to South Korea Emilia Gatto said cultural cooperation has long been an important part of relations between Seoul and Rome.
"Korea and Italy have excellent relations, and we have continued to cooperate closely in the cultural field," Gatto said.
She pointed to the 140th anniversary of diplomatic relations in 2024 and the year of mutual cultural exchange in 2025, as well as high-level visits between the two countries this year. Gatto said the exchanges had helped bring the two sides even closer.
The ambassador also described her residence as "not my home" but "a space where Italy and Korea meet," reflecting its role as a venue for cultural exchange.
The two countries elevated their relationship to a special strategic partnership in June.
Chung Hyang-mi, head of the Culture and Arts Policy Office at the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, said the Korean government would work to widen exchanges "across all areas of culture and the arts."
Chung said the exhibition showed "the special power of cultural exchange" by bringing together artists from different cultural backgrounds around the shared themes of cracks and fragments.
She also pointed to the Korea Art Festival running throughout September, bringing together museums, art fairs and exhibitions across the country.
Curated by Valentina Buzzi, "The Golden Trace" looks at cracks and fragments and the new forms that can emerge from them.
Francolino works with fractures in concrete and plaster, using materials including earth, lapis lazuli and 24-karat gold leaf to trace broken surfaces.
Yeesookyung's "Translated Vase" series reassembles ceramic fragments discarded by traditional potters and joins them with gilded seams, leaving the breaks visible rather than trying to conceal them.
Buzzi noted that the Korean word "geum" can refer to gold while also evoking a crack.
"The golden line does not hide the fracture. It makes it visible," she said.
Davide Scalmani, director of the Italian Cultural Institute in Seoul, said art could help create connections beyond national borders.
"Art is not a luxury. It is a necessity of being human beyond national borders," Scalmani said.
The reception also included a ceremony honoring Shawn Junghak Lee, CEO of Bulgari Korea, with the Order of the Star of Italy, an honor conferred by the Italian president.
Gatto described Lee as a strong supporter of Italy and its cultural activities in Korea.
Lee noted that Bulgari was founded in Rome in 1884, the same year Korea and Italy established diplomatic relations.
He said he would take the honor "as a kind of message to myself to continue this commitment and our partnership in the long term."
"The Golden Trace," organized by the Italian Embassy and the Italian Cultural Institute in Seoul in cooperation with Mazzoleni and MASSIMODECARLO galleries, is open by appointment through Sept. 5.
AJP Takeaways
· Italy opened the third Seoul edition of “Italy at Frieze” on Sept. 1, pairing Korean artist Yeesookyung and Italian artist Andrea Francolino at the Italian ambassador’s residence through Sept. 5, with Bulgari as main sponsor.
· The event doubled as a cultural diplomacy platform, with Ambassador Emilia Gatto stressing sustained cultural cooperation and Culture Ministry official Chung Hyang-mi saying Seoul would expand arts and cultural exchanges following the countries’ upgrade to a special strategic partnership in June.
· “The Golden Trace” links the two artists through the idea of fracture and regeneration. Francolino works with cracks in concrete and plaster, while Yeesookyung reassembles discarded ceramic fragments with gold-lined seams.
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