{"id":139455,"date":"2026-09-01T15:53:03","date_gmt":"2026-09-01T15:53:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/korea\/139455\/"},"modified":"2026-09-01T15:53:03","modified_gmt":"2026-09-01T15:53:03","slug":"a-paradise-city-of-gambling-celebrities-and-art-in-seoul","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/korea\/139455\/","title":{"rendered":"A \u201cParadise City\u201d of Gambling, Celebrities and Art in Seoul"},"content":{"rendered":"

\t\t\"ImageYayoi Kusama\u2019s Great Gigantic Pumpkin\u00a0in the entrance to Paradise City. Paradise City<\/p>\n

(Editor\u2019s note: This article was originally published in September 2024.) Gambling is illegal in South Korea, a country that strives to curb socially dangerous addictions. However, as with most places with such prohibitions, there are exceptions. Here, that exception is Paradise City, a unique complex just outside Seoul near Incheon Airport, where only foreigners can gamble but many South Koreans nonetheless visit to enjoy the mega mall, a 5-star luxury hotel, restaurants and the unique on-site collection of contemporary art.<\/p>\n

That art is seamlessly integrated throughout the complex in a design scheme often described as \u201cart-tainment.\u201d As a testament to the strength of the connection between Paradise City and South Korea\u2019s cultural and artistic scene, the complex has, since Frieze Seoul<\/a>\u2019s inaugural edition, hosted a mega party, Paradise Art Night, which celebrates the fair and kicks off a week of cultural events. Attendees have included K-celebrities and international stars, who are invited\u2014or in some cases paid\u2014to attend.<\/p>\n

\"StatueParadise Art Space has several works on permanent display, including Jeff Koons\u2019s Farnese Hercules (Glazing Ball) and Damien Hirst\u2019s Auros Cyanide. Dongwook Jung<\/p>\n

Observer explored this unusual \u201cparadise\u201d during Seoul Art Week 2024, taking a tour of the complex and its art collection before the festivities began. This year\u2019s Art Week event was co-hosted by music producer Pharrell Williams<\/a>, who promoted his latest venture, the auction platform Joopiter<\/a>, unveiling G-Dragon<\/a>\u2019s collection, now available for sale. Titled \u201cNothing but a \u2018G\u2019 Thang: The Art & Archive of G-Dragon,\u201d the sale features a selection of G-Dragon\u2019s fashion items, contemporary artworks, design objects and memorabilia, as well as specially commissioned art for the event.<\/p>\n

G-Dragon, one of the most popular K-pop stars and a former member of the iconic band BIGBANG, is known for his deep passion for the arts. He was one of the first K-pop celebrities to publicly share his art collection, helping make art collecting \u201ctrendy\u201d in South Korea.<\/p>\n

That same night, Paradise Art Night celebrated Josh Sperling\u2019s exhibition Wonder\u2014the artist\u2019s first show in South Korea. Organized by Perrotin<\/a>, the show features pieces from Sperling\u2019s signature colorful \u201cSpiral\u201d series and several of his \u201cSquiggle\u201d benches, creating a kaleidoscopic environment that overstimulates the senses and hypnotically draws visitors into the rhythm of the forms and color gradients that dominate the space.<\/p>\n

\"ImageAt Paradise City, there are thirty pieces from artist Josh Sperling\u2019s \u201cSpiral\u201d series and 26 of his \u201cSquiggle\u201d benches. Photo: Park Myungrae<\/p>\n

Pharrell Williams, in a large light blue hat, showed up early to visit the exhibition accompanied by a sizeable entourage. With him was G-Dragon, who attracted a large assemblage of excited Korean teens who descended upon Paradise City\u2019s indoor plaza hoping to take a picture of their idol. Both celebrities ultimately disappointed many of the event\u2019s attendees, who were hoping to see performances at the night\u2019s festivities. Instead, Williams and G-Dragon disappeared shortly after the gala dinner for an exclusive group of VIP guests.<\/p>\n

After the show\u2019s opening and auction preview, most of the crowd headed to Chroma Club for the afterparty. Designed by Amsterdam-based firm MVDRV, the club features futuristic architecture resembling a massive art installation inspired by the idea of a melting sun. In this psychedelic atmosphere, guests enjoyed a strange mix of cakes, hot dogs and fried panzerotti, along with unending drinks. K-rapper Simon Dominic<\/a> and American rapper Pusha-T<\/a> took the stage, eventually drawing the Korean crowd onto the dancefloor. Among the attendees, Observer spotted artist Daniel Arsham<\/a> and the Perrotin team, along with numerous Korean celebrities and influencers.<\/p>\n

\"PhotoG-dragon and Pharell Williams at Paradise City\u2019s pre-Frieze event. Courtesy Paradise City
\nThe couple behind Paradise City and its art<\/p>\n

Paradise City is the product of a joint venture between Korea\u2019s Paradise Group, which is owned by art collector Phillip Chun, and Japan\u2019s Sega Sammy, a corporation focused on entertainment and gaming. The luxury complex opened in 2017 following an initial investment of $1.7 billion. Its museum-worthy art collection, which features over 3,000 artworks with 280 of those displayed in public areas and the rest in private rooms, reflects Phillip Chun and his wife Elizabeth Chun\u2019s decades-long passion for collecting art. Ranked among ArtNews\u2019 top 200 collectors worldwide, they reportedly have one of South Korea\u2019s most notable collections of contemporary and modern art. Chun has described Paradise Art Space\u2014the complex\u2019s expansive exhibition gallery\u2014as \u201ca hub of new Asian modern and contemporary art where Korean and global cultures are brought together.\u201d Indeed, the couple can afford to spare no expense in acquiring and commissioning artwork for the complex, as Forbes estimates that Phillip Chun\u2019s net worth is roughly $765 million.<\/p>\n

\"SculptureDamien Hirst, Golden Legend. 259 x 226 x 457 cm. Courtesy of Paradise City<\/p>\n

Among the collection\u2019s highlights are unique commissions by blue-chip artists created specifically for Paradise City. These include a stunning series of gold and silver prison-cell-inspired canvases by Peter Halley that dominate the hotel\u2019s reception area, a gold-and-flesh horse by Damien Hirst<\/a> at the entrance and an iconic Yayoi Kusama pumpkin<\/a> leading the way into the casino. Guests strolling through the hotel\u2019s corridors will also see works by prominent Korean artists such as Lee Bae<\/a>, Park Seo-Bo<\/a>, Kim Hodeuk and Kim Tschang-Yeul, reflecting the Chun\u2019s commitment to promoting both the Korean art scene and contemporary art history.<\/p>\n

In the spacious indoor plaza surrounded by restaurants, there are several impressive sculptures, including Jeff Koons<\/a>\u2019 Hercules with his signature Gazing Ball, a monumental piece by KAWS<\/a> and a gold canvas by Damien Hirst. Monumental sculptural works also populate the complex\u2019s outdoor greenspaces\u2014there are Subodh Gupta<\/a>\u2019s towering stainless-steel utensil installation, Ugo Rondinone<\/a>\u2019s colorful neon sign Dog Days Are Over and Anish Kapoor<\/a>\u2019s polished metal curvilinear C-Curve. Since 2018, Paradise Art Space has regularly hosted exhibitions curated by notable figures like Seoul-based fashion designer and director Jung Kuho. It is currently showing the aforementioned Josh Sperling exhibition.<\/p>\n

The only potentially controversial feature of this otherwise exceptional art experience is the \u201cParadise Walk.\u201d Described on the complex\u2019s website as \u201can exceptional experience that stimulates the visual and auditory senses at all times, with the traditional Korean five-color light,\u201d the installation by the collective Wonder Medium bears a striking resemblance to James Turrell\u2019s works, leaving some to wonder if it is an homage\u2014or simply a poor imitation. Otherwise, Paradise City really does stand out as a successful example of an \u201cart-tainment\u201d destination that can stand on its own in an increasingly crowded cultural landscape.<\/p>\n

\"ImageKAWS, Together. 600 x 452 x 337 cm. Courtesy of Paradise City
\nMore from Seoul<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Yayoi Kusama\u2019s Great Gigantic Pumpkin\u00a0in the entrance to Paradise City. Paradise City (Editor\u2019s note: This article was originally…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":139456,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[70948,70942,12923,519,70943,36927,70949,2628,17586,333,6120,2285,70947,70953,49008,31,64701,70944,21241,70954,70945,42844,112,70950,33,70952,70951,70946],"class_list":["post-139455","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-seoul","tag-anish-kapoor","tag-art-collectors","tag-arts","tag-asia","tag-chroma-club","tag-damien-hirst","tag-daniel-arsham","tag-features","tag-frieze-seoul","tag-g-dragon","tag-galleries","tag-international","tag-jeff-koons","tag-joopiter","tag-kaws","tag-korea","tag-lee-bae","tag-paradise-city","tag-park-seo-bo","tag-perrotin","tag-pharrell-williams","tag-pusha-t","tag-seoul","tag-simon-dominic","tag-south-korea","tag-subodh-gupta","tag-ugo-rondinone","tag-yayoi-kusama"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/korea\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/139455","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/korea\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/korea\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/korea\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/korea\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=139455"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/korea\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/139455\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/korea\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/139456"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/korea\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=139455"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/korea\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=139455"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/korea\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=139455"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}