Collecting: A Map of Taste: Philippe Tirault, Kim Nam Gyu, Jung Seungwoo, Lee Joonhyuck, S2A

S2A is pleased to present Collecting: A Map of Taste from August 12 to September 20, 2025. Through five distinct collections—those of Philippe Tirault, Kim Nam Gyu, Jung Seungwoo, Lee Joonhyuk, and S2A—the exhibition explores how the act of collecting operates as both a perspective and a practice within the currents of contemporary art.

For the individual, collecting is far more than an act of possession; it is a cultural gesture and a mode of self-narration, where aesthetic sensibility, worldview, and historical context converge. The choices a collector makes embody relationships with artists, encounters with a particular time, and the lived experiences and identity of the collector—elements that inevitably intersect with the broader arc of art history.

Each of the five collections on view reveals a distinct sensibility and perspective, together offering a multifaceted portrait of the diversity and individuality of collecting:

Philippe Tirault, a French collector, has steadily sought out Korean antiquities from the vantage point of an outsider, offering a profound meditation on the continuity and distinctive aesthetics of Korean art.

Kim Nam Gyu focuses on the originality of emerging artists in Korea and abroad, building a collection that captures the sensory rhythms of contemporary visual culture.

Jung Seungwoo engages with painting, installation, and sculpture, extending his collecting into public practice through artist support and cultural initiatives via the Ujung Art Foundation.

Lee Joonhyuk has built a deeply personal collection around the core themes of "raw emotion" and "the harshness of reality” selecting works that embody an intimate and often visceral sensibility.

S2A, through a systematic collection of Korean modern and contemporary art, serves as a chronicler—recording and preserving the flow of art history while mapping the terrain of contemporary practice.

Collecting: A Map of Taste traces the aesthetic sensibilities and historical perceptions embodied in these collections, considering both the trajectories of contemporary art and the inner motivations that drive collecting. By bringing together collections from private individuals, a cultural foundation, and a gallery, the exhibition reflects on how collecting can transcend personal taste to embrace public value. Ultimately, it poses both personal and social questions within the context of contemporary art—questions of devotion to art, of engagement with one’s time, and of what we choose to leave behind.