LIFE&STYLE
Feb 22, 2021
Seoul Fashion Week to run virtually in March
The Seoul Fashion Week is embarking on a digital fashion event for the 2021 fall-winter season with 45 fashion brands participating, after a similar online event for the spring-summer season in October. The 2021 fall-winter Seoul Fashion Week will run March 22-27 on the digital platform. A total of 45 fashion designers were selected to join the show -- 28 established designers for the Seoul Collection show and 17 rookie designers for Generation Next. While the number of rookie designers has
Painter Yun Suk-nam calls out to souls of forgotten female activists
Painter Yun Suk-nam, who has dedicated her career to creating art advocating women’s rights, is showcasing new portraits of female independence activists during the Japanese colonial era who have long been neglected by historians because of their gender. The portraits of the female activists are on display at the exhibition titled “Women of Resistance, Becoming Historic -- Portraits of 14 Female Independence Activists Who Quaked History” at Hakgojae Gallery in Seoul. Eac
Feb 20, 2021
Joseon-era folding screen with hunting scenes goes on display
An eight-panel folding screen from the Joseon era depicting hunting scenes have been put on display from Thursday at the National Palace Museum of Korea, according to the Cultural Heritage Administration and the Overseas Korean Cultural Heritage Foundation. The folding screen was purchased at an auction in the US last September, according to the CHA. The paintings on the folding screen mainly feature a Qing Dynasty emperor enjoying hunting. The item is from the late 18th century when produc
Chilean artist Cecilia Vicuna hosts first solo exhibition in Asia
Chilean artist Cecilia Vicuna based in New York is showcasing her first solo exhibition in Asia at Lehman Maupin in Seoul. The 73-year-old artist is also an activist who advocates human rights issues and stands against the cultural homogenization phenomenon associated with globalization reflect this through her artwork. The exhibition title “Quipu Girok” is a combination of the ancient Andean word quipu, which means a knot, and the Korean word girok, which means record.
Feb 19, 2021
[Feature] How artists, writers inspire one another
MMCA exhibitions highlight intersection of Korean literature, art in ’30s and ’40s
Feb 15, 2021
MMCA takes experimental approach to art with cutting-edge technology
Korea’s National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art is embarking on an experimental journey with a new project to show how two seemingly different fields can collaborate by intertwining contemporary art with cutting-edge technology. Taking the theme of “Multiverse,” the national museum’s new project will introduce six rising and established artists and their artworks that adopt various technologies including immersive technology, robots that substitute the kinetic cap
Feb 14, 2021
Yang Hae-gue's sonic sculptures awakened
The kinetic and sonic sculptures by globally acclaimed installation artist Yang Hae-gue are being performed throughout February at the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea, where her fifth solo exhibition in Korea “MMCA Hyundai Motor Series 2020: Haegue Yang - O2 & H2O” is underway. A total of 9 pieces of the artist’s kinetic sculptures including “Sonic Domesticus,” “Sonic Clotheshorse” and “Sonic Ropes” will be ac
Feb 6, 2021
Nam June Paik Art Center offers augmented-reality experience
The Nam June Paik Art Center is using augmented-reality technology to introduce the masterpieces of Paik Nam-june, a South Korean-born artist who is known globally as the founder of video art. “We tested AR service operation last year and have decided to implement the system,” an official from the art center said. The coronavirus pandemic has accelerated the application of the technology, he said. Starting Thursday, the world’s sole art center dedicated to Paik -- home to s
Feb 5, 2021
Emerging artists get their own online platform with launch of 'Manifold'
While the coronavirus has closed borders and restricted travel, virtual space remains wide open, offering new possibilities. Taking advantage of such possibilities is the online exhibition platform “Manifold,” which introduces emerging Korean artists to the international arts scene at a time when the pandemic hinders in-person exhibitions. Manifold is part of the Korea Arts Management Service’s Grant for Artists Management’s project, begun in 2019, that aims to suppo
Feb 3, 2021
It’s settled. Modern art master’s name in English is Lee Jung-seop
The sole public museum dedicated to Korea’s modern artist Lee Jung-seop has decided to adopt “Lee Jung-seop” as the artist’s official name in English. This means the museum, located on Jeju Island, will change its current name -- Lee Jung-seob Gallery -- to one using the current romanization. For decades, various organizations and exhibitions have used many different romanizations of Lee’s name. “We have long recognized the need to decide on the English
Arario Group Chairman sentenced to two years in jail
Kim Chang-il, chairman of Arario Group, was sentenced to two years in jail for a breach of duty involving the operation of a concession stand at a cinema located in the Cheonan Bus Terminal in Cheonan, South Chungcheong Province, which is owned by the group. The Daejeon District Court confirmed to The Korea Herald that the ruling took place on Wednesday. “We cannot elaborate on the details of the case, but we will file an appeal,” an official from the Arario Group told The Korea
Feb 1, 2021
13th Gwangju Biennale postponed to April
The 13th Gwangju Biennale, which was scheduled for Feb. 26, will now be held in April as the pandemic continues to ravage the country, the Gwangju Biennale Foundation announced on Monday. “We have decided to put off the biennale due to the pandemic, but other things, including the participating artists and commissioned artworks, remain as planned. We are preparing online exhibitions as well,” a public relations official from the Gwangju Biennale Foundation told The Korea Herald. Fe
Video artist Paik Nam-june remembered 15 years later
The Nam June Paik Art Center on Friday hosted a conversation with Lev Manovich, a professor at City University of New York and the leading theorist of digital culture and media art, to commemorate the 15th anniversary of video art pioneer Paik Nam-june’s death. The conversation took place at the Nam June Paik Art Center in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province, and was led by the director of the art center, Kim Seong-eun. The talk, which will be uploaded online in early February, was livestreamed v
Jan 31, 2021
Joseon era folding screen bought at US auction on display at palace museum
Three traditional folding screens, including one which was brought back from the United States last year, are on display at the National Palace Museum of Korea. The most famous of the three -- Yojiyeondo, or banquet at Yoji in Korean -- depicts an extravagant feast hosted by Seowangmo, a goddess in Chinese mythology. The banquet takes place by Yoji, a huge pond in the Kunlun Mountains which is believed to be the dwelling place of gods. King Mu of China’s Zhou dynasty was said to have at
Jan 27, 2021
National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art publishes English-language book on its collection
The National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea, has published “MMCA Collection 300” in English, providing an introduction to representative modern and contemporary works from the museum’s holdings. The Korean-language edition of the book was published in 2019 to commemorate the museum’s 50th anniversary, and was a bestseller at major online bookstores in South Korea. The English-language edition features a glossary section newly added for international rea