Illustrations in children’s books may have been long seen as less important than fine art, but French illustrator Joelle Jolivet hopes picture book illustrations will receive as much appreciation as fine art. “Even in France, picture book illustrations are not considered the same as fine art. But I hope it receives the same appreciation in the future and I think the history of picture books should be studied someday,” said Jolivet Tuesday. She was in Seoul for the French illustration exhibition

 Underwater photographer Chang Nam-won’s humpback whale photographs on displayKorea’s first underwater photographer Chang Nam-won will offer a journey into the deep blue sea with awe-inspiring photos of humpback whales this month. Chang’s photographs will be on display at Lotte Gallery from Wednesday, allowing audiences a moment to cool down from the heat and dive into the rarely-exposed world of humpback whales. Chang spent five years capturing humpback whales living off Vauvau Island of the Ki

National Museum showcases 100 Chinese artifacts wishing good fortuneCount the five Chinese blessings: Happiness, longevity, wealth, joy and professional success.The people’s yearnings for these blessings and fortune were often expressed in works of art, from paintings to sculptures, and even in wedding robes. In these items, auspicious spirits would appear in the form of a dragon or a phoenix, and sometimes a bat. The National Museum of Korea is holding a special exhibition featuring some 100 Ch

 Kim Yong-geol’s ‘Orpheus and Eurydice’ brings rare form of intercultural performanceThe famous tale of Orpheus and Eurydice from Greek mythology has been made into countless films, operas and ballet pieces in the past. Former Opera de Paris dancer Kim Yong-geol’s recently staged ballet certainly added a new flavor to the timeless tale. The modern ballet piece, which finished its two-day run last week, was a rare combination of a lot of things. There was a mixture of modern dance and ballet; gug

ABT’s newly promoted principal dancer Seo Hee talks about her family, dreams and goalsIt’s about 2 p.m. on a warm summer day in Seoul, and ballerina Seo Hee walks into the lobby of the Universal Ballet Company. Wearing a sleek black dress with matching stilettos and pearl earrings, the 26-year-old dancer looks poised and demure. This is the place where the ballerina, who is now the principal dancer of American Ballet Theatre, used to hang out as a teenager more than 10 years ago.“I used to climb

Paintings from the late Joseon era are on public display at the POSCO Art Museum, offering a chance for students to see in person some of the major paintings and calligraphy works often shown in school textbooks. As the exhibition title “From Gyeonmjae to Hyewon, Gathering of Joseon’s Genius Painters” indicates, the exhibition shows landscape paintings drawn by great painters of the era. The painters range from Jeong Seon (known by his pen name Gyeomjae) to Shin Yoon-bok (Hyewon), considered gen

Seoul Zoo will soon face stiff competition for the best collection of exotic animals in town: A host of new tropical beasts are coming to town for the tenth anniversary of Hangaram Art Museum’s Art & Play exhibition. The annual exhibition is known for its engaging, lively approach to modern art, and this year’s edition, “A Carnival of the Animals,” is no exception with its exploration of the theme with unique contemporary pieces by Korean artists. The art often employs more than just sight, with

Pioneer of media art remembered as artist who thought one step ahead of the restIt has been six years since Paik Nam June, a pioneer of video art, died from a stroke on Jan. 29, 2006. But the artist, who his wife Shigeko Kubota describes as “the pioneer who opened the door to 21st century art for young generations,” has never really left us. His influence still prevails in the art world, inspiring many artists. “Now many people appreciate his work. His art looked like low art because he broke TV

26-year-old recently promoted to principal ballerina shines in second actOne of the most anticipated ballet performances of the year was unveiled last week, featuring Korean-born American Ballet Theatre dancer Seo Hee as the timeless romantic heroine Giselle.The renowned American troupe’s Seoul run created a lot of buzz even before the opening, for its notoriously expensive ticket prices (400,000 won for a VIP seat), as well as Seo’s sudden promotion to principal dancer just weeks before the com