In Seoul, Jason Haam has carved a singular path as both collector and gallerist, balancing a discerning personal eye with a bold curatorial vision. Holding a B.S./M.S. in Materials Science and Engineering from Cornell University, he brings a thoughtful, intuitive intelligence to the way he builds relationships with artists and cultivates audiences. As Director and Founder of his namesake gallery, established in 2017, Haam has championed new voices alongside international luminaries, creating meaningful connections that reverberate within and beyond Korea. His approach to collecting is equal parts instinct and discipline—grounded in joy, tempered with realism, and fueled by a deep commitment to artists’ long-term trajectories.
Don’t miss the gallery’s latest exhibition, “Nude, Flesh, and Love,” a daring meditation on vulnerability, intimacy, and the human form. Bringing together sixteen artists across generations and cultural backgrounds, including Amanda Baldwin, HyeGyeong Choi, John Currin, Urs Fischer, Jonathan Gardner, HAN Jihyoung, Jungwook Kim, Cindy Ji Hye Kim, Mike Lee, Moka Lee, SeungAe Lee, Sarah Lucas, Nora Maité Nieves, Daniel Sinsel, Emily Mae Smith, and Issy Wood, the show offers a multifaceted exploration of the nude in contemporary art.
Whitewall sat down with Haam to learn about a momentous new acquisition and his tender advice for aspiring collectors.
SEUNGAE LEE, ‘THE MIRROR,” 2025, Graphite on paper, 81.3 x 152.4 cm, 32 x 60 in,
Copyright The Artist. Courtesy of the artist and Jason Haam.
WHITEWALL: Can you share a recent acquisition you’re excited about?
JASON HAAM: I recently acquired an early painting by Moka Lee from 2021, which I consider one of the strongest examples of her formative period. I bought it from a collector friend who had acquired it years ago. I paid nearly thirty times the original price but I am very confident about its intrinsic value.
For me, it means a lot to bring an early work of hers into my collection, one that predates our collaboration. I have promised Moka that I will loan it for her upcoming major retrospective in New York haha, but until then, it will be hanging quietly in my apartment—just for me to enjoy.
Moka Lee, “ZOOM OUT 2: THE IDEAL CITY,” 2024,
Oil on cotton,
181 x 259 cm,
71 1/4 x 102 in,
Copyright The Artist; Courtesy of the artist and Jason Haam.
“I recently acquired an early painting by Moka Lee from 2021, which I consider one of the strongest examples of her formative period,”
Jason Haam
WW: What is your advice for aspiring collectors, just getting started?
JH: When something feels too good to be true, it almost always is. It is important to understand your position within the art world and make the best decision possible with what is in front of you. What feels certain today will look different in time, as your judgment evolves with experience and as your place in the art world grows.
Collecting is meaningless if you do not find joy and beauty in the art itself, but it is equally important to recognize that the art world can be a minefield and far too expensive to treat as just a hobby. If you persevere with patience and sincerity, the rewards can be extraordinary.
URS FISCHER, “ETERNITY,” 2023,
Aluminum panel, aluminum honeycomb, polyurethane adhesive, epoxy primer, gesso, solvent-based screen printing paint, water-based screen printing paint,
182.9 x 243.8 x 2.2 cm,
72 x 96 x 7/8 in,
Copyright The Artist,
Photo: Photography by Stefan Altenburger; Courtesy of the artist and Jason Haam.
“If you persevere with patience and sincerity, the rewards can be extraordinary,”
Jason Haam
About Jason Haam’s Gallery
JUNGWOOK KIM, “UNTITLED,” 2023,
ink and color on paper laid on cotton,
130 x 162 cm,
51 1/8 x 63 3/4 in,
Copyright The Artist; Courtesy of the artist and Jason Haam.
Jason Haam opened in January 2017 in Seongbuk-dong, Seoul, with a clear objective: to operate as a serious and effective player in the global primary art market. The gallery was established to discover and develop artists of significant value—artists whose work reflects their cultural, generational, and social contexts in ways that resonate globally. From the start, the gallery has upheld the highest standard of quality as a core principle for creating such lasting value.
The program has featured solo exhibitions by international artists—Sarah Lucas (her first solo show in Asia in 2019), Urs Fischer, Jonathan Gardner, Marie Cloquet, Linn Meyers, Cheikh Ndiaye, and many others. Though acclaimed on the global stage, many of these artists made their Asian debut at Jason Haam, often for the first time in Korea and throughout the region. Simultaneously, the gallery has championed emerging South Korean voices such as Moka Lee, Jungwook Kim, HAN Jihyoung, and Mike Lee, introducing them to international audiences and bolstering both their commercial success and recognition by institutions. The gallery has also maintained a customer-centered approach, believing that anyone working with Jason Haam—whether acquiring a work or building a collection—should clearly benefit from that relationship. That belief has shaped the way it engages with our clients, placing meaningful artworks while supporting their long-term interests.
In 2025, the gallery launched Jason Haam Secondary, a formal secondary-market program aimed at providing systematic and transparent trade services. Jason Haam Secondary now occupies the gallery’s original space in Seongbuk-dong, while our new exhibition venue next door—transformed by UrsFischer—demonstrates our continued commitment to ambitious, artist-led exhibitions. Jason Haam today operates with focus and discipline. The gallery remains committed to building and supporting artists with long-term vision and serving our clients with professionalism and integrity. – Jason Haam Gallery
Portrait courtesy of Jason Haam.
