To many in South Korea, “Dream Gream” (드림그림) – which in Korean means “Paint Dream” – is a unique cultural phenomenon. Marked by its active collaboration with the local community and participation in prestigious art fairs, what started out as an arts scholarship programme for young artists has achieved the rare feat of delivering large-scale social impact to the country.
Han Sung Motor Co., one of LSH Auto Holdings’s main businesses in South Korea as well as one of the largest premium auto and Mercedes-Benz dealer groups in the market, has a distinctive approach to CSR – using arts in giving back to society. “There are two reasons why we chose arts. First of all, we consider the design of our Mercedes-Benz vehicles as artworks. Secondly, we are fascinated with the potential and impact of arts for our common future,” said Han Sung Motor Co. CEO Dr. Ulf Ausprung. Paint Dream started in 2012 as an arts scholarship programme providing financial aid to highly artistic middle-school students from underprivileged backgrounds.
Soon entering its 8th year, Paint Dream has expanded to providing students with artist mentoring in fine art, digital art as well as installation art. It takes in as many as 40 students each year, and sees them through until they enter university. But Paint Dream doesn’t stop here. The vision is not purely to support the artistic and educational development of its students. More importantly, it aims to nurture the flourishing of the human being, giving them the tools, encouragement and environment to develop – and to become a responsible citizen that gives back to their community in turn. It is with this spirit that Paint Dream organises regular sessions whereby its students benefit from mentoring and co-creation opportunities with South Korea’s well-known professional artists. Paint Dream also invites “Ambassadors”, who are experienced executives at Han Sung Motor Co., as well as university mentors, to work with the students on developing real-life social skills through workshops and mentorships.
In 2017, Paint Dream students became the first amateur artists to enter Asia’s prestigious Korea International Art Fair (KIAF), where Korean artists met the world in a common market for high-quality art pieces. This year in October, Paint Dream once again took part in the KIAF, exhibiting its students’ art works in the section named Han Sung Motor Paint Dream Art Exhibition. “The idea was to give Paint Dream students, who are upcoming artists in their own right, more exposure of their artworks, and a touch of real-world feedback,” Dr. Ausprung told The Korea Herald during the Fair in Seoul. “Society grows best when industry and culture grow in harmony. When we build a business, we build it for the decades to come. So being part of the social fabric of the local community is important. We are in a long-term collaboration for Paint Dream and South Korea.” More recently, Han Sung Motor Co. has revamped the Paint Dream website to share the vision behind the programme as well as to exhibit the art works co-created by Paint Dreamstudents and professional artists.
To stay up to date on the latest news on Paint Dream and art works by its students, visit www.dream-gream.co.kr. To stay up to date on initiatives by LSH Auto Holdings and its businesses, follow us on LinkedIn.