JOHANNESBURG, South Africa – 20 July 2020 – Welcome to part two of our series spotlighting the artists and institutions behind The Frame’s one-stop art shop, the Art Store. In part one, we met illustrator Hyun Kim, who discussed how The Frame has helped his playful illustrations find a wider audience. Here, we turn our attention to the curation process in a wide-ranging interview with the Store’s official curator: a world-renowned art advisor who’s spent the last 15 years creating bespoke art experiences, Elise Van Middelem.

Q: What are your main responsibilities as The Frame’s Art Curator & Advisor?

My responsibilities range from researching and recommending artists, to contacting the right partners, selecting specific artwork, and defining key categories.

Q: How long have you been curating art for The Frame?

In 2016, Samsung and [Swiss designer] Yves Béhar reached out to me to collaborate on The Frame, and I was immediately attracted by the possibility of demystifying the art experience. For me, art is a second language – a lens that has helped me understand people from all backgrounds and cultures. Our goal was to make The Frame’s art collection accessible to anyone in this way, which is why it includes artists from the four corners of the world – from Southeast Asia to Canada, and from South Africa to Europe.

We decided to start with a wide selection of artworks covering a variety of categories, including Landscapes, Architecture, Wildlife, Drawings, Digital Art, Action, Still Life, Patterns, Urban Abstract and from Above. This offered The Frame users the feeling that they owned a curated art collection of museum quality.

The names of the categories speak for themselves. However, within each one, my goal was to find artwork that transcends the experience of traditional wallpaper or stock photography and to replicate the feeling of entering a digital gallery exhibition in which every artwork has been carefully selected. The curation and integration of an Art Store within The Frame came at a later stage.

Q: How have the artists and partners you’ve collaborated with responded to The Frame?

The artists I’ve worked with see it as a great idea that could really change people’s perceptions about how art can be displayed. They’re excited by how it invites art into your home so it can affect you in your own space, at your own pace, and in your own time.

Q: How do you come up with themes for new collections?

The initial set of themes for the Art Store grew naturally out of the creation of The Frame’s art collection. It was a wonderful base to work with and expand from. Today, themes come with moods. Ideally, we would want anyone to be able to find artwork that fits their mood of the day.

If you take a look at the Art Store’s most popular pieces, you’ll find that the majority of users are drawn to images depicting tranquil scenery, and to the works of the Old Masters. Examples of the former include the Art Store’s most viewed piece, Julia Contacessi’s “Odyssey,” as well as Liesl Marelli’s calming “Ripples of Low Tide II” and Sandy Dooley’s playfully colourful “Painting for Mary.” Classic pieces like Vincent van Gogh’s “The Starry Night” and “Almond Blossom” have also struck a chord, which shows that users are most interested in artwork that brings a bit of Nature, or beautiful scenery, into their homes.

Q: Is there a collection in the Art Store that you’re particularly proud of?

I hold the experience of curating the first collection of artworks for The Frame very close to my heart. It was a unique opportunity to collaborate with various artists from around the world to create the most comprehensive, accessible, and stunning museum-quality art collection, exclusively for The Frame. Through the hands-on experience of curating that collection, I learned what works really well on The Frame. In that way, each collection feels very personal, and each means a lot to me.

Q: In a word, how would you describe your curation process?

Adventurous!

Q: What do you find most exciting about helping people discover incredible works of art?

Like many of my colleagues in the art world, what I find most exciting about The Frame is that it lets art affect you in your own space and in your own time. The Frame has the potential to change our perception of viewing art – how it is approached, collected, and displayed. It allows anyone to learn about art through living with it.

Q: What kinds of artwork would we find on your Frame?

I love to display the drawings of Clare Rojas and Ruby Onyinyechi Amanze, which are available in The Frame’s art collection. Moreover, there are some wonderful works of art, that allow us to bring nature into our homes! Decorating your living space with the landscapes of Cody Cobb, the ‘natural world’ photography of the BBC, and the V&A’s beautiful wallpaper patterns is a fun way to ‘rewild’ yourself during these extraordinary times!

Q: Could you offer any details on what you’re curating right now?

The goal with The Frame was always to create collections that would transcend cultures and backgrounds, amongst other things. These extraordinary times have left us wanting to bring nature closer to our homes. That’s the main idea behind a collection we’re launching soon, called “Biophilia.”

Nature-based collections – for example, artworks depicting flowers in spring or the sea in the summer – have proven particularly popular with Art Store users. I am very much looking forward to seeing our newest nature-inspired collection make its debut.

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa – 22 July 2020 – Illustrator Hyun Kim has been working as an artist for 18 years now, bringing to life the joy found in the ‘every day’ with his art – but nowadays at the forefront of his mind are questions about what could be next for him in getting his art to new audiences and how to keep the process exciting. Then Samsung’s lifestyle TV, The Frame, came along.

Kim’s works are imbued with a sense of warmth relatable both to adults and children, conveying fairy-tale-like stories to users of The Frame all over the world.

In order to learn more about how Kim’s work and The Frame came together in such harmony, Samsung Newsroom visited Kim’s workshop.

Creating Magical Worlds for All Ages

Kim’s work expresses those universal childhood experiences that both children and adults cherish, including the beauty of nature, time spent playing with friends and the magical world of children’s toys. “I always try my best to portray the world as seen through the eyes of children, a world of warmth and lovely things,” explained Kim. “I want those who view my art to find comfort in it – just as they would in an embrace from their mother.”

‘Gooly Gooly Friends’ by Hyun Kim. This artwork tells the story of friends having an adventure deep in a forest

This distinct warmth to Kim’s style is how his collaboration with The Frame came about. Since the living room, where many users’ TVs are situated, is the heart of the home and the centre of the family space, Kim’s work is capable of appealing to both children and adults at the same time. Users can even choose which specific illustrations of Kim’s are showcased onscreen, to make its atmosphere suitable for mealtime, a child’s birthday party or just a relaxing weekend.

As an artist open to new experiences, this collaboration was particularly meaningful for Kim. “I, myself, had purchased The Frame TV because I was interested in the way it allows users to bring artworks straight into their living room,” said Kim. “I was particularly pleased to then be asked to collaborate with The Frame’s Art Mode artwork collection – it fills me with awe to imagine that there might be someone on the other side of the world taking in my art in their living room.”

QLED Colour Quality with an Artist’s Stamp of Approval

Following the invitation to collaborate, the artists involved, including Kim, got to work selecting which pieces were to be included in The Frame’s gallery. Given the wide range of users The Frame has, the artists had to carefully consider how to appeal to all tastes. “As I wanted to choose works of mine that could be enjoyed by all members of the family, I visited many families with children to see which works appealed most,” explained Kim. “The artworks of mine that I ended up choosing are subsequently ones that are easy to understand and very family-friendly.”

In order to ensure that the original feeling of his artworks was delivered through the screen of The Frame, Kim also worked on his artworks’ digital optimisation process. When creating physical copies of his artworks, such as prints or exhibition versions, Kim had often been limited with accurate colour rendering as print colours can only be realised using the four ink colours of magenta, cyan, yellow and black. However, digital colours have no such limitations, meaning the colouring of the digital versions of Kim’s artworks can be rendered more accurately.

Kim’s artworks were realised for The Frame using QLED Quantum Dot technology which is able to realise 100% of the artwork’s original colour, detailing and texture. “When my artworks are printed on paper, the colours often end up being slightly different to my original work,” said Kim. “However, The Frame delivers my artworks coloured as I originally did, ensuring that my original intention is conveyed to users. Artists like myself are often very sensitive about the colouration of their artworks in reproduction, but The Frame’s 4K Ultra High Definition has left me very satisfied.”

Getting Closer to Art Without Leaving Your Living Room

“With The Frame, you will find yourself encountering more and more art on the regular,” noted Kim. “As a result, you’ll be able to discover your own personal taste based on the works that you enjoy the most.”

Kim hopes that users of The Frame find his artworks peaceful when they encounter them on The Frame’s Art Mode. “You don’t need a lot of time or thought to understand my artwork,” he noted. “I want to make art pieces that give users the same feeling as comfortable clothing does; I hope my illustrations provide a moment of relaxation in the midst of users’ busy days.”

The homely world of Hyun Kim’s artworks is waiting for viewers in The Frame

* Users looking to discover Kim’s Gooly Gooly Friends in The Frame’s Art Store artwork collection can head to Partner > TONYBUNNY or Artists > GOOLYGOOLY.