[Herald Interview] 'Fashion is about trends. Paul Smith is about individuality'

Though the beginning was small, things ended up much bigger than expected for fashion designer Paul Smith. It sometimes is still hard for the designer to believe what he has achieved. The celebrated designer’s first store in Nottingham, which opened in 1976, was 9 square meters. It was only open Fridays and Saturdays, as he had to work another job the rest of the week to make his living. Seven years after opening the shop, Smith went to Paris with a small collection of clothes. But he didn’t hav

April 8, 2019

Taking a look inside Paul Smith’s world

Designer Paul Smith’s world of fashion will visit Korea via an upcoming exhibition. Co-hosted by the Seoul Design Foundation and Design Museum of London, fashion exhibition “Hello, My Name is Paul Smith” is slated to take place this summer at Dongdaemun Design Plaza in Seoul. “The exhibition is very open and honest,” the 72-year-old designer said, during a press conference on Monday.  Designer Paul Smith speaks during a press conference at Dongdaemun Design Plaza in central Seoul on Monday. (Seo

April 8, 2019

Art of being an observer

Stereotypes play a role in perceptions of a foreign country and its people -- especially when it comes to Korea and Japan, which have a relationship strained by history and politics. Yet artist Jung Yeon-doo succeeds in approaching the subject matter from the perspective of a dispassionate observer in “Classic and New,” a 43-minute video work that highlights the narratives of ordinary Japanese people. Jung’s work revolves around the Kiyosumi-Shirakawa area in Tokyo as well as people living in th

April 7, 2019

[Weekender] From vintage to sportswear, retro is in vogue

The retro fever can be best felt at the Dongmyo market, one of the biggest flea markets in Korea where fashionista visitors have sharply increased since last year. “Visitors surged suddenly after September last year, after the market was featured on several popular TV shows,” said Park Choon-ha, a vintage clothes shop owner at the market. Vintage clothes, shoes and accessories are displayed at the Dongmyo street market in Seoul on March 29. (Choi Ji-won/The Korea Herald)On a recent Friday aftern

April 5, 2019

Artist Lee Bul awarded 2019 Ho-Am Prize

Artist Lee Bul will be awarded the 2019 Ho-Am Prize, an annual award established in 1990 to honor those who have made contribution to science, culture and the welfare of mankind.Artist Lee Bul (Courtesy of Studio Lee Bul)Lee is an internationally-known artist from Korea, who have been active since the 1980s. A retrospective of her works was held recently at the Hayward Gallery in London and the Martin Gropius Bau in Berlin. She is also participating the main exhibition of the Venice Biennale 201

April 4, 2019

MMCA exhibition ‘Vertiginous Data’ questions neutrality of tech

Not many artworks on show at museums have price tags attached to them, but Rachel Ara’s installation work does. The large tech installation, a mass of devices and black cables, updates in real time its value on a screen in red neon numbers. This seemingly “overcalculated and overcomplicated” tech-sculpture by Ara, titled “This Much I’m Worth,” is part of the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art’s latest exhibition. Installation views of “This Much I’m Worth” by Rachel Ara and Chris She

April 3, 2019

[Herald Interview] After Celine and Louis Vuitton, Korean-American designer ready to rock world with label Rokh

At the latest edition of Paris Fashion Week, a new name caught the eye of fashion industry insiders amid the dizzying list of top fashion houses. It was Rokh, based in London and led by Korean-American designer Hwang Rok. Before launching his label in 2016, the 34-year-old designer had worked at high-end fashion houses, such as Celine, Chloe and Louis Vuitton.  RokhThough the Rokh label pursues the reinterpretation of classic garments through deconstruction and reconstruction, its collections ar

April 2, 2019

‘Lack of aesthetic sensibility could pose threat to others’

Scattered throughout the gallery space are collages of various materials and found objects. Some are shown on classical sculpture podiums, others on metal frames or plastic foam. A sculpture in a corner periodically releases white vapor, like the water vapor and toxic gases that spew in a volcanic eruption. These make up artist Jung Ji-hyun’s solo exhibition at Atelier Hermes in Maison Hermes Dosan Park in Seoul.Born in 1986, Jung is an artist who works primarily with the byproducts and waste of

April 1, 2019

Out of rookie league, designers debut big on Seoul runway

Last week, the newest fashion trends packed into Dongdaemun Design Plaza, where the 2019 fall-winter Seoul Fashion Week took place. New brands, new models and new styles were presented in front of fashion aficionados.The biannual fashion event is largely separated into two runway parts: “Generation Next” featuring local rookie designers and the main event Seoul Collection.  A model presents a creation by Blanc de Noirs on a catwalk at the 2019 fall-winter Seoul Fashion Week on Thursday. (Seoul D

March 28, 2019

Cottweiler design duo explores ‘Lost Art of Cruising’

London-based designer brand Cottweiler reached out to the public with its fashion show at the 2019 fall-winter Seoul Fashion Week on Friday. Led by the duo of Ben Cottrell and Matthew Dainty, Cottweiler was chosen as the first British brand to stage a runway show at Seoul Fashion Week under an exchange program between the British Fashion Council and Seoul Design Foundation.  Designers Ben Cottrell (left) and Matthew Dainty, who run London-based menswear label Cottweiler, speak during an intervie

March 27, 2019

Kohei Nawa’s ‘Vessel’ sculptures shimmer in the dark

Hypnotic sounds in a pitch-dark gallery space create an otherworldly atmosphere -- a fitting environment for sculptures of tangled human bodies glittering in the dark.“Vessel,” a solo exhibition of some 30 works by up-and-coming Japanese artist Kohei Nawa at Arario Gallery’s Ryse Hotel branch marks the artist’s first exhibition here in seven years. Installation view of Japanese artist Kohei Nawa‘s exhibition “Vessel” at Arario Gallery’s Ryse Hotel branch in Seoul (Arario Gallery)Exploring materi

March 26, 2019

Broad range of David Hockney’s works on view at SeMA

The largest-ever David Hockney exhibition in South Korea is underway at the Seoul Museum of Art, featuring some of the artist’s iconic paintings such as “The Bigger Splash” (1967) and “A Bigger Grand Canyon” (1998) -- as well as “In the Studio, December 2017,” which is being shown to the general public for the first time.  David Hockney’s double portraits are on exhibit at the Seoul Museum of Art on Thursday. (Yonhap)Born in 1937, Hockney is the world’s most famous, beloved and expensive living

March 25, 2019

New fall-winter looks hit Seoul runway

Seoul Fashion Week came to an end Sunday, wrapping up its official six-day run at Dongdaemun Design Plaza in central Seoul.Though not one of the “big four” global fashion capitals, Seoul too sees fast-changing fashion trends. The biannual fashion festival invites international buyers, media and spectators to Seoul. Models present creations from brand Beyond Closet during the 2019 F/W Seoul Fashion Week held at Dongdaemun Design Plaza in central Seoul on Saturday. (Seoul Design Foundation)This ti

March 24, 2019

Exhibition shows how artists work with lies

Along the wall are framed drawings of artist Ahn Kyu-chul. The drawing series by Ahn, titled “Man Who Disappeared Into the Box,” comes with text describing how a person can disappear by using the bags presented in the drawings. Installed in a corner are suitcases made of wood -- identical to the ones shown in Ahn’s drawings. The bags from the drawings have come alive before exhibitgoers. The installation of suitcases are Ahn’s objects used to prove his fiction. Created by Ahn’s works is confusio

March 21, 2019

2019 F/W Seoul Fashion Week: International buyers discuss e-commerce

As a part of the 2019 F/W Seoul Fashion Week, the Seoul Design Foundation arranged a mentoring session Thursday, allowing international buyers to discuss the future of e-commerce. Five buyers who visited the fashion event -- Danny Stienen, a buyer from Antonioli (online concept store based in Milan), Constanza Lombardi and Thibaud Etcheberry from Browns (boutique concept store based in London), Nichole Spellman and Michal Kurtis, buyers from Barney’s New York (American department store chain) --

March 21, 2019

Exhibition ‘DMZ’ brings border closer, allows for reflection

The exhibition “DMZ,” dedicated to introducing works of art and projects looking into the Demilitarized Zone between the two Koreas, will be held at Culture Station Seoul 284, starting Thursday.“It is meaningful to hold such an exhibition here in this train station-turned exhibition space, which originally was the railway station of Gyeongui Line that used to stretch between here and (the North Korean city of) Sinuiju,” officials from Culture Station Seoul 284 said at a press conference held Wed

March 20, 2019

Fashion is in the air: 2019 F/W Seoul Fashion Week kicks off

The catwalk shows of 2019 F/W Seoul Fashion Week kick off Wednesday at the Dongdaemun Design Plaza in central Seoul, introducing local designers’ creations for the fall-winter fashion.Thirty-seven fashion shows will be held in the main Seoul Collection, including 33 for designer brands such as the Miss Gee Collection, Beyond Closet, Songzio, Besfxxk, Greedilous and Dew E Dew E.Three brands collaborating with major fashion firms will also grace the stage. For example, Iise, the winner of the 2018

March 19, 2019

Musical ‘Grease’ takes over catwalk at Fashion Kode with ’50s mood

Catwalks are usually graced by cold-faced models striding down the runway, but a new kind of fashion show took place Thursday -- and this time, the models were all about entertaining the audience.On Thursday the Korea Creative Content Agency, a state-funded institute that promotes and supports the country’s popular culture, kicked off Fashion Kode 2019 F/W, a three-day fashion festival at S-Factory in the Seongsu-dong neighborhood in eastern Seoul.Highlights of the event included fashion exhibit

March 15, 2019

Kim Ho-deuk’s contemporary interpretation of traditional paintings

Artist Kim Ho-deuk is holding a solo exhibition at Hakgojae Gallery in Samcheong-dong, Seoul. The exhibition comprises some 40 pieces, ranging from abstract paintings to installation works. The exhibited works are a continuum of the artist’s exploration of new aesthetics grounded in Korea’s traditional culture.  “Mountain-Faraway" (2018) by artist Kim Ho=-deuk (Hakgojae Gallery) "Rapids" (2018) by artist Kim Ho-deuk (Hakgojae Gallery)Born in 1950, Kim is known for paintings that borrow elements

March 14, 2019

MMCA announces finalists for 2019 Korea Artist Prize

The National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea, on Thursday announced the four finalists for the 2019 Korea Artist Prize: Kim A-young, Park Hye-soo, Rhii Jew-yo and Hong Young-in. An exhibition of works by the four artists will open Oct. 12 and run through March 1, 2020. The winner of the annual art award will be announced before year-end, after a jury reviews the works presented at the upcoming exhibition. The four finalists were selected by a four-member jury composed of Bartomeu Ma

March 14, 2019