Kansong Art Museum revisits its origins

Kansong Art Museum, South Korea’s oldest private museum, will open in May with a return to its regular exhibition schedule after 10 years, unveiling a recently recovered archive that gives insight into how the museum was built 86 years ago by its founder Jeon Hyung-pil. The exhibition “Bohwagak 1938,” scheduled to open on May 1, will feature a set of blueprints of the museum drawn by architect Park Kil-yong. The blueprints were found last year as the museum was undergoing res

April 29, 2024

[What to See] Cheongdam-dong galleries bring together must-see shows

A number of galleries in Cheongdam-dong in southern Seoul, an area known for posh shops, fine dining and art galleries, have simultaneously opened new shows, making a weekend stroll in the area a perfect time to check out the galleries' latest shows. If you need to grab a drink while gallery hopping, you can easily find unique cafes in the neighborhood as well. Melancholy yet beautiful at One and J Gallery Korean painter Suh Dong-wook imbues the melancholy we all face in our daily lives w

April 27, 2024

[Herald Interview] Guggenheim Museum makes a push for technology-based art with LG

As technology continues to evolve, art also expands its horizon with artists exploring technology-based art. The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum’s LG Guggenheim Art and Technology Initiative launched last year aims to support such pioneering artists. Noam Segal, an LG Electronics associate curator, considers pioneering artists to be those who inspire understandings of how technology shapes and is shaped by society. Segal joined the museum to helm the five-year initiative with Korean conglomer

April 26, 2024

BTS’ RM to release second solo album in May

South Korean boy band BTS leader RM will release his second solo album titled, “Right Place, Wrong Person,” on May 24, according to Big Hit Music Friday. RM was involved in the writing of all 11 tracks in the album, which can be preordered at BTS' official store and global music platforms such as Apple music, Spotify and iTunes Store. RM’s second solo album comes 18 months after his first album, "Indigo," which featured a number of photos of Korean art master Yun

April 26, 2024

Three curators to lead Korea Pavilion's 'The House of Trees' at Venice

Arts Council Korea announced Thursday an artistic director collective of three curators for the Korean Pavilion at next year’s Venice Biennale. The director collective consists of Chung Da-young, architecture curator at the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea; Kim Hee-jung, curator at Seoul Metropolitan Government; and Jung Sung-kyu, director of TACT, an architecture firm. The collective will tackle the theme of “The House of Trees,” joined by architects and

April 25, 2024

[Herald Interview] Kukje Gallery's Lee Hyun-sook brings Korean artists to Venice Biennale

It was almost a decade ago that the Kukje Gallery brought dansaekhwa artists to the Venice Biennale, a watershed moment for Korean contemporary art as it came under the global spotlight with the artists garnering international recognition. Lee Hyun-sook, founder of the Kukje Gallery, recalled why she pushed for the exhibition at the time – to present the authenticity of Korean art. The biennale’s collateral exhibition “Dansaekhwa” in 2015 showed works by Park Seo-bo, Chun

April 24, 2024

Exhibition on Hangeul items to go global

An exhibition showcasing products inspired by Hangeul, the Korean writing system, will take place at Korean Cultural Centers in 10 countries, starting with the one in Canada. A collection of over 50 items spanning jewelry, ceramics and household goods will be featured at the Special Exhibition on Korean Cultural Products in Ottawa, Ontario, from April 26 to June 28. A similar exhibition will be held in Turkey in May before exhibitions open in Germany and Mexico in June. The Special Exhibition on

April 24, 2024

CICI announces Korea image contests

The Corea Image Communication Institute is holding two contests to foster cultural exchange as part of the Cultural Communication Forum 2024 which convenes in June. The “New Korea Idea” contest takes ideas that offer a different perspective on Korea that could be used to represent Korea. The other contest, “AI Korea Image,” challenges contestants to create images that introduce Korean cultural contents such as food, film, music and tourism using an AI image program. Submi

April 23, 2024

Culture Ministry to up support for art entities under 'K-Art Festival'

The Culture Ministry will take the lead in combining Korea's major art events slated for September and promoting them nationwide under the "K-Art Festival" umbrella, according to the culture minister on Monday. Culture Minister Yoo In-chon said the ministry will step up its support to foster collaboration between major players in the art world, including the organizers of biennales, museums and commercial art fairs. “(Declaring cooperation) is the first step in forging coll

April 22, 2024

Venice Biennale titled 'Foreigners Everywhere' platforms LGBTQ+, outsider and Indigenous artists

VENICE -- Outsider, queer and Indigenous artists are getting an overdue platform at the 60th Venice Biennale contemporary art exhibition that opens Saturday, curated for the first time by a Latin American. Brazilian curator Adriano Pedrosa’s main show, which accompanies 88 national pavilions for the seven-month run, is strong on figurative painting, with fewer installations than recent editions. A preponderance of artists are from the Global South , long overlooked by the mainstream art wo

April 20, 2024

Korean art gets spotlight at Venice Biennale 2024

Korean art has come to the forefront at the Venice Biennale 2024 that kicked off Wednesday with a variety of exhibitions featuring Korean artists. The world’s most prominent art exhibition that takes place every two years opened under the theme “Stranieri Ovunque – Foreigners Everywhere” at the Giardini and Arsenale venues. The main exhibition of the biennale curated by Adriano Pedrosa includes four Korean artists -- -- Kim Yun-shin, Lee Kang-seung, Chang Woo-soung and Le

April 18, 2024

Korean dialects exhibition to mark National Hangeul Museum’s 10th anniversary

An exhibition on Korean dialects kicks off Friday as part of events run by the National Hangeul Museum to mark its 10th anniversary on Hangeul Day, which falls on Oct. 9. The “On Dialects” exhibition shows collections of literary works and documents exploring efforts made to preserve different ways of speaking Korean. It runs until Oct. 13 at the museum in Yongsan-gu, central Seoul. “What makes the exhibition special is that it’s presenting some of the materials museum of

April 18, 2024

[Herald Interview] Pearl Lam Galleries looks to boost its presence in Korea

Pearl Lam Galleries has established its name primarily in Greater China, working with artists from around the world for the past 20 years. The gallery is now embarking on a move to expand its presence to South Korea, which has grabbed global recognition as another art hub in Asia. “Seoul is an important center of not only contemporary culture but also strong traditional tastes and aesthetics,” said Pearl Lam, founder of the gallery, in a recent email interview with The Korea Herald.

April 17, 2024

[Herald Interview] Choi Byung-hoon's 'art furniture' carved with past, present

DOHA, Qatar -- Strolling outside the National Museum of Qatar, pieces of black basalt just outside the museum entrance come into sight -- seemingly rough but polished, the installation looks like artwork and, at the same, like chairs. The installation "Afterimage of the Beginning 2023," collected by the museum, was created by Korean artist Choi Byung-hoon who pioneered his own genre of art, so-called “art furniture,” and has pursued it for the past 30 years. The work was in

April 15, 2024

[Photo News] K-Culture Festival 2024 Dubai

April 13, 2024

Jean-Michel Basquiat's paintings from golden years to be auctioned at Phillips

Jean-Michel Basquiat’s three paintings -- created in the transition from street artist to gallery success -- will be put up for auctions in May at Philips in Hong Kong and New York, and are worth as much as $87 million in total. The paintings have been unprecedentedly shown at auction events. Formerly collected by Francesco Pellizzi and the Pellizzi Family, the paintings will be shown at the auctioneer’s major evening sales in May in the two cities. Pellizzi is co-founder and edito

April 12, 2024

National Hangeul Museum offers Hangeul calligraphy sessions for foreigners

The National Hangeul Museum is offering free in-person or online sessions on calligraphy of the Korean writing system for foreign nationals through Nov. 29. The two-hour in-person sessions will take place at the museum in Yongsan-gu, central Seoul, on Tuesdays at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., Thursdays at 10 a.m. and Fridays at 2 p.m. and 3 p.m. One-hour online sessions will run Tuesdays starting at 3 p.m. and 4 p.m., Thursdays at 4:30 p.m. and Fridays at 3 p.m. and 4 p.m. Each session will be limited to

April 11, 2024

Ugo Rondinone shows life, death, rebirth at Museum San

As the sun sets, a group of dancers and percussionists in the Maghreb region in Africa perform around a fire, the dance getting more fierce as the percussion rhythms grow faster and faster. The 10-minute film depicting the scene is played on six screens in a dark room. Viewers will be captivated by the performance, feeling as though they are standing among the dancers. When the camera moves closer to the fire, the whole room seems as though it is on fire. The dancing goes on until the sun rises.

April 11, 2024

Korean Craft Show gets thoughtful for Milan Design Week

Over 630 works from more than 20 South Korean artisans will be featured at this year’s Korean Craft Show during Milan Design Week next week, under the theme “Thoughts on Thickness.” According to the Culture Ministry, the body backing the craft show for the last 12 years, two exhibitions will take center stage this time, with one sideline exhibit set up outdoors in the northern Italian city from Monday to April 21. The main exhibits will explore objects of varying thickness made

April 11, 2024

MMCA announces four finalists for 2024 Korea Artist Prize

The National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea announced Tuesday four finalists for Korea Artist Prize 2024, the annual artist prize given to a promising Korean artist. The finalists – Kwon Ha-youn, Yang Jung-uk, Yoon Ji-young and Jane Jin Kaisen – will showcase their art at the exhibition from Oct. 25 to March 23, 2025 at MMCA Seoul as part of the award program. Their works will be reviewed by a jury of seven experts from home and abroad who will then announce a winner in

April 9, 2024