Paintings of 'moon villages' evoke nostalgia

Seen from a distance, Korean painter Joung Young-ju’s “Another World” shows a scene of dim lights glowing throughout a village on a hillside at night. The lights are coming from houses and streetlamps in the neighborhood. The 1.9-meter painting at the entrance of the exhibition of the same name evokes childhood memories or tales many visitors have heard from their parents. A neighborhood built on a hillside is commonly referred to as “dal dongnae,” literally mean

Aug. 15, 2022

Lee Jung-seop’s longing for family comes to life in exhibition

Korean artist Lee Jung-seop (1916-1956) is one of the most beloved artists in South Korea, where his unique style of painting or drawing has captured the hearts of many. An upcoming exhibition based on South Korea’s richest man’s collection might show the underlying force for his art: a yearning for family. The National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea will shed a light on the artist in an exhibition through 90 of his works, with “Chicken and Chicks” and &l

Aug. 10, 2022

Photography evolves, diversifies by taking different formats

If you think photography is just a form of still image, photographs by two masters -- Henri Cartier-Bresson and Andreas Gursky -- may change your preconceptions, showing how it has evolved over time and can vary depending on the photographer and the format. French photographer Henri Cartier-Bresson (1908-2004) pioneered street photography and elevated photojournalism to an art form. He applied geometry to black-and-white pictures, imbuing them with poetic rhythm. Rather than the things or fac

Aug. 1, 2022

Artist Ryu Sung-sil satirizes capitalism at Atelier Hermes show

Starting a few years ago, the newly coined term “bulmeong” – staring at the fire in a trance, like when one stares at a campfire – has become prevalent among young people. The expression is usually associated with “healing” or “emptying one‘s mind” while watching a burning fire, but sculptor and media artist Ryu Sung-sil added a twist when she named her solo exhibition at the Atelier Hermes in Seoul “The Burning Love Song.” &ld

July 31, 2022

Exhibition of vintage furniture designs highlights timeless value

Over 100 pieces of vintage and antique design furniture are on display at an exhibition called “Our Finest 20th Century Design Collection” at Dongdaemun Design Plaza in central Seoul. The collection, which embodies the essence of modernity and originality, showcases furniture from the 1920s to the 1960s -- a period considered to be the most dynamic in design history, according to the show’s organizer, the Seoul Design Foundation. The exhibition includes several rare pieces th

July 28, 2022

[Exclusive] Incheon airport ditches plan for global museum

Incheon Airport is considering building a 300-square-meter exhibition space within the airport, after a recent study found that plans to establish a satellite museum of one of Europe‘s top-tire museums, such as the Centre Pompidou or the Louvre, were unfeasible. In January, Incheon International Airport Corp. commissioned a study to gauge the feasibility of setting up a branch of a globally renowned museum at the airport by 2024. The study, concluded in June, found that it would not be p

July 26, 2022

Perrotin Gallery to open second space in Seoul ahead of Frieze Seoul

Perrotin Gallery will open its second exhibition hall in Seoul, Perrotin Dosan Park, in late August, an addition to its venue in Samcheong-dong, northern Seoul, that opened in 2016. The French gallery is the first international gallery in Seoul to open a second gallery in the city. The 190-square-meter exhibition space will open in a two-story building in Gangnam-gu, southern Seoul. The building was designed by KIAS (Kentaro Ishida Architects Studio) in collaboration with Yoki Design and K

July 22, 2022

Busan Biennale 2022 unveils artists expanding theme of port city‘s history

Busan Biennale 2022 has unveiled the list of participating artists in the upcoming biennale scheduled for September, whose works embodying the turbulent history of the southern port city will be on display across the city. The 65-day biennale, under the theme of ”We, on the Rising Wave,“ will be held at the Museum of Contemporary Art Busan, Pier 1 of Busan Port, the island of Yeongdo and Choryang, a village set up by war refugees during the Korean War (1950-1953) and Koreans who r

July 18, 2022

Herald Artday to host charity auction to help Korean youth diaspora project

Herald Artday, a subsidiary of Herald Corp., will host its 2022 Charity Auction on July 27 to help young ethnic Koreans residing overseas build their capacity and expand learning opportunities. Part of the profits generated from the auction will be donated to the Korean youth diaspora project. Some 135 artworks by 90 artists will be put up for the auction, which is scheduled to kick off at 4 p.m. on July 27 at Summit Gallery in Gangnam-gu, southern Seoul. The opening reception for 2022 Chari

July 17, 2022

NMK unveils 1,300-year-old relics of Astana tombs

 The National Museum of Korea has opened the “Astana Tombs – A House of Eternity” exhibition in the Central Asia Gallery located on the third floor of the Permanent Exhibition Hall. The exhibition has on display figurines, pottery and documents discovered inside some 400 Astana tombs at a cemetery of the ruling class built near Turpan in Xinjiang, China, near the ancient city of Gaochang that dates back 1,300 years. The relics are recorded to have been discovered or tra

July 15, 2022

Exhibition on Korea’s pop culture to open in London’s V&A

A special exhibition exploring Korea’s pop culture and its historical roots will open in London this September. Britain’s Victoria and Albert (V&A) Museum announced Thursday the opening of “Hallyu! The Korean Wave” exhibition on Sept. 24. Supported by Korea’s Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the exhibition will run through June 25, 2023. It will look at the makings of the Korean Wave through movies, dramas, music and fandom, and explore its global impa

July 15, 2022

American sculptor Tom Sachs invites Seoulites to his artistic indoctrination

Long lines formed to see works by US sculptor Tom Sachs when the shows kicked off in late June at Art Sonje Center, Thaddaeus Ropac and Hybe Insight. Exhibitions of the same artist are running simultaneously at three different places across Seoul. Born in 1966, the New York-based artist’s sculptures present twists on contemporary society, culture, politics, and economy. A self-proclaimed guilty consumer living in an age of instant gratification, Sachs questions overconsumption and

July 13, 2022

22 artists bring BTS songs to life through ‘Beyond the Scene’

K-pop sensation BTS’ discographies are being presented as artworks at the Total Museum of Contemporary Art in Jongno-gu, Seoul, until July 30. The special exhibition, titled “Beyond the Scene” is being held to coincide with the third BTS Global Interdisciplinary Conference, which is set to kick off on Thursday, bringing the septet’s songs and messages to life. The exhibition’s title comes from the K-pop act’s English initials and the idea of using art to &

July 13, 2022

MMCA to provide audio and sign language commentaries

Audio and sign language commentary programs for the visually and hearing impaired will be available for upcoming exhibitions, the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea announced Monday. The museum is currently offering audio and sign language programs for “Prayer for Life: Special Exhibition of Korean Polychrome Painting” at MMCA Gwacheon, which runs through Sept. 25. The MMCA said that there will be four audio commentaries and six sign language commentaries by the

July 11, 2022

Paik Nam-june‘s 'The More, The Better' at MMCA ready to run in September

Influential Korean video artist Paik Nam-june‘s largest video tower, “The More, The Better,” will start operating at the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province, in September following the completion of a test run last week. “We will most likely resume operation in September to coincide with the exhibition ’The More, The Better Archive,‘” an official from the national museum told The Korea Herald on Monday. The e

July 11, 2022

Korea’s art market boom continues in 2022

South Korea’s art market is estimated to mark about 532.9 billion won ($410.2 million) for the first half of 2022, according to a report by the Korea Arts Management Service last week. The six-month figure amounted to 58 percent of the annual art market size of 2021, which was 915.7 billion won. Six major art fairs held in the first half of the year showed strong growth. The total sales reached 142.9 billion won, up 165.6 percent from the previous year. The total number of visitors also

July 10, 2022

Seoul eyes becoming art destination during September’s Frieze Seoul, Kiaf Seoul

An unprecedented number of galleries from around the world will come together in Seoul in early September for the inaugural Frieze Seoul, Kiaf Seoul and Kiaf Plus, the first joint opening of local and global art fairs in South Korea. Some 350 galleries will participate in Frieze Seoul, Kiaf Seoul and Kiaf Plus -- a satellite art fair of Kiaf Seoul which will feature newer galleries. As part of partnership between Frieze Seoul and Kiaf Seoul, a single ticket will enable visitors to enter both

July 7, 2022

[Herald Interview] Bang Ui-geol brings ink wash paintings to immersive digital museum

An ink wash painting shows rain coming down through a mostly black-and-white forest. Though a still image, 84-year-old painter Bang Ui-geol’s “Showers I,” seems to bring the misty scene to life, evoking the sounds of heavy raindrops hitting trees and a gurgling valley stream. Bang has devoted his whole life to ink wash paintings, known as “sumukhwa,” that are created with black ink and brush. The different concentrations of black ink create distances and a profoun

July 5, 2022

What to see in Samcheong-dong galleries this week

If you want to see new art this week, visit the galleries of Samcheong-dong, a cozy and renowned neighborhood in central Seoul next to the main palace Gyeongbokgung. New works by conceptual artist Olafur Eliasson, who plays with light and color, are on display at PKM Gallery. The gallery has a restaurant where one can grab some coffee or a meal before or after enjoying works. Right next to PKM Gallery is Barakat Contemporary, where the first solo exhibition by Berlin-based Nevin Aladag, who ha

July 3, 2022

Two artistic directors appointed for Korean Pavilion at 2023 Venice Biennale

Cultural curator Jung So-ik and art professor Park Kyong will curate South Korea‘s national pavilion at the upcoming 2023 Venice Biennale, Arts Council Korea announced Thursday. It is the first time for Korean Pavilion to have joint curation at the global art biennale. The 18th International Architecture Exhibition will be held from May 18 to Nov. 26 in Venice, Italy, bringing together some 150 exhibitors from 30 countries with the theme of “The Laboratory of the Future,” le

June 30, 2022