The nature depicted by artist Kim Bo-hie looks familiar to many with common motifs such as leaves, trees and flowers. But what captures the viewers’ attention are the details ― such as an exotic-looking florescent blue lizard on a tree or colorful birds ― that bring life to her works. The exotic animals and the common natural motifs break the usual images viewers associate with nature paintings.  Her “Towards” series is a mix of the nature she saw in Jeju, Korea and foreign countries during her

Artday, a sister company of The Korea Herald, is holding an online auction and an exhibition in conjunction with Jean Gallery and Lotte Department Store from May 17-22. The auction offers good deals on a range of works by established Korean artists such as Lee U-fan, Kim Chang-ryul, Oh Chi-gyun, Kim Young-ju, Byun Kwan-sik and Seo Sae-ok with the starting prices set 30-50 percent lower than the estimates. The auction features about 90 pieces, including 18 works by Yayoi Kusama.Those interested c

With Korean pop culture commanding a significant fanbase in Southeast Asian countries, efforts are being made to introduce a more diverse range of Korean culture.One such effort is the Korea Festival which aims to introduce Korean music, dance performances and art exhibitions to Southeast Asian countries. Organized by the Korea Foundation, a state-run organization that promotes Korean studies and culture aboard, the Korea Festival will take place in Indonesia, Singapore, the Philippines, Vietnam

Museums and galleries are not just places to view exhibitions. They could be a place for finding undiscovered talents and a source of inspiration in an otherwise routine life. And traditional hands-on art classes are evolving to meet the needs of a diverse audience such as multicultural and expatriate families. From public museums such as the National Museum of Contemporary Art, Korea, Seoul Museum of Art and Seoul Arts Center, to private museums like Yido Gallery and Youngen Museum of Contempor

TORONTO ― Streetcars, sharks, pandas and parasols.This summer, Canada’s largest city will be vibrantly alive.Just watch out for construction.The biggest news here is the planned opening this summer of Ripley’s Aquarium, a $130-million project that is Toronto’s first big new tourist attraction in two decades.It will be home to 15,000 fish and other creatures. It also promises a moving walkway that passes through a tunnel below a 750,000-gallon shark lagoon. On a windy April day, I walked to the a

NEW YORK (AP) ― When I was young, I learned a lot about travel from my mother. She taught me how and what to pack. She taught me to keep a travel diary to record my memories. And most importantly, she taught me how to power-sightsee. “You never know when you’ll be back,’’ my mother used to say as she and my dad pushed my sister, brother and me to yet another art museum, Gothic church or 18th-century cemetery.Decades later, my mother and I still travel together, but now that she’s in her mid-80s,

Designer Moon Young Hee is a rare example in the Korean fashion scene: a designer with a unique perspective who has been presenting her signature style to the global audience every season at Paris Fashion Week since 1996. In recognition of her persistent efforts and fresh input to the Parisian fashion world, Moon received the National Order of Merit, one of the highest honors given by the French government, on Tuesday in Seoul. “Putting on shows for 18 years has been a difficult task. It’s reall

Artworks of young artists are being offered at affordable prices online as part of efforts to boost art sales and promote young artists to a wider audience. Gana Art Gallery and Wemakeprice.com, a social commerce site, have launched a new project selling digital prints of the works of young artists at the website www.wemakeprice.com.“People find it hard to buy artwork because it is expensive to buy at galleries, but now we have a new platform that can distribute digital prints of artwork at affo

Portraits by Alice Neel are on exhibit for the first time in Asia at Gallery Hyundai, Seoul. The exhibition “People and Places: Paintings by Alice Neel,” which began on May 2, features 15 portraits of Neel’s family, friends and lovers that are regarded as unique in the expression of her subjects’ inner personalities. Neel, who didn’t receive much attention during her lifetime, is now considered one of the greatest portrait painters of the 20th century, along with Lucian Freud, for her distinctiv

Perched high on a hill in Pyeongchang-dong, Seoul, artist Youn Myeung-ro’s atelier overlooks the two greatest mountains in Seoul. Having the rocky Bukhan Mountain as a backdrop, Youn’s 35-year-old house has a breathtaking view of Inwang Mountain in the front. The artist may not need to look too far to find motifs for his paintings as he can see clearly the seasonal changes of nature and find its wonders inside of his house. A 200-year-old pine tree sits in the center of his home, built in a quad

Exchange art exhibitions between Korea and the U.S. are helping people of each country to better understand the other’s culture and history. American masterpieces have been on show in Korea since February at an ongoing exhibition at the National Museum of Korea. From paintings to furniture and Native American craftwork, 168 pieces spanning different phases of American art and history from Columbus’ landing to today’s America offer a glimpse of American life to the Korean audience. According to t

TOKYO (AP) ― Japan’s iconic Mount Fuji looks likely to win recognition as a World Heritage site.The Agency for Cultural Affairs issued a notice Wednesday saying Mount Fuji was recommended for World Heritage status by the International Council on Monuments and Sites, a body affiliated with UNESCO.Formal approval is expected in June at a World Heritage Committee meeting in Cambodia.A collection of cultural sites in Kamakura, a scenic town near Tokyo that once was the nation’s capital, were not rec

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico ― This island offers so many visual treats ― gorgeous beaches, rugged hills, beautiful churches and majestic historic forts ― that dining becomes a virtual afterthought. A hunk of meat or fish, some sides of mofongo (fried mashed plantains) and mamposteao (rice and beans with other goodies), a stiff rum drink and you’re good to go, right?Well, yes, that’ll do nicely much of the time. And if you get a chance to attend a pig roast (which draws locals and tourists alike to dri

A group of Korean designers will present their collections at one of Asia’s biggest fashion showcases in Singapore this month. Twelve young designers and Lee Suktae will attend the Asia Fashion Exchange from May 13-19 in Singapore that will gather international and Asian designer brands from all over the world. Young designers’ brands such as J Apostrophe, J KOO, KYE, Leyii, Navy Scandal and One Choi will present their pre-spring collection for 2014 to international buyers and press at the Blue