Smithsonian's National Museum of Asian Art mulling space dedicated to Korean contemporary art

British art auction house Phillips recently appointed Suh Min-hee as the new regional director for the Seoul office, which opened in 2018. Founded in 1796 in London, the auction house focuses on contemporary art and design from the 20th and 21st century, and runs offices in New York, London, Geneva, Hong Kong and Seoul. The Seoul office is located in Hannam-dong. The Seoul operation has seen an increase in transactions in recent years with a growing body of new collectors. The Korean market

  A red painting by Korean contemporary artist Park Seo-bo has been turned into one of Louis Vuitton’s iconic Capucines bags, making Park the first Korean artist to collaborate with the French luxury brand for the Artycapucines collection. Park began the Ecriture series -- also called "Myobop” in Korean -- in the late 1960s working with pencil before creating the color Ecriture series in the 2000s, inspired by a variety of colors found in nature. The red painting, which w

An annual cultural event exploring the histories and cultures of the ASEAN countries is scheduled to kick off on Thursday, following an opening ceremony Wednesday. This year, ASEAN Week 2022, organized by the ASEAN-Korea Center, is held with the theme of “Ancient Futures -- Treasures of ASEAN Fabric” at Cociety, located in Seongsu-dong, Seoul. Textiles and fabric items from ASEAN member states will be on display at the exhibition, along with introductions to their places of origin as

With international galleries opening in Seoul in recent years, the city has become an art destination where ones can appreciate works by artists from around the world. A number of must-see exhibitions at international galleries that have opened in the city’s affluent neighborhoods -- Cheongdam-dong and Hannam-dong -- are in full swing this week. American contemporary artist Mathew Barney's second solo exhibition in Seoul is currently running at Gladstone Gallery. Known for the restraint

The National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea on Sunday kicked off exhibition "Project Hashtag 2022" which showcases interdisciplinary collaboration among young artists. "Project Hastage 2022," co-hosted by the NMMC and Hyundai Motor, will exhibit the new works of the two winners -- Cyrpton and Lost Air -- selected from106 participants who applied in the open call contest in May. This year's winners' works highlight artworks integrated with virtual spaces.  

In the old days, Koreans were known for revering the color white. They enjoyed wearing white clothes that they thought symbolize peace. But when it came to paintings and crafts, they were all for variety. Cho Sun-hwa, a student of traditional art, is mesmerized by the use of bright, bold colors and patterns found on traditional artifacts. She sees unique beauty in Dancheong -- the traditional Korean decorative coloring on wooden buildings and artifacts for the purpose of style. A fourth-year stu

Korean installation artist Yang Hae-gue was listed as one of the world’s most important contemporary artists in the “Art Compass” ranking. Yang ranked 93rd among living artists, up six places from 99th last year, according to the November issue of the German-based magazine “Capital.” The Kunstkompass, meaning “art compass” in English, has been publishing the annual list of the top 100 artists since 1970. The list analyzes more than 30,000 artists around

Gangneung, Gangwon Province, is a popular year-round travel destination, facing out to the East Sea with the Taebaeksan mountains in the hinterland. It is little known, however, that the coastal city historically has long been home to literature and the arts. Korea’s great literati, Shin Saimdang, Yi Yul-gok, Heo Nanseolheon and Heo Gyun from Joseon era (1392-1910), were born in the city and some of their houses still stand there. The inaugural Gangneung International Art Festival kick

While the global attention on the Korean art scene in the last few years has focused on the commercial side of things, 2022 Korean Art Week is to be held from Thursday to Sunday in the US with hopes to elicit interest in Korean art among academia and arts institutions. The four-day Korean Art Week, jointly held by the Korea Foundation, National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea and Dartmouth College, will be a gathering of curators from US museums, academics and researchers who stu

For three years, rumors swirled around who was the mysterious winning bidder of Korean artist Kim Whan-ki’s dot painting “05-IV-71 #200 (Universe). The painting sold for 88 million Hong Kong dollars ($11 million) at a Christie’s auction in 2019, and remains the most expensive painting by a Korean artist to date. The collector was recently revealed when Korean clothing manufacturer Global Sae-A Group announced the opening of an art gallery, S2A, in southern Seoul in July. The bi

Love and comfort are what some people seek from art. The exhibition at Andtree Gallery in Seoul touches the heart with paintings by four artists that reveal their innermost thoughts and life experiences. The exhibition “Midnightluv” at Andtree Gallery in southern Seoul, held by ArtTechTree and Connect Art, was inspired by Woody Allen's fantasy and romance film “Midnight in Paris.” Sixty-three paintings by Yun Song-a, Koh Yeo-myoung, Ha Jung-woo and Lee Tae-sung are on

Where are we headed today?  Is our life going toward the right direction? These are questions that we rarely ask ourselves on a daily basis, busy as we are just living day to day. In the time of a pandemic and political turmoil at home and abroad, these questions are worth asking ourselves. Korean artist Choe U-ram unveiled his mechanical sculptures at the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea, posing those fundamental questions to viewers. The solo exhibition titled &ld

Herald Art Day and Krabhouse Ventures, Nigeria's largest gallery, on Oct. 12 signed an MOU to cooperate in cultural and arts exchange between Korea and Nigeria and to work together in developing art projects. The two companies previously held a combined exhibition from Oct. 6 to Oct. 9. Under the slogan "Planting Seeds of Culture on Friendship," a total of 110 works, including paintings and sculptures by 22 Nigerian artists were displayed at the event. Collaboration between the tw

When entering a basement exhibition hall of the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea, a city dweller may first recognize the unfamiliar earthy scent that prevails in the exhibition hall before being mesmerized by the massive presence of a 12-meter-tall monumental piece which is made of actual soil from the paddies. Lim Ok-sang – known for being part of the Minjung artist group formed in the late 1970s against the military regime to support democracy -- has unveiled new w