PARIS (AFP) ― China’s new clout on the global art market, and its taste for home-grown works, is driving up the price of contemporary Chinese artists ― forcing the Western art world to make space at the table for the rising stars.Last year China became the world’s leading auction marketplace for fine art, after overtaking France, Britain and finally the United States in the space of five years, according to research by Artprice.And China’s rise as an art hub is flipping the traditionally Western

WASHINGTON (AFP) ― The producers of a new film about Vincent Van Gogh are rethinking its ending in the wake of a definitive biography that doubts the long-held belief that the Dutch painter took his own life.“Van Gogh” would be the first English-language feature film about the giant of post-Impressionism since “Lust for Life” in 1956, in which Kirk Douglas portrayed Van Gogh shooting himself while painting in a French wheat field.In their just-released “Van Gogh: The Life,” biographers Steven Na

Hee-Sung Keel, professor emeritus at Sogang University, will deliver a lecture on Korean Buddhism at the Seminar Room at Seoul Museum of History on Nov. 1.The lecture will introduce basic Buddhist philosophy and an overview of Korean Buddhist traditions, before looking at some of the significant changes happening in Korean Buddhism today.Professor Keel is the author of two English books on Buddhism. His recent book “Bosal Yesu (Jesus the Bodhisattva)” has been widely acclaimed by both Buddhists

The Cove, the 2010 Academy Award winner for best documentary, will be screened this Sunday at Roofers in Itaewon, Seoul, as part of the bar’s Counter Punch Cinema series. The film was made by a group of activists, led by a dolphin trainer to a cove near Taijii, Japan to expose what really happens to dolphins that frequent Japanese waters.The Counter Punch Cinema series covers films that explore social, economic and cultural issues, and a discussion follows each screeningThe event runs from 6:30-

Super Sketch, Supercolorsuper’s mix of independent art and music, will hit Busan on Nov. 5.The event features live drawing and shadow puppetry projected overhead as the backdrop to live music and artistic displays. The live acts include Eric Anderson and Genius, with more to be added, and nine expat and Korean artists have been announced.The event will take place at Fabric near Kyungsung Univ. Station and will also have a market selling artists’ work.Tickets are 15,000 won in advance and 20,000

O’ngo Food Communications is organizing trips to Gimpo Farmers’ Day Food Festival on Friday and Saturday. The festival shows off the best of the city’s thriving agricultural industry famous for its rice, livestock, mushrooms, fruit and ginseng. At the festival you can learn traditional Korean basket weaving, rice cake making, and try a wide range of fresh agricultural products. A liquor and makgeolli tasting tent will offer samples and also show you how to make your own makgeolli. Perhaps the mo

A week after a mass brawl between Al Sadd and Suwon Bluewings in the first leg of their Asian Champions League semifinal, the teams from Qatar and South Korea meet in Doha on Wednesday for an eagerly awaited second leg.Al Sadd won the match 2-0 in South Korea last week, with the second goal instigating a rolling series of violent confrontations that made headlines around the world.Suwon regarded the goal as unsportsmanlike. The Korean team had put the ball out of play to stop the game and allow