Choi Seung Hyun Tells Where He's Been And Where He's Going

It’s been five years since South Korean rapper Choi Seung Hyun – better known as T.O.P of popular pop group BigBang – disappeared from the public eye. Now he’s back, with plenty to say about where he’s been and where he’s going. Prestige catches up with him over an artistic shoot.

- Nathan Erickson

Among the biggest names in art across Asia, only a handful are artists; the rest are often collectors, many from positions of wealth and power – people who fill their spaces with the priciest, the rarest, the most hyped of pieces.

Choi Seung Hyun is one of the unique few who occupy the role of both artist and collector. But his medium is neither paint nor marble – Choi makes music, and also acts. You might know him better as T.O.P, a member of the original South Korean music phenomenon, BigBang.

Considered one of the biggest young collectors of contemporary art in the region, his star has risen considerably in the business during the past decade. He was invited to lend pieces to Seoul’s Leeum, Samsung Museum of Art, and he also guest-curated an exhibition for Singapore’s ArtScience Museum. In Hong Kong, he co-curated an auction of Asian and Western art for Sotheby’s that raised millions, with part of the proceeds going to support emerging Asian artists.

The dual pop star and art patron is a rare breed: You could look in vain for another who can put names such as Mark Grotjahn and Piet Mondrian into the mouths of millions of young fans. Who better than a creator and collector to speak on the future of art in Asia?

But Choi stepped away from the limelight five years ago. His absence wasn’t meant to be this long – military conscription, which is mandatory for males in Korea, is a two-year spell. After completing his service, Choi all but disappeared – from fans, from interviews, from pop stardom – leaving many wondering how he was feeling, and whether he’d ever return.