Foundry Seoul opens in Seoul’s rising art hub, Hannam-dong

Foundry Seoul, a contemporary art gallery, has opened in Hannam-dong, central Seoul, presenting Berlin-based artist Henning Strassburger and Seoul-based experimental design duo Kanghyuk in its inaugural exhibition. The gallery is housed in the same building as the newly opened Gucci store, the Italian luxury brand’s second flagship store in Korea. The Hannam-dong neighborhood is fast rising as a new art hub with several international galleries opening in the area.  "We ha

June 25, 2021

Seoul stumbles upon the meaning of ‘Our Happy Life’ through urbanscape

“Did you experience happiness during most of the day yesterday?” A video pops up with a self-reflective question the moment you enter a room with yellow fabric curtains at the exhibit‘s entrance. The special documentary clip from global survey firm Gallup shows how measuring the concept of happiness -- an invisible emotion -- has become possible today. “Our Happy Life” is an exhibition initially launched in Montreal by the Canadian Center for Architecture that ope

June 23, 2021

Climate Museum warns against exploitative development

One of the biggest challenges mankind faces today is climate change, which has become a frequently discussed topic globally as more people become aware of humanity’s impact on nature due to the coronavirus and the plastic waste generated from face masks and food containers. The “Climate Museum: Life and Death of Our Home” exhibition at Seoul Museum of Art in Jongno, central Seoul, shows how indiscriminate development has hurt Earth’s ecology through a variety of artwor

June 23, 2021

Bidding at Seoul auction house hits new high since financial crisis

In a sign of growing demand for artworks, a major auction house based in Seoul saw sales from a recent bidding reach a fresh high since the 2008 global financial crisis. Seoul Auction sold artworks worth 24.3 billion won ($21.4 million) in the latest bidding held Tuesday, with 87 percent of the artworks finding new owners during the event, it said Wednesday. The amount is the highest since the 2008 financial crisis and is also higher than the 23 billion won in sales the auction house had estim

June 23, 2021

Korean Eye 2020 arrives in Seoul after showings in St. Petersburg, London

The exhibition “Korean Eye 2020: Creativity and Daydream” has kicked off in Seoul after touring the State Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg in Russia and the Saatchi Gallery in London last year. Twenty-six Korean contemporary artists participating in the exhibition were selected by Dimitri Ozerkov, head of the department of contemporary art at the State Hermitage Museum, Serenella Ciclitira, founder of Parallel Contemporary Art, and Philippa Adams, director of the Saatchi Gallery

June 22, 2021

[Exclusive] MMCA postpones Paik Nam-june festival, once again

The National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea’s plan to celebrate the legacy of South Korea’s pioneering video artist Paik Nam-june will be canceled again this year, with an exhibition dedicated to Paik unlikely to happen for a second year in a row, according to the museum. Earlier this year, MMCA Director Yun Bum-mo announced a “large-scale festival” would be held to shed light on Paik’s legacy, including an opening the exhibition titled “After t

June 21, 2021

British artist Fiona Banner poses questions on humans’ desire, power

British artist Fiona Banner aka The Vanity Press’ first exhibition in Asia is being held at Barakat Contemporary in Seoul, unveiling the artist’s 14 new works comprising paintings, installations and video art. Banner first gained attention in the mid-1990s for her “wordscapes” and “still films,” which explored the relationships of primitive human desire and violence conveyed through traditional nudes, pornography and Hollywood war films relayed as dense verb

June 20, 2021

Aboriginal artist Daniel Boyd asks one’s true-self

Australian artist Daniel Boyd has presented his identity as part of a native tribe of the country, challenging Western hegemony through his convex-dot paintings that ask radical questions of the audience about their identity, roots and true self. The artist’s second solo exhibition, “Treasure Island,” in South Korea is running through Aug. 1 at Kukje Gallery in Seoul, presenting 24 works including a video unveiled for the first time in the country.  "I think there

June 20, 2021

Pandemic-weary seek solace in garden exhibition

Gardening has become a new trend recently as people start to turn their eyes to nature to seek comfort from it. Although gardening is not easy in South Korea as many live in high-rise apartment complexes, many are growing potted flowers and plants at home and take care of them as “pet plants.” Why are we attached to plants and flowers? The exhibition “Gardening” at Piknic in central Seoul explores our psychology behind gardening and how we can interact with the nature.

June 19, 2021

[Herald Interview] Kim Jun-su returns as red-haired Count Dracula

The musical “Dracula: The Musical” has been an all-time hit since it premiered in 2014 with Kim Jun-su, a former lead vocalist of the popular boy band TVXQ and now a veteran musical actor of 10 years, in the leading role. His hair dyed a bright red color again -- Kim’s signature look for his Count Dracula character -- the actor stood on the stage for the musical’s fourth season which kicked off on May 20 at the Blue Square in Seoul. The red-colored hair was intended to

June 15, 2021

[Herald Interview] Korean Pavilion at Venice Architecture Biennale explores architecture as multidisciplinary practice

Curator Shin Hae-won of the Korean Pavilion at the 2021 Venice Architecture Biennale has agonized over how to bring people together to discuss climate crisis, diaspora and innovation. Although those themes may seem comparatively less relevant for an architecture exhibition, Shin believes architecture is not just a physical thing but something that reflects our lives and the issues that we currently face. The Korean Pavilion has been turned into “Future School” at the biennale wh

June 14, 2021

Facing North Korea, Imjingak Park is a reminder of peace on the Korean Peninsula

PAJU, Gyeonggi Province -- A large peaceful ground, Imjingak Pyeonghwa Nuri Park stands facing the Imjin River, just south of the Demilitarized Zone. Although it sounds like an area of heightened tensions, the park is crowded with visitors, especially on weekends, who come for a picnic and to view the works of art on display. The exhibition “DMZ Art Project: Peace, Again” shows works by 12 artists and collectives that deal with the theme of peace. The works that are scattered throu

June 12, 2021

MMCA highlights humans’ playful side

An exhibition at the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea, reminds people to be playful instead of getting obsessed with the results of their actions in this efficiency-oriented society. The exhibition, “Switch Things Up,” was inspired by Dutch historian and cultural theorist Johan Huizinga’s (1872-1945) philosophy of “homo ludens,” which suggests that the desire for play is a defining characteristic of humanity and urges a return to “playf

June 11, 2021

Seoul Auction to hold biggest art auction since 2008

Seoul Auction announced Friday that it would hold its 161st major art auction June 22. Works by famous Korean and international artists will be up for sale, for a total of 204 pieces both modern and antique, with a combined estimated value of 23 billion won ($20.68 million). This is the highest amount for any single auction in South Korea since the 2008 financial crisis, according to Seoul Auction. The works by renowned Korean modern artists will include Lee Jung-seop’s oil painting &

June 11, 2021

[Herald Interview] Digital artist Cody Choi questions nature of ‘digital art’

When PKM Gallery showed Cody Choi’s “Database Painting Series 1 - Stolen Data, Tiger #00” at the Art Basel Hong Kong 2021 in March, it was a long-awaited moment for the artist who began “database painting” in 1997. He had to wait a long time for people to pay attention to digital art, he said. “Not many people were interested in digital art until recently when NFT seems to have inspired interest in digital art,” Choi said during an interview with The

June 9, 2021

[Feature] NFT art shakes up Korean art market

When it was recently announced that NFT-based artworks by Korean modern art masters -- Kim Whan-ki, Park Soo-keun and Lee Jung-seop -- would go on the block at an online auction, the Korean art industry was bewildered. The families and foundations raised copyright issues, claiming that they owned the original works and had never given the rights for those works to be minted as nonfungible token artworks. Minting refers to the process of tokenizing an asset and once an artwork is minted, it bec

June 9, 2021

Coex Urban Park festival to send message of hope amid pandemic

Public art festival Coex Urban Park will kick off Wednesday for a four-day run, aiming to send a message of hope to people suffering from the COVID-19 pandemic. Under the theme of “Blossom the Hope,” the event was organized by the Gangnam-gu Office and members of the Coex Mice Cluster, a group consisting of Coex, the Korea International Trade Association and 14 companies. Public works or art, exhibitions and other activities will be held at multiple locations near the World Trade

June 8, 2021

Architecture biennale to explore impact of pandemic

The third Seoul Biennale of Architecture and Urbanism will run Sept. 16 to Oct. 31. The theme is “Crossroads, Building the Resilient City,” a reference to the COVID-19 pandemic. The 46-day event will take place at various locations around Seoul, including Dongdaemun Design Plaza, the Seoul Hall of Urbanism and Architecture, and Sewoon Plaza in Jongno, central Seoul. Exhibitions and other activities will take place at each location. Works by internationally renowned architects, suc

June 7, 2021

[#WeFace] [Herald Interview] Architect Kim Won’s goal is buildings that conform to nature

Although the prevailing notion is that architecture is about art, the environment has always been at the heart of architect Kim Won’s designs. Kim, 78, pursues environment-friendly values when designing buildings, paying homage to nature and to traditional Korean values. “The concept of environment-friendly tends to be used indiscriminately. But my value lies in conforming to nature. We should make the most of nature, and it is foolish to ignore such a gift. But many architects a

June 5, 2021

New media art venue opens at Lotte Avenuel

A new space dedicated to immersive media art opened its doors Friday at luxury department store Lotte Avenuel in Myeong-dong, Seoul. The venue, Groundseesaw Myeongdong, is an 800-square-meter exhibition hall with 6-meter, ceiling-to-floor screens covering the walls. The hall features more than 70 high performance projectors and multiplex cinema sound systems, according to Media & Art, a display agency.　 “Blue Room,” the opening exhibition, is designed to offer an experience no

June 4, 2021