‘Only here because of T.O.P.’ Hong Kong K-pop fans throng art auction
Big Bang singer’s role as co-curator generates unprecedented interest in Sotheby’s #TTTOP sale – even though 28-year-old was only there in spirit, having flown out a day earlier – with schoolgirls queueing to get in
Auction houses worldwide are keen to shed their fusty image and get the younger generation interested in collecting, so getting a K-pop superstar to co-curate an art sale on was a strategic move by Sotheby’s Hong Kong.
T.O.P., a 28-year-old rapper whose real name is Choi Seung-hyun, is a member of Big Bang, Asia’s biggest-selling pop group. He has the looks, the money and a serious collection of international contemporary art to make him the perfect ambassador for an auction house. His tastes are wide- ranging – from Korean dansaekhwa to German post-war paintings – a fact reflected in the sale, called #TTTOP after Choi’s Instagram handle.
It must have received more attention than any auction ever held in Hong Kong, simply because Choi kept posting updates to his 5.8 million Instagram followers.
Sure enough, the star’s pulling power was sufficient to bring some first-time visitors to the Sotheby’s auction room, even if he was only there in spirit (he left Hong Kong the previous day, causing havoc at the airport).