SEOUL, South Korea – illycaffè has created with the art world, is the coffee partner of Frieze Seoul, one of the most important international contemporary art fairs that this year will host over 120 galleries from 30 different countries. The philosophy that has driven the company towards contemporary art stems from an extended interpretation of the concept of “coffee culture” in which the aesthetic dimension plays an important role.
This is how the illy Art Collections were born, the iconic coffee cups that more than 30 years ago transformed an everyday object into a canvas on which more than 125 internationally renowned artists represented their creations.
Visitors and exhibitors of Frieze Seoul who will go to the illy lounge from 6th to 9th September (sector B), will be able to take a coffee break and discover the latest illy Art Collection designed by Judy Chicago, immersed in a space where the beauty of the American artist’s sophisticated design blends with the goodness of the aroma of illy coffee, offering a visual and tactile experience, in contact with contemporary art.
Judy Chicago is known for depicting the roles and achievements of women throughout history and culture. With this illy Art Collection, the artist illustrates the transition from social constraints historically imposed on women to a place of cultural and creative freedom.
Each cup in the collection, through its creativity, represents a female figure of historical importance belonging to different eras: the Queen of France Marie Antoinette; Madame de Staël, novelist, philosopher, and political essayist; feminist writer George Sand; writer Virginia Woolf.
“We are proud to be the global coffee partner of Frieze Seoul, one of the leading international art fairs, with whom we share the core values of passion for inclusiveness and sharing” – says Cristina Scocchia, CEO of illycaffè – iIlycaffè expresses its identity through contemporary art, a world with which it has built a long-term relationship that has lasted more than 30 years”.
