Dooyong Ro on His Hot Seoul Gallery CYLINDER
Dooyong Ro founded the studio and exhibition space CYLINDER ONE after returning to Seoul in 2020, following a two-year sculpture MA at London's Royal College of Art.
A month into opening the space, originally created to showcase his own work, Ro was approached by technician Minseo Kim and artist Wonwoo Lee to put on an exhibition, which would launch his curatorial career.
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The success of which set Ro's curatorial wheels into motion. and CYLINDER ONE was born.
Fast forward three years and over a dozen shows later, Ro now has a second space, CYLINDER TWO, in Yongsan, near young galleries P21 and Whistle.
He admits that running the gallery has been a big learning curve.
'I had no idea about invoicing, no idea about certificates of authenticity, or shipping,' he explains, 'but, it's about learning from your mistakes and growing from them.'
When he was working with Tristan Pigott, a fellow RCA classmate and the first artist to join his roster, he was shocked to discover that shipping a painting cost much more than a seat on a plane.
'However, we came to a shipping agreement, sold out everything and after that I kind of just declared to myself, okay I'm running a gallery.'
Asked about his vision for CYLINDER, Ro is keen to create a space that supports young artists, whom he feels have few opportunities and little support from Korean art institutions and government.
'When I completed my BA from Seoul National University, I was left with little job prospects in the arts and feeling very overwhelmed.'
Addressing this, Ro set up an annual programme 'TORQUE' at CYLINDER that supports undergraduate artists. Named after the rotational force of an engine, (stemming from his love of cars) the programme provides young artists with a chance to exhibit and find gallery representation.
Korean artist Jonghwan Lee is a case in point. 'In February 2021, Lee was included in TORQUE 1 / GEAR SHIFT at CYLINDER ONE'.
'We then did The Preview Seongsu together in April 2022, Art Busan in May 2023, followed by a solo exhibition Hypercube (8 July–13 August 2023) at CYLINDER TWO,' he continues. 'And maybe next year we'll apply to NADA New York in 2024'.
Ro's drive to nurture emerging artists has bagged him a spot at this year's 'Focus Asia', a section at Frieze Seoul (6–9 September 2023) dedicated to solo presentations from Asia-based galleries.
Showcasing work by Korean artist Sinae Yoo, the young curator explains how he was introduced to Yoo's work at her solo exhibition Petrichor (2020) at Studio Concrete in Seoul.
'I was genuinely blown away by the way Yoo effortlessly handled various art forms like moving image, painting, performance, and ceramics. Compared to all the other artists I've encountered in the past, her approach was refreshingly daring and unrestrained.'
'We reconnected two years later, and bonded over our shared interest in daring aesthetics. When the opportunity to apply for Frieze Seoul came about, I thought she would be the perfect artist to make our mark,' he continued.
Ro hopes Korea's art community can benefit from the arrival of Frieze and more international galleries.
'While it's definitely beneficial in that it gives our local talent the opportunity to be appreciated by those further afield, while allowing the local community to be introduced to those outside their current scope, I think it's also important to incubate Korea's own art community and market before it gets fully rooted here as an independent international art fair under the name of Frieze.'
CYLINDER has featured in two of Korea's biggest domestic art fairs, Kiaf PLUS in 2022 and Art Busan 2023, where Ocula Advisory discovered the gallery.
Ro had brought works by Sebastian Burger, Tristan Pigott, and Korean artists Jonghwan Lee and Rim Park, both young painters with figurative and photo-realist styles, who combine abstraction with nature.
And while buying power from young Korean collectors is still on the rise, Art Busan saw more modest activity this year, reported Sherry Paik in Ocula Magazine, with several galleries receiving noticeably fewer visitors and art enquiries.
'While these are well-regarded domestic fairs', Ro explains, 'they predominantly attract a Korean audience, and so for the moment, my collectors are mainly domestic.'
'However, I believe our participation in Frieze Seoul will be a great opportunity for us to meet international collectors and introduce them to our progressive and engaging programme.'
Asked about the gallery's future, Ro says: 'I want to grow with my artists, develop my programme, and enjoy the ride.'
