With lights, mythical creatures come to life

Korean artists Kwon Ha-youn and Jin Si-yon have installed their media artworks at a pavilion outside the Times Square building in Causeway Bay, Hong Kong.Under the title of “Lunar Fantasy with Ancient Auspicious Animals,” the two Korean artists have presented their own digital renderings of eight mythical creatures from the Chinese tradition of Feng Shui, which are believed to bring luck, prosperity and wealth.  A pavillion in front of Times Square building in Causeway Bay, Hong Kong (Gana Art)“

Jan. 17, 2019

MMCA announces 2019 exhibition calendar

The National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art on Wednesday announced its exhibition schedule for 2019. Park Wi-jin, managing director and acting director of the MMCA, announced the museum’s calendar for this year, as the director post remains vacant. Twenty-three exhibitions will be held between the network of four art museums, which now includes the recently opened Cheongju branch. Some 10 billion won ($8.9 million) of the total annual budget of 63.2 billion won, a 4 percent increase from

Jan. 17, 2019

Artist Kim Joon wins 18th SongEun Art Award

Artist Kim Joon has been selected as the winner of the 18th SongEun Art Award, SongEun Art and Cultural Foundation announced Friday.Kim has been focusing on introducing installations that present sounds and photographs he collected on-site. Through his site-specific soundscape project, Kim has been attempting to explore the history of locations and to make landscapes audible. The artist is best known for his work delving into the ecology of Nanji, a landfill-turned-park in Seoul. Kim gradua

Jan. 14, 2019

Christie’s defends sale of Korean gallery’s Francis Bacon painting

Christie’s has defended itself in regards to claims that it sold a Korean gallery’s painting for less than it was worth as part of a sweetheart deal, saying it acted to settle a loan it had made reasonable efforts to settle. Korean gallery One and J filed on Jan. 2 for a preliminary injunction with the New York County Supreme Court over the former’s sale of a painting by Francis Bacon in a private deal at what the Korean gallery claimed was a “bargain price.”The two parties had remained silent s

Jan. 11, 2019

French artist Xavier Veilhan holds solo exhibition

French artist Xavier Veilhan is holding a solo exhibition at 313 Art Project’s newly opened branch in Seongbuk-dong, as well as the gallery’s Cheongdam space. Veilhan rose to international acclaim with his 2009 exhibition at Versailles, and participated in the French Pavilion at the 2017 Venice Biennale.Xavier Veilhan speaks at a press conference held at 313 Art Project's newly opened gallery in Seongbuk-dong on Thursday. On the backdrop is one of his "Ghost Landscapes." (313 Art Project)In Kore

Jan. 11, 2019

Exhibition ‘Matters of Women’ shows female artists’ takes on lives of women

Roh Seung-bok’s pigment prints titled “1366 Project” are lined up on the wall. The warm toned prints that employ red, purple and pink are abstract at first sight. In fact, the prints are close-up images of bruises of female victims of domestic violence, and 1366 is the phone number of the domestic violence hotline.The print is one of some 60 works by 11 women artists on show at the Seoul National University Museum of Art exhibition featuring their takes on the lives of women in Korea.　“Pale Nigh

Jan. 7, 2019

Renowned fashion designer, actor Ha dies of cancer

Ha Yong-su, a renowned fashion designer and actor, died of liver cancer early Saturday morning, sources have said. He was 69.His memorial altar is expected to be set up at Soon Chun Hyang University Hospital in Yongsan, central Seoul, on Sunday, when his family members are expected to arrive in Korea from the United States. (File photo)Ha made his debut as an actor in 1969. Since then, he has appeared in more than a dozen movies, including "Heavenly Homecoming to Stars" in 1974 and "First Love a

Jan. 5, 2019

[Herald interview] Changing lives, one building at a time

Taking the steep, narrow staircase to meet architect Seung Hyo-sang, or Seung H-Sang as his business card says, one almost fears for one’s life, tottering down the steps in heels with one hand against the wall for support in the semidarkness.Upon reaching the floor, there is a sigh of relief and a sense of salvation as one follows the sound of choral music to Seung’s office. It is a few days before Christmas, and there is something of a sacred quality to the space, crammed with bookcases and a l

Jan. 3, 2019

MMCA opens its fourth venue in Cheongju

The National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art has opened its fourth branch in Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province, following the Gwacheon branch that opened in 1986, the Deoksugung branch in 1998 and the Seoul branch in 2013. The Cheongju branch is housed in a five-story building that was a tobacco factory built in 1946. The factory produced an annual average of some 10 billion cigarettes until it ceased operations in 2004. The National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art’s fourth branch

Dec. 26, 2018

Marcel Duchamp’s legacy visits Korea

Art critic Arthur Danto once said, “Duchamp did not merely raise the question ‘What is Art?’ but rather ‘Why is something a work of art when something exactly like it is not?’”The paradigm shift that Duchamp introduced to the art world with his “readymade” objects -- that an everyday object with little or no modification could become a work of art through the creative process by the artist and spectator -- was a concept that shattered the modern conception of art as the production of artistic “g

Dec. 24, 2018

SongEun Art Award nominees announced

SongEun Art and Cultural Foundation on Friday kicked off an exhibition of its four finalists for the 18th SongEun Art Award at SongEung Art Space in Seoul. Kim Joon, Park Kyung-ryul, Lee Ue-sung and Chun Myung-eun, also known as Eun Chun, were shortlisted for the award following two rounds of reviews. Paintings and sculptures by artist Park Kyung-ryul (SongEun Art Space) From left: Kim Joon, Park Kyung-ryul, Lee Ue-sung and Chun Myung-eun attend a press conference held at SongEun Art Space on Fr

Dec. 23, 2018

‘Winter Coffee Club’ asks what coffee means to us

More than a century has passed already since Koreans began to consume coffee near the close of the 19th century. Throughout the years, it has surely established its position. In downtown areas, there are cafes one after another. According to the industry, the average Korean drinks 500 cups of coffee in a year. Ongoing exhibition “Winter Coffee Club,” hosted by the Korea Crafts & Design Foundation under the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, reflects on the changing history of coffee cultur

Dec. 23, 2018

Culture Ministry withheld top marks for biennales in 2018

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism on Thursday released its evaluations of government-supported art biennales that took place this year. Among the eight art biennales reviewed by the ministry, none received top marks on a scale from 1 to 5. Three biennales got a grade of 2, and the rest were rated 3 or 4.  (Yonhap)This was the first year in which no biennale received a 1 since the ministry launched its annual evaluations in 2004.Of the three biennales that received 2s, the Busan Biennal

Dec. 21, 2018

Artist Jun So-jung wins 18th Hermes Foundation Missulsang

Korean artist Jun So-jung has been selected as the winner of the 18th Hermes Foundation Missulsang, the foundation announced Wednesday.Jun made her name with narrative-focused works of art using various mediums, including photography, installations and video. Her works often include real-life stories of individuals she comes across, framing them in relation to other existing texts and stage works. Artist Jun So-jung (Atelier Hermes)Jun won the Noon Award at the Gwangju Biennale in 2016 the grand

Dec. 19, 2018

Celebrate holidays with panache at museums, galleries

It is that time of the year. “All I Want for Christmas” plays seemingly on repeat and Santa decorations are in every window. The year has almost come to an end. For those tired of the same old alcohol-infused yearend gatherings, museums and galleries are offering a more cultured alternative to celebrating the year that was.Why not grab a beer next to Marcel Duchamp’s “Fountain?” An 8-meter tall “Bearbrick” -- the collectible Japanese toy -- might give you a hug. Or just bring some art home by pu

Dec. 17, 2018

Photographer’s journey highlights beauty of Korean porcelains

Photographer Koo Bohn-chang is holding a solo exhibition featuring his photographs of traditional Korean porcelains at the newly opened Kukje Gallery’s Busan branch located in a factory-turned-cultural center, F1936.“HA 05-1” by photographer Koo Bohn-chang (Courtesy of the artist)The photographer’s journey tracing the nation’s traditional porcelains spans some three decades. “One day, I came across with this picture of a Korean moon jar and a foreigner sitting right next to it. I wondered how su

Dec. 17, 2018

Diverse spectrum of contemporary life captured at MMCA

(This article was originally published in The Korea Herald's paper on Oct. 23)A large-scale photo exhibition with the ambitious goal of recording our time on this Earth opened at the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art’s Gwacheon branch Thursday, featuring 300 works by 135 artists from 43 countries. “Civilization: The Way We Live Now,” co-produced by the MMCA and the Foundation for the Exhibition of Photography, offers a broad view of contemporary civilization, just a few decades old,

Dec. 16, 2018

MMCA’s Yun Hyong-keun exhibition goes to 2019 Venice Biennale

The National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art’s Yun Hyong-keun exhibition will travel to the Fortuny Museum in Venice to coincide with the 2019 Venice Biennale, the MMCA announced Friday. The MMCA added that the signing of the contract with the Fortuny Museum took place Tuesday. Yun’s retrospective is set to kick off May 11 next year at the gothic style building in central Venice, but the opening day of the exhibition could change according to the biennale’s schedule. An installation view o

Dec. 14, 2018

Return to the past with modern twist at Seoul Design Festival

“Newtro” has emerged as a trend in the fashion and design industries here. A combination of “new” and “retro,” the concept mixes trends of the past with fresh interpretations. And an ongoing event rides on that wave. The Seoul Design Festival taking place at the Coex Convention and Exhibition Center in southern Seoul caters to those who want to swing back to the 1980s or 1990s, with a new, creative twist.  (Seoul Design Festival)The festival’s overall theme is “Young Retro: Design Reversing Back

Dec. 14, 2018

SeMA holds retrospective of abstract artist Han Mook

A 1994 documentary shows Han Mook starting his morning with a baguette on a small sofa in his small, shabby Paris apartment. Soon he gets dressed, walks out of the room and goes down a spiral stiarcase to his atelier where the late artist spent most of his time.  Han Mook’s 1989 work “Symphony of the Southern Cross” (SeMA)“Han Mook For Another Poetry-Order,” a retrospective of the artist at the Seoul Museum of Art, comprises some 130 pieces, including his major works, drawings and calligraphy. T

Dec. 13, 2018