HISTORY

Young Sooks world of Modern and Contemporary Art.

The Aggripa Art Gallery and Institute was founded in 1991 on the lovely Island of Koje-Do in South Korea. It was founded by the artist Park Young Sook who graduated from Busan University with majors in both Maths and Art, however the powerful attraction towards art proved to much to resist for Park Young Sook.

Park Young Sook has also studied art at the Alliance & Ecole Nationale Superieure des Beaux Art School based in Paris France and after completing a 6 months intensive art course took further studies at the France Nontta University for Contemporary Art.

After a visit to the beautiful Island of Koje-Do, a one hour fast ferry ride west, from the major port city of Busan, she decided to set up the Aggripa Institute and Gallery in Okpo, the biggest city on the East side of the island of Goeje.           

The Island is well known for its shipbuilding industry, hosting major shipyards including Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineers (DSME) Samsung Heavy Industries (SHI) and many more smaller shipyards. This undoubtedly attracted a major international clientele to the Island and Okpo in particular.

The institute has grown and expanded with the Island offering art classes to the expat communities adults and their children as well as the established classes for korean students of all ages.

Aggripa also accommodates Major Art exhibitions, these are regular events displaying works by some of the most prominent artists in Korea. These events are well attended and the standard of art on show is noted to be the best on the province. Park Young Sooks Paintings are very popular and are fast becoming sought after by collectors and companies alike. Her impressive list of clients includes the Multi National company's building ships or offshore structures in the Shipyards, Chevron Texaco, Sakhlin Oil and Gas, Golar LNG, Total Oil Marine and Seadrill are listed as some of the prominent buyers of her paintings.

The Aggripa institute has formed a close link with the Okpo International School (OIS) offering art clubs and extra tuition when required. It also has links with the well established Koje College in the area.

Park Young Sook has also now opened the new AA gallery in January 2009 in Okpo. The gallery has already hosted some great exhibitions with paintings by some of Korea`s top and distinguished artists.

Today Young Sook's work can be viewed in the many exhibitions held in the province.

Many visitors to the institute looking for the perfect memory to remind them of their visit to Okpo and South Korea have found the "perfect picture" in the gallery. Foreign Company,s looking for paintings for their vessels being built in the local shipyards are frequent visitors . Their help and sponsorship is a welcome and important contribution to the institute and the promotion of art in the area as a whole.

Since the institute was founded many local Korean students both adult and children have attended the art classes and exhibitions held in Aggripa. These students have been supplemented by many foreign students of all ages who wish to learn both contemporary and modern art, as well as Korean brush style painting

Today Aggripa is accredited to be one of the top venues for art enthusiasts in the Province of Kyungnam.