Recipients of the Han Sung Motor’s Dream Gream scholarship recently had the opportunity to showcase their artwork at Plastic Art Seoul 2023, a prestigious art fair in Seoul focusing on sculptures and installations. Han Sung Motor, the official importer of Mercedes-Benz cars in South Korea, has been supporting young artistic talents through this program, offering scholarships and mentorship opportunities.
The exhibition featured the works of 40 students who presented their media art creations based on the theme “The most precious thing in my life 10 years from now.” Each artwork was displayed on an iPad and demonstrated how the pieces could be transformed using an image generator powered by artificial intelligence. By inputting keywords like “Oscar-Claude Monet style” into the AI tool, for example, a student’s artwork could be altered to resemble the distinct style of the renowned French painter, resulting in a unique “collaborative” art piece.
Not only were the students’ works showcased, but they were also reinterpreted by Yang Min-ha, a media artist and professor at the University of Seoul who played a mentoring role for the Dream Gream students. Yang presented his own mashup artwork on a large media wall titled “Waves of Dreams,” where he creatively incorporated the students’ drawings using the same AI tool. As viewers moved in front of the motion sensors installed at the bottom of the installation, millions of white dots formed waves that moved in synchronization with the audience, symbolizing various concepts such as flower seeds, waves, and dreams.
Yang explained that his intention was to challenge the common perception of AI as a potentially threatening technology by showcasing its collaborative potential in producing vibrant cultural expressions. He aimed to change the stereotype surrounding AI and demonstrate its ability to generate new and innovative art forms.
Han Sung Motor plans to continue supporting the Dream Gream students by facilitating their participation in key art fairs in Seoul throughout the year, including the Korea International Art Fair Seoul in September and the Seoul Design Festival in December. Collaborating with the Korea Mecenat Association, the company has been running the scholarship program since 2012, with a total of 279 students and mentors benefiting from the initiative.
Despite the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, Han Sung Motor has increased its budget for social responsibility activities by 14 percent in 2021 compared to the previous year. The company remains committed to expanding its corporate donations and contributing to local communities.
With 38 years of prominence in Korea’s import car market, Han Sung Motor boasts an extensive network of auto importers, including 24 showrooms, 26 service centers, and seven certified secondhand Mercedes-Benz vehicle exhibition sites across the country.
