African art show explores class, race, migration

“Crash Wily” by Yinka Shonibare. (Tiroche DeLeon Collection)A wide range of contemporary African art is being showcased for the first time in Korea. The Seoul Museum of Art has brought together foreign artists of African descent and ones based in African countries to introduce the overarching identity of African art to Korean art fans. The exhibition is also attempting to bridge the geographical and cultural gap between Africa and Korea. On Jan. 23, a discussion among art experts and culture cri

PerformanceDec. 17, 2014

‘Selma’ stars on poignancy and parallels of movie

NEW YORK (AP) ― At Sunday’s premiere of “Selma” in New York, the cast acknowledged parallels between their film about the African-American civil rights movement and recent protests nationwide, calling attention to the deaths of unarmed black males at the hands of police. “You can look out your window and you can see people protesting and you can look at the film and it looks similar,” said Oprah Winfrey, who is a producer on the film and has an acting role as well. “People are wearing different

FilmDec. 17, 2014

An R&B Jesus? D’Angelo challenges with ‘Black Messiah’

NEW YORK (AFP) ― After a wait of nearly 15 years, D’Angelo is making a Second Coming of sorts with “Black Messiah,” a hard-charging attack on racial injustice that challenges listeners both musically and lyrically.Released as a surprise Monday, the long-anticipated album moves D’Angelo beyond his R&B roots to embrace the passions of protest rock at a time when demonstrations have swept the United States over police killings of unarmed African Americans in New York and Ferguson, Missouri.D’Angelo

PerformanceDec. 17, 2014

SM launching global auditions next year

Girls’ Generation (SM Entertainment)SM Entertainment, the nation’s largest entertainment agency, will launch a worldwide talent search next year. SM is slated to hold a large-scale global audition with agency representatives heading to nine countries and 28 cities across Asia, Europe and North America, the agency announced Wednesday. And for the first time for a Korean agency, SM will take auditions to Russia, where K-pop has slowly begun to spread and taken on a life of its own. SM is home to s

Dec. 17, 2014

Robin to spit French rhymes on Sosim Boys’ new EP

Robin (center) and the Sosim Boys. (Doctor Nine Media)French TV personality Robin Deiana from the popular JTBC talk show “Nonsummit” will be showing off his music talent by collaborating with the folk-acoustic duo Sosim Boys on their upcoming EP.The album, titled “Shining Star,” is slated to drop Friday, according to an announcement by Doctor Nine Media on Wednesday. On the EP, Deiana will take on the role of a French rapper. The album is also said to have been produced with the help of local R&

Dec. 17, 2014

EXO to release first live concert album

EXO. (SM Entertainment)Just in time to ring in the holiday season, K-pop group EXO will release the group’s first live concert album on Monday, SM Entertainment said Wednesday. The live album will feature EXO’s previous concert series at the Seoul Olympic Park’s Gymnastic Stadium from May 23-25. The upcoming release will include a total of 36 tracks, including the group’s monster hits “Growl,” “Overdose,” “Wolf” and “History.” Along with a digital album, EXO will also be releasing the 2-disc phy

Dec. 17, 2014

Queer in Korea: Reconciling identities

To say it’s hard being LGBTQ in Korea is an understatement. English teaching ads that state “no homosexuals.” The risk of losing your job if you’re open about your sexual identity. Indirect and direct homophobia. Even the move last month by the Seoul government to include the statement that “Every Seoul citizen has a right not to be discriminated against based on sexual orientation (or) sexual identity” in the Charter of Human Rights for Citizens was met with protest and the charter has since be

Expat LivingDec. 16, 2014

Art magazine (b)racket closes

Expat art magazine (b)racket is closing its doors after 24 issues as key staff have moved on.The magazine started out with 200 issues in Daegu in October 2012, to provide a platform for artists in the city and nearby.Founder Jess Hinshaw said he was proud of what the magazine had been able to achieve, but that the workload of putting out a magazine every month was too difficult to keep up.“It was still run by a very few, and I was neglecting my own artwork,” said Hinshaw, who also jointly runs a

Expat LivingDec. 16, 2014

[Herald Interview] Behind magic moments of ‘Once’

Kim Mun-jeong can’t forget the day when the set, props and lights all came together onstage for the Korean production of the musical “Once.” The set was a rustic Irish pub, with walls covered with tiny lamps and mirrors of varying size and shape. “Other than the mirrors and lamps, there was really nothing. It was just one simple set,” she said, sitting on a couch at Seoul Arts Center on Thursday, two hours before the night’s show started. “I thought to myself ‘What is this show? What made it so

PerformanceDec. 16, 2014

‘Gone with the Wind’ premiere sparked tension

ATLANTA (AP) ― Seventy-five years after the premiere of the movie “Gone with the Wind,” research is shedding light on the racial tensions that existed at the time between the producer and city of Atlanta officials. Emory University film studies professor Matthew Bernstein has conducted extensive research into the archives of the film’s producer, David O. Selznick. His findings illustrate some of Selznick’s concerns with the city’s treatment of the film’s black stars at the Dec. 15, 1939 premiere

FilmDec. 16, 2014

Atari’s ‘E.T.’ game joins Smithsonian collection

ALBUQUERQUE, New Mexico (AP) ― One of the “E.T.” Atari game cartridges unearthed this year from a heap of garbage buried deep in the New Mexico desert has been added to the video game history collection at the Smithsonian. Museum specialist Drew Robarge made the announcement Monday in a blog post. He included a photograph of the crinkled cartridge along with the official serial number assigned to the game by the city of Alamogordo, New Mexico. The game was one of hundreds recovered at the city’s

PerformanceDec. 16, 2014

Klive hologram concerts attract 50,000 this year

In town and in the mood to see Psy perform his addictively enthralling galloping horse moves? Whether or not your visit coincides with his live concert schedule, you can dance along with the monster K-pop star on almost any day of the week in futuristic, digital fashion. Less than a year since the world’s first K-pop hologram performance center was launched, Klive has used its pioneering technology to attract more than 50,000 K-pop lovers from around the world for a truly cutting-edge and out-of

Dec. 16, 2014

Grammys to pay tribute to Stevie Wonder

NEW YORK (AFP) ― The Grammys will pay tribute to Stevie Wonder with a special performance after the music industry’s annual award night.Grammy organizers announced a two-hour show in the Motown legend’s honor to be recorded on Feb. 10 at the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles, two days after the awards.An executive at CBS television, which will broadcast the tribute on Feb. 16, said the show will “give everyone he’s inspired a chance to show our esteem.” Stevie Wonder performs in Las Vegas on Nov. 29.

PerformanceDec. 16, 2014