The National Gugak Center will hold a special fashion and music gala with hanbok designer Lee Young-hee in New York in October to commemorate the 130th anniversary of ties between Korea and the United States.One-hundred musicians will play royal court banquet music entitled “Music of Peace, Dream of the Dynasty,” adapted from Bongsudangjinchan Banquet, which was dedicated to the 60th birthday of Hyegyeonggung Hong, the mother of King Jeongjo. About 50 other performers, including dancers, will al

Universal Ballet president and director to lead company on tour of South Africa this monthMore than 1,000 people gave a standing ovation in November last year at the finale of the Universal Ballet Company’s “Shim Chung” at the Royal Opera House in Oman. Two months ago in January, about 100 middle-aged women crowded a restaurant in Tokyo, Japan, to attend the fan meeting of UBC’s young ballerinos Lee Seung-hyun and Kang Min-woo. The show “This is Modern 3,” which took place few days later at the

Exhibitions“Song for Nobody”: Bae Young-whan’s solo exhibition at Plateau in Taepyeongro, central Seoul, looks back on the last 15 years of his artistic career. The artist, who represented Korea at the 2005 Venice Art Biennale, filled the 43-square-meter exhibition space with 26 works that share the same theme, but are very diverse in genre and materials. His chandelier work “Insomnia -- Song of Dionysos” which appeared in director Im Sang-soo’s 2008 movie “The Housemaid,” is on show. The exhibi

Seoul Living Design Fair 2012 introduces latest designs and inspiring artworksA wide spectrum of household goods is found at Seoul Living Design Fair 2012 currently underway at COEX Hall A in Samseong-dong, southern Seoul. The difference between a mart and the fair, though, is that every piece is artistic in its own way. Established by magazine publishing company Design House in 1994, the fair has become one of the biggest events of its kind and attracts about 150,000 visitors every year.Under t

The Cultural Heritage Administration on Thursday held a special ceremony at the restoration site of Sungnyemun, commonly known as Namdaemun, announcing that the completion of its restoration is close at hand.The historic gate of Seoul, which is also National Treasure No.1, was severely damaged by arson in 2008. The administration announced last month that the restoration will be completed by December.The ceremony, titled “Sangryangsik,” consists of placing a piece of wood at the highest center o

LONDON (AFP) ― Chinese dissident artist Ai Weiwei has sold part of his “Sunflower Seeds” installation to Britain’s Tate Gallery, it said on Monday.The London gallery has bought around eight million of the 100 million porcelain seeds, which covered the floor of the Tate Modern’s Turbine Hall in 2010, for an undisclosed figure.The public was initially able to walk over the 1,000-square-meter carpet of seeds when they went on show, but the work was later cordoned off when dust created by the porcel

Scott Wightman, British Ambassador to Korea, made his first visit to South Gyeongsang Province on Monday to promote the upcoming London Olympics and express his interest in South Gyeongsang-based corporations.During his visit to the province, Wightman had a meeting with the province governor, Kim Doo-gwan, in the provincial government building in Changwon. He reportedly said British corporations have a lot to learn from Korean ones during the meeting.  He promoted the upcoming London Olympics Ga

Aside from pop culture, sharing of academic and artistic content also important: Director MichigamiThis is the fifth of the series introducing cultural centers of different countries in Seoul. ― Ed. As is evident from the popularity of Girls’ Generation and Jang Geun-suk, Japan has continued to be charmed by Korea’s popular culture ever since the mega hit TV series “Winter Sonata” captured Japanese hearts. In Seoul, on the other hand, it’s not hard to spot a number of shelves dedicated to Japane

Pop Music“Budapest Saxophone Quartet”: The Budapest Saxophone Quartet from Hungary will perform at Chungmu Art Hall on March 12 in collaboration with renowned Korean artists including Soprano Kim Hee-jung, Pianists Ha Soon-won and musical actress Choi Jung-won. Formed in 1995, the quartet was the first group of four saxophonists to play not only classical music but also other music genres such as jazz and pop. In 2009, the quartet performed in Korea with legenday film music composer Enrio Morric

Kukje Gallery sheds light on German-born U.S. artistHer life was short, but she was influential. Late U.S. artist Eva Hesse is one of the most critically celebrated artists of the 20th century. Born into a Jewish family in Germany in 1936, she moved to the U.S. at age 9 but lost her parents soon after. She studied painting at Yale University of Art and Architecture in New Haven and slowly became an acclaimed painter. After marriage, she briefly moved back to Germany, where she shifted her focus

Artist Bae Young-whan fills Plateau with his representative installations and video artAn intense vibe of a showdown filled the glass pavilion at art gallery Plateau in Taepyeongro, central Seoul. A golden ring, about one-fourth the size of an actual boxing ring, stood in the center. Other than the boxing gloves thrown inside, the ring was empty. But there certainly were many onlookers, including the suffering sinners engraved in Rodin’s “Gates of Hell” and “The Burghers of Calais” which were bo