BOSTON (AP) -- A dozen giant bronze animal heads representing the signs of the Chinese zodiac are stopping people in their tracks in downtown Boston and sparking conversations.　“Circle of Animals/Zodiac Heads,” by contemporary Chinese artist and human rights activist Ai Weiwei, is the latest in a series of outdoor public art projects on the Rose Kennedy Greenway intended to delight, awe and educate the thousands of tourists and workers who walk through the park daily.　“The goal of all public art

The Pompidou Center in Paris will open an exhibition space in Seoul next year, the museum’s first outpost in Asia. 　“The Centre Pompidou has been for several months in negotiations with a Korean partner, Mr. Sounjou Seo, to open a branch in Seoul for five years, possibly renewable,” Denis Berthomier, executive director of the Centre Pompidou, confirmed in an email to The Korea Herald. 　The location of the Seoul branch hasn’t been decided yet, but Seo, who will serve as the director of the Centre

Are you willing to become a mute for the one you love? This is one of the many spellbinding love quandaries of Antonin Dvorak’s dramatic opera “Rusalka,” which is making its Korean premiere at the Seoul Arts Center on Thursday evening. 　Begging the eternal question of how far would one go to be with the one they love, the three-act opera tells the tale of Rusalka, a water nymph who falls in love with a human prince. Desperate for his love and affection, she makes a deal with an evil witch. A sce

Calligrapher Sakong Hong-joo is holding a solo exhibition from April 27 to May 3 at Namsan Gallery in Seoul.　His 14th solo exhibition presents 23 ink-and-wash paintings with bold calligraphic strokes through which the artist attempts to portray the “good energy” in the universe. In order to visualize the energy, the artist depicted 64 hexagrams from “I Ching,” or the ancient Chinese “Book of Change.”   “Ji Cheon Tae,” symbolizing harmony in family and work, by Sakong Hong-joo (Courtesy of the ar

Recognized as one of the U.K.’s most exciting and innovative touring theater companies, Kneehigh came to Korea for the first time with “Dead Dog in a Suitcase (and other love songs),” which features its latest avant-garde choreography and a compelling narrative.　Written by Carl Grose and directed by Mike Shepherd, and with a new score of live music written by Charles Hazelwood, “Dead Dog in a Suitcase (and other love songs)” was performed at the LG Arts Center last Thursday to Sunday.    A scene

Tackling the highly-anticipated role of the world’s most notorious female spies, Ok Joo-hyun is simply unforgettable as leading lady in the new musical, “Mata Hari at the Moulin Rouge.”　　In a world premiere production brought to us by the collective the minds of Tony Award-winning Broadway megastars – director-choreographer Jeff Calhoun, with music by Frank Wildhorn, lyrics by Jack Murphy and writer Ivan Menchell – all eyes were on the former K-pop star-turned-musical actress as the sinfully all

Korean monochrome paintings featured at Art Brussels, exhibitions in New York, France

Herald Artday, a subsidiary of Herald Corp., is holding an online auction from April 22-26 presenting major artworks of modern and contemporary Korean artists. 　The art auction features 180 artworks of renowned Korean artists, including Kim Tschang-yeul, Lee U-fan, Lee Bae, Chun Kyung-ja, Kim Jong-hak and Nam June Paik. Highlights of the auction include a painting by Kim Tschang-yeul which depicts water drops against a page of an old book page written in Chinese characters, and a pencil drawing

Photographs that explore women and femininity are on view at exhibitions held as part of the 2016 Woman Photo Festival. 　Some 22 professional female photographers, who are members of the Korean Women Photographers’ Association, are showcasing their works at touring exhibitions in Seoul and Paju, Gyeonggi Province.  “Three Generations” by J. Ahn (Courtesy of the artist)　“The KWPA has held exhibitions annually since it was founded in 1998 to foster and introduce female photographers. Starting this

HONG KONG (AFP) -- He first stunned the auction world by snapping up hugely expensive Chinese antiquities, but now taxi driver turned tycoon Liu Yiqian is targeting Western masterpieces, saying it is his “social responsibility” to show them to China's younger generation.　Liu has become China’s highest profile art collector, hitting headlines with record-breaking buys and an irreverent approach.　His acquisitions have mainly been of Chinese heritage, most famously the tiny Ming Dynasty “Chicken Cu

Exhibitions mark second anniversary of deadly ferry sinking