.ART

As digital screens become embedded in the fabric of urban life, questions arise about how these surfaces are used—and who they serve. .ART interviewed the team behind LED.ART, a platform jointly operated by d’strict and CGV, that is rethinking the role of media art in public space. Their model is built on curated digital works designed specifically for large-scale displays—installed not in museums or galleries, but in hotel lobbies, airports, and city squares.

Rather than treating public screens as placements for commercial content, LED.ART approaches them as spaces for cultural exchange. Their projects—like the monumental WAVE in Seoul’s K-POP Square or WATERFALL in New York’s Times Square—have attracted global attention, not only for their technical execution but for the way they temporarily transform the experience of the place.

Digital art is not an afterthought layered onto space—it is a structural element in how space is designed, felt, and remembered. 

In the conversation that follows, the LED.ART team speaks about how they select and support artists, how they balance artistic visions with spatial sensitivity, and why their curatorial framework favors emotional impact over spectacle. For LED.ART, digital art is not an afterthought layered onto space—it is a structural element in how space is designed, felt, and remembered. 

How would you define LED.ART’s core vision, and what motivates your commitment to integrating digital art into physical environments?

LED.ART’s core vision is to transform everyday spaces into meaningful cultural experiences through premium digital art.

This began with WAVE in 2020 at Seoul’s K-POP Square, where a massive digital wave captured global attention and revealed the emotional power of public digital art—even in spaces dominated by advertising. WATERFALL in Times Square further reaffirmed our belief: that digital art can go beyond decoration to reshape cityscapes and deliver moments of awe and inspiration.

To the public, LED.ART brings beauty and imagination to urban life. For our clients, we offer curated content that enhances the cultural and commercial value of space.

In what ways do you see LED.ART reshaping the relationship between contemporary art, technology, and public space?

LED.ART is helping to reshape how we perceive and engage with contemporary art by moving it beyond the exclusivity of galleries and into the public realm—integrating it seamlessly into the rhythm of city life. While traditional art often values uniqueness and physical presence, we are living in a time where digital imagery and screen-based experiences are familiar, and digital expression is increasingly being embraced as a valid form of contemporary art.

By leveraging cutting-edge display technology, LED.ART brings media art into everyday spaces—offices, hotels, plazas—where it can be experienced by anyone, at any time. This democratization of art lies at the heart of our philosophy: Media Art Everywhere. Our curated works dissolve the boundary between art and daily life, offering not just decoration, but emotional moments, unexpected inspiration, and new ways of experiencing space.

Collaborations with artists are central to your work. What do you look for in a creative partner, and how do you support their vision within your platform’s framework?

At LED.ART, we look for artists who embody creativity, originality, and authenticity—those with a clear worldview and a distinctive artistic style. Since many of our artworks are installed in high-traffic public spaces, we carefully consider how each piece’s theme and visual elements resonate with its surroundings and engage a broad audience.

Because our platform specializes in large-format digital displays, format suitability is also a key factor. Even a visually compelling piece may lose impact if its resolution is too low or if the motion is excessively fast—both of which can reduce quality or cause visual discomfort on large screens.

As LED.ART gains more visibility, we’re seeing a steady increase in collaboration inquiries from artists. To help their work reach wider audiences, we provide dedicated artist pages on our website enriched with curated content, and we actively offer exhibition opportunities through both social media and offline channels. We also supply artists with professional promotional assets and ensure fair licensing compensation for their work.

Additionally, we share an annual Trend Report based on insights from our platform and curatorial team, which has been well received by our creative community.

You collaborate with artists worldwide. What criteria do you use to select artists, and how do you ensure a cohesive platform while supporting diverse creative voices?

We value diversity in visual language, concepts, and backgrounds. Importantly, we do not interfere with the artist’s creative process. However, many artists who work with us gradually come to understand what works well within the LED.ART ecosystem—often through our annual trend reports, technical consultations, and visual references. Some even reach out to us when creating new works specifically for the platform, asking for feedback to better align with display scale, motion dynamics, or audience context.

Because LED.ART has extensive experience with large-scale media and a deep archive of data and use cases, our curatorial direction forms naturally over time. This balance—between curatorial consistency and artistic freedom—allows us to maintain a dynamic yet cohesive platform.

What’s your curatorial approach to selecting collections? Do you follow specific themes, visual styles, or narratives?

At LED.ART, we curate a diverse and high-quality selection of works specifically suited for large-scale public media displays. Ours is not an open platform—each artist and artwork is carefully reviewed and selected. We don’t simply build static collections; we offer tailored curations based on the needs of individual clients and the nature of each space.

For each project, we first define a few key concepts that emotionally and visually resonate with the client’s identity and spatial context. Based on these concepts, we select works that align in mood, movement, and theme. During this process, we consider practical factors such as display size and placement, surrounding environment, and primary audience behavior. This ensures each collection feels both site-specific and aesthetically coherent.

Who are your primary clients and partners? Could you share standout projects or case studies?

Our primary clients include large office lobbies, hotels, major hospitals, high-end shopping malls, and DOOH media operators. These partners go beyond simply installing hardware—they understand the value of curated digital art as a way to elevate both spatial and brand experiences.

We’ve worked on several memorable projects. One example is WUHAN MIXC, a shopping mall in China, where instead of a traditional flat screen, a cylindrical LED structure was installed as a sculptural centerpiece. Although there were initial concerns, the result was striking—our media artworks transformed the structure into an immersive visual experience that left a strong impression.

Another highlight is the Baskin Robbins flagship store located on the first floor of the brand’s headquarters. The entire curved wall of the store was wrapped in media art. By curating diverse artworks around the concept of “variety of flavors,” we were able to continuously shift the ambiance in alignment with the brand identity.

In many cases, companies tend to prioritize hardware over content. But two clients stood out in this regard: Centerfield in Seoul and Incheon International Airport. Both recognized media art not as mere decoration, but as a meaningful element that enhances the value of the space and delivers beauty and emotion to the people who use it.

As new media art evolves, how is LED.ART exploring emerging technologies like interactive art, AR, VR, or generative AI-driven installations?

We’re continuously exploring how emerging technologies can expand the expressive potential of digital art in physical spaces. While our core remains focused on screen-based content, we actively observe developments in interactive and generative systems that respond to spatial dynamics or audience movement.

That said, implementing such experiences requires more than just displays—it involves complex infrastructures such as CMS integration, sensor recognition systems, cameras, and computing hardware. For now, full realization is limited by these technical and operational challenges. Still, we view these technologies as powerful tools that can deepen the emotional and aesthetic connection between viewers and space, and we remain open and adaptive to incorporating them as the ecosystem matures.

What excites you most about the future of digital art in physical spaces, and how is LED.ART positioned to lead that transition?

What excites us most about the future of digital art in physical spaces is the shift toward environments where media itself becomes part of the architecture—not just something viewed, but something spatially experienced.

We see digital art evolving beyond content consumption into something that shapes memorable places and creates lasting impressions.

At LED.ART, we aim to lead this transition by serving as a bridge between cities and people—a platform where technology, art, and space converge. Our goal is to establish digital art not as a layer on top of space, but as an integral part of how space feels, functions, and inspires.

What advice do you offer aspiring digital media artists hoping to work with LED.ART?

Many digital artists have told us that seeing their work installed in a large public space for the first time feels entirely different from viewing it on a monitor. The shift in scale, lighting, and environmental context often reveals new emotional and spatial layers within the work.

For artists hoping to collaborate with LED.ART, a great starting point is to imagine how your work could transform the atmosphere of a space. Go beyond visual completeness—consider what kind of emotional experience your piece might offer to people passing by, pausing, or inhabiting that environment. Think about rhythm, presence, the surrounding architecture or natural light, and how your work responds to the energy of the space.

A work that looks strong on a monitor may not always translate well in a large-scale public setting. Ultimately, media art becomes most powerful when it extends beyond the screen—into space, into emotion, and into the viewer’s experience.

Why did you choose .ART as your online address? What does it signify for LED.ART?

“.ART” is more than just a domain—it represents LED.ART’s identity as an art-driven platform. It delivers our vision and values in the most direct and intuitive way.

We wanted to make it clear that LED.ART is not a tech-centric company, but a media platform with art at its core. We believe that this philosophy is perfectly embodied in the ‘.ART’ domain.