HONG KONG.- Sotheby’s announced an inaugural collaboration with Korean art collector and entertainment artist T.O.P, who will guest-curate a special contemporary art evening sale in Hong Kong to take place on 3 October 2016.

Entitled #TTTOP, the sale makes reference to the music and film icon’s five-million-plus-follower Instagram handle, a celebrated platform on which he records and shares his daily artistic encounters. Envisioned for young collectors of his generation, the sale represents not only T.O.P’s curatorial debut at auction, but also the first auction for which Sotheby’s Hong Kong has partnered with a young collector as the curator. T.O.P curated the sale with no compensation, and a portion of the proceeds will be donated to the Asian Cultural Council to enable cultural exchanges that nurture the talents of emerging artists in Asia and the United States.

An award-winning rapper, singer-songwriter and actor, T.O.P’s stellar showbiz presence is matched by his influence as a passionate young art collector in Asia. His interest in designer furniture and contemporary art stems from a deeprooted appreciation of artists across disciplines, and has carried over to many art-related projects in recent years. T.O.P has co-curated the contemporary Asian art exhibition ‘The Eye Zone’ at ArtScience Museum in Singapore and, contributed part of his collection to Yang Haegue’s exhibition in Samsung Museum of Art. In 2015, Prudential Eye Awards honoured T.O.P with the Visual Culture Award.

“Some say that meeting your ideal partner is a work of destiny. I would say the same for the chances of coming across a great artwork. Once a piece enters my life, we become lifelong companions destined to love each other.” –T.O.P