'Villa oasis' dreams of becoming a cultural hub connecting the world beyond Ulsan's cultural space

- Villa Oasis is a century-old Hanok (traditional Korean house) that has been transformed into an art planning studio using textile art to connect the Ulsan region with the global art scene.
- Villa Oasis operates various programs, including educational tufting workshops, a gallery, and an artist residency, aiming to overcome Ulsan's geographical limitations through art.
- The ultimate goal is to grow into a key player that actively shapes Ulsan's cultural policies and programs, developing the institutional capacity to host its own events in direct partnership with the Ulsan city government.

The 'Hanok (traditional Korean house)' in Hwabong-dong, Ulsan Metropolitan City in Korea, with over a century of history that is now proposing a new value. This is the story of Villa Oasis. It has been reborn not as a 'tufting'—where creators punch bundles of yarn through cloth to express their vision—but as an art planning studio that uses textile art as a medium to connect the Ulsan region with the world. Villa Oasis is a prime example of how an individual's creative imagination can transform a local cultural landscape and forge connections with the global art scene.

Sue Bae, CEO of Villa Oasis

Beyond nurturing textile artists and operating an exhibition space, Villa Oasis is also actively building a global community for arts and cultural exchange. This is why it has evolved into a 'complex cultural space' that embraces art as a whole, rather than being limited to a specific craft. What is the story behind Villa Oasis's founding, and what are its goals for the future? We met with Sue Bae, CEO of Villa Oasis, to hear her story.

Home of generations turns into a base that encompasses the world

"The space that makes up Villa Oasis was originally my grandfather's homestead. It was practically a ruin, almost collapsing, but I saw its artistic potential. I wanted to add my own story to this place so layered with history, so I renovated the Hanok and set it up as a small tufting workshop. I believe that even though it had humble beginnings, it became the Villa Oasis of today as countless different experiences accumulated in this space over time."

Bae founded Villa Oasis with a clear goal: to overcome Ulsan's geographical limitations through art. The motivation behind the venture was her desire to connect her unique creative style and identity, centered in her Hwabong-dong workshop, with the global art world. The decision not to foreground tufting was also intentional, as Bae envisioned Villa Oasis to be a cultural hub rather than just a textile workspace.

Villa Oasis Studio in Ulsan city, Korea

Villa Oasis operates a diverse range of programs, including educational tufting workshops, a gallery, and an artist residency. The organization has built an ecosystem where each business model is organically integrated. This structure is the result of a deliberate strategy to simultaneously pursue both artistic value and commercial sustainability.

Villa Oasis operates a variety of cultural experience programs, including tufting workshops and its Art Stay residency

The business is structured around four main pillars, which, while having distinct goals, are designed to be synergistic. The first pillar is the tufting education program, conducted at Villa Oasis’s headquarters, which also serves as the home of the GTA(Global Tufting Association). In addition to offering short-term introductory workshops, the organization runs a full certification program for aspiring artists. Participants visit Ulsan from across Korea and abroad for the training. This educational division serves a dual purpose. Beyond generating revenue, it functions as a critical 'talent pipeline', cultivating skilled individuals who can participate in a variety of future projects.

The second pillar, 'Crafters' handles exhibition planning and curation. Its most notable achievement was successfully hosting 'Korea Craft Week,' a major national festival organized by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

This event proved instrumental in boosting Villa Oasis's public profile and securing its credibility. Today, the Crafters is tasked with the vital role of reinforcing the organization’s public-facing mission and deepening its engagement with the local community.

The Hwamyun Project was instrumental in Villa Oasis's expansion from fine arts into the commercial design sector

The third pillar is the 'Hwamyun' Project, a division focused on the commercial design sector. Through a collaboration with the textile flower brand 'Onzieme', this initiative is expanding Villa Oasis's scope from fine arts into commercial applications. The project has recently undertaken several commercial ventures, including the VMD(Visual Merchandising) for a new showroom near Dosan Park in Seoul and various brand collaboration exhibitions.

Art Stay program allows aspiring and established artists to stay at Villa Oasis for a set period, enabling them to experience a variety of cultural activities

The fourth pillar is the 'Art Stay' program, which offers an immersive residency experience. It is designed for artists and aspiring artists, particularly those participating in the tufting workshops, allowing them to stay at Villa Oasis to live, work, and collaborate. This initiative leverages the organization's core asset: the traditional Korean house, Hanok, in which it is based. Additionally, the program hosts an annual open call for international artists. Through this process, Villa Oasis invites emerging artists from abroad and provides them with a residency, actively facilitating global artistic exchange.

Overcoming the concerns between art and commerciality through various collaborations

Villa Oasis operates on a 'glocal' strategy, aiming to generate local opportunities in Ulsan by promoting artistic value. However, emerging artists alone, whether from Korea or abroad, often struggle to capture widespread public attention.
In response, Bae determined that achieving significant artistic and commercial expansion required the participation of established international artists, and she has begun to act on this assessment.

The effort began with directly inviting prominent international artists to Ulsan, but the recruitment process was fraught with challenges. Initially, Bae traveled abroad herself, presenting proposals to artists in person. Many were skeptical—some even suspecting a scam—upon receiving an exhibition offer from a small workshop in Ulsan, a city less globally recognized than Seoul. After two to three years of persistent persuasion, however, her efforts paid off. A significant breakthrough came this past May when Belgian artist Shishi San visited Villa Oasis.

Belgian artist Shishi San participated in the 2025 Korea Craft Week

Bae said, "Once Shishi San participated in the exhibition, we had everyone from domestic and international collectors to media outlets, and even a film actor with an interest in art, coming to Ulsan to see the work". Seeing that response gave her the confidence that even though Villa Oasis is on the outskirts of Ulsan, she can truly overcome our geographical limitations. Alongside the strategy of recruiting established names, Bae remained focused on nurturing emerging artists. The solution involved strategically exhibiting the work of these up-and-coming artists alongside the pieces by the high-profile guest.

Villa Oasis is focused on the challenge of sustainable growth. As the organization scales up, it requires greater investment in personnel and funding, a difficult task given the scarcity of investors in the arts sector. To address this, Bae is developing a new model in partnership with art universities. The program aims to cultivate talent by providing students with practical portfolio-building opportunities and a source of income. Furthermore, Villa Oasis plans to expand its collaborations with local public institutions to build a more stable exhibition environment and strengthen its financial structure.

"Our goal is to solidify our position as a premier art platform with a global reach."

The ultimate goal for Villa Oasis is to grow into a key player that actively shapes Ulsan's cultural policies and programs. This involves developing the institutional capacity to host its own events in direct partnership with the Ulsan city government, rather than relying on competitive government grant programs.

Villa Oasis's goal is to evolve into a leading force in shaping the city's cultural landscape

Crucial support for Villa Oasis's ambitions has come from the Ulsan Design-led Manufacturing Innovation Center, an affiliate of the KIDP(Korea Institute of Design Promotion). The center has provided Villa Oasis with a key opportunity: a platform to showcase its work at the upcoming Maison&Objet design fair in France this September. Bae said, "This has been instrumental in helping us define our direction and establish the standards required for the global market. We expect our participation in Maison&Objet to serve as a launchpad for Villa Oasis's next stage of growth."

Sue Bae, CEO of Villa Oasis

"'Feel alive in my oasis'—that's our brand slogan. The hope is that even in difficult times, people can find respite here and feel truly alive, not stagnant. We are committed to ensuring that this small oasis, which started in the industrial city of Ulsan, can grow into a fountain of culture for the world."

Looking ahead, Bae plans to focus on further connecting Ulsan with the global community through culture. A flagship initiative is a planned simultaneous exhibition in Ulsan and London, a program conceived following the organization's participation in the 2024 London Design Festival. At its core is a two-way exchange: Ulsan artists will be invited to the British, while British artists will be brought to Ulsan. In the second half of 2025, Villa Oasis also aims to solidify its position as a training and education platform by strengthening its certification program and initiatives that link to international exhibitions. Meanwhile, its commercial division, the Hwamyun Project, will continue to expand collaborations with consumer brands and hotels to create commercial value from art.

By Hyung-Seok Kang (redbk@itdonga.com)