[Well-curated] Blue dragon exhibition, stationary store, immersive art show to kick off 2024

Meet Korea's blue dragons

Marking the Year of Blue Dragon -- the 41st year of the sexagenary cycle -- the National Folk Museum of Korea has opened a special exhibition titled “The Blue Dragon.”

As the only fictitious animal among the 12 zodiac animals, the dragon holds special meaning in Korean culture. From ancient times to the present, the dragon has been one of the most popular motifs for Korean artworks, allegories and myths. In some cases, the dragon symbolized the power and authority of the King, and in other contexts, the dragon was seen as a god of rain, water and agriculture.

The National Folk Museum's special exhibition delves into diverse cultural symbols and meanings associated with dragons, presenting artifacts, drawings and documents from various periods.

From a Joseon-era white porcelain jar with a blue dragon pattern to the blue dragon mark of MBC Chungyong, the predecessor of professional baseball club the LG Twins, the exhibition explores traces of dragons within Korean society.

The exhibition will be open through March 3 at the Special Exhibition Hall 2 of the National Folk Museum of Korea, in Jongno-gu, central Seoul. Admission is free. From January to February, the museum opens from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. every day, while it operates until 6 p.m in March.

Rihoon Mansion

Though several days have passed since the arrival of 2024, it is never too late to make plans for the new year with fashionable planners and calendars.

Local stationery shop Rihoon Mansion is fully equipped to mesmerize writers regardless of their experience. Both longtime scribblers and rookie writers will be able to find almost everything they need to embark on a daily diary journey for the year.

The store, located in Seoul's Yeonhui-dong, may not be a popular choice for some visitors because there are no nearby subway stations or bus stops. But Rihoon Mansion is still worth a visit.

The two-story brick building certainly catches your attention from the entrance. And the items displayed inside the store captivate journal enthusiasts even more.

Under the warm orange lights, pastel-colored planners and calendars are displayed on the wall.

Ranging from monthly planners to three-month, quarter-year, half-year and weekly diaries, Rihoon Mansion offers various items for those who like to record their life events on paper.

If you have already got your hands on a 2024 planner, make sure to check out the unique stickers and masking tapes on offer, perfect for decorating your diary.

The shop is filled with colorful stationery supplies, including pens, postcards, letters, pencil cases and more.

Rihoon Mansion is open from midday to 8 p.m.

It is closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.

Explore the minds of legendary artists

For a unique experience allowing you to explore the minds of the world's greatest artists, pay a visit to Theatre des Lumieres, a multiplex cultural and arts space at the Walkerhill Hotel and Resorts in Seoul.

The arts space is currently holding an immersive art exhibition which reinterprets works of Spanish architect and designer Antoni Gaudi and legendary Spanish artist Salvador Dali.

The walls of Theatre des Lumieres showcase Dali's renowned works, including "The Persistence of Memory" "Galatea of the Spheres" and "Leda Atomic," in accordance with English rock band Pink Floyd's soundtracks.

By combining the two, one can experience an exhibition which maximizes the expression of surrealism. According to the art director of the exhibition, Gianfranco Iannuzzi, Pink Floyd's music rejects rational mechanisms and incorporates fantastical imagination, which connects to the main values and ideas of Dali's works.

The space also exhibits works of Gaudi. Gaudi's masterpieces, ranging from "Parc Guell," "Casa Mila" and "Casa Batlo," along with Gaudi's symbolic hyperbolic arches, inclined columns and undulating exterior walls, are showcased on the art space's walls.

The exhibition runs till March 3, with tickets priced at 29,000 won per adult.