Being a true collector involves a lot more than just buying art. Sometimes, it requires advocating for artists inside bureaucratic institutions, match-making between creators and museums, and even selling yourself to a protective art dealer in order to convince them you will be a fitting custodian of a great work. Our 2026 Young Collectors share a commitment to going above and beyond for the chance to live with art they love.
Age: 35
Based In: Seoul
As a writer, curator, and founder of the art agency Creative Resource, Um has worked to build bridges between the Korean and American art worlds. A similar interest in boundary-crossing and cultural exchange defines his collection of cerebral yet tactile contemporary art.
Every collector has made a rookie mistake or two. What was your most memorable?
Early on, I bought purely on instinct—whatever caught my eye. Over time, I realized the problem wasn’t trusting my gut, but failing to consider how the work connected to its contemporary moment and to my own identity. My focus has since shifted from collecting objects to capturing something more elusive: the spirit of the times. For me, collecting is a way of preserving the present, so that years from now, I can look back and share these snapshots of contemporary life with others.
Who do you credit with teaching you how to navigate the art world?
I’ve been lucky to have mentors who’ve each opened up the art world for me. Commonwealth and Council played a huge role in helping me find my footing as a collector. They introduced me to artists like Suki Seokyeong Kang and Gala Porras-Kim, whose practices really shifted how I think about collecting. Grace Liptak from Skarstedt is a dear friend as much as a mentor; and our ongoing conversations mean a lot to me. More recently, Margaret Kross of Romance has become a real source of inspiration. I stumbled onto her program at NADA Miami, and I’ve been learning so much from her ever since.
Tell us about the journey to a particularly hard-won acquisition.
Acquiring a work by Gala Porras-Kim was one of the hardest ones. Her practice was gaining serious institutional momentum at the time, and the wait list felt genuinely out of reach—especially as someone still relatively new to the U.S. scene. What I wanted to convey to the gallery wasn’t just that I loved the work, but why it mattered to me specifically, how her interrogation of cultural fragments spoke directly to my own experience. That took time. Proving that my interest came from real engagement, rather than just wanting to own something, eventually made the difference. When it finally came through, it felt less like a purchase and more like the beginning of an ongoing responsibility to the work.
What area of collecting are you excited to dig deeper into?
I’m increasingly drawn to artists who push at the boundaries of materiality, color, and medium. In this A.I. moment, I find myself gravitating toward work that foregrounds the irreplaceable human hand—the physical energy and specificity that comes from a body making decisions in real time.
Name three artists you are particularly excited about right now.
Lotus L. Kang, Florian Krewer, and Ken Gun Min.
If you could sit down for lunch with one artist, living or dead, who would it be?
Marcel Duchamp. I just want to be in the room with him.
Do you see collecting as an extension of skills you’ve honed in your day job, or an escape from them?
The analytical habits I’ve built professionally—learning to look carefully, to question what’s actually good versus what just looks good—carry over into how I approach acquiring work. It goes the other way, too. The freedom I give myself as a collector, to follow curiosity without an agenda or a client, loosens something that I bring back to the work. The professional eye ensures the quality, and the collector’s heart ensures the passion.
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