Painter Yun Suk-nam calls out to souls of forgotten female activists

Painter Yun Suk-nam, who has dedicated her career to creating art advocating women’s rights, is showcasing new portraits of female independence activists during the Japanese colonial era who have long been neglected by historians because of their gender. The portraits of the female activists are on display at the exhibition titled “Women of Resistance, Becoming Historic -- Portraits of 14 Female Independence Activists Who Quaked History” at Hakgojae Gallery in Seoul.  Eac

Feb. 20, 2021

Joseon-era folding screen with hunting scenes goes on display

An eight-panel folding screen from the Joseon era depicting hunting scenes have been put on display from Thursday at the National Palace Museum of Korea, according to the Cultural Heritage Administration and the Overseas Korean Cultural Heritage Foundation. The folding screen was purchased at an auction in the US last September, according to the CHA. The paintings on the folding screen mainly feature a Qing Dynasty emperor enjoying hunting. The item is from the late 18th century when produc

Feb. 20, 2021

Chilean artist Cecilia Vicuna hosts first solo exhibition in Asia

Chilean artist Cecilia Vicuna based in New York is showcasing her first solo exhibition in Asia at Lehman Maupin in Seoul. The 73-year-old artist is also an activist who advocates human rights issues and stands against the cultural homogenization phenomenon associated with globalization reflect this through her artwork. The exhibition title “Quipu Girok” is a combination of the ancient Andean word quipu, which means a knot, and the Korean word girok, which means record. 

Feb. 19, 2021

[Feature] How artists, writers inspire one another

The 1930s and the 1940s were the golden age of Korean literature and art. The two genres flourished together, even as writers and artists faced the challenges of harsh Japanese colonial rule (1910-1945), which sought to suppress Korean culture. The bleak years saw lively interaction among painters, novelists and poets who inspired each other. Some would gather at Jebi, a coffee shop in what was then Gyeongseong, now called Seoul, run by Yi Sang, the country’s representative modern writer

Feb. 15, 2021

MMCA takes experimental approach to art with cutting-edge technology

Korea’s National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art is embarking on an experimental journey with a new project to show how two seemingly different fields can collaborate by intertwining contemporary art with cutting-edge technology. Taking the theme of “Multiverse,” the national museum’s new project will introduce six rising and established artists and their artworks that adopt various technologies including immersive technology, robots that substitute the kinetic cap

Feb. 14, 2021

Yang Hae-gue's sonic sculptures awakened

The kinetic and sonic sculptures by globally acclaimed installation artist Yang Hae-gue are being performed throughout February at the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea, where her fifth solo exhibition in Korea “MMCA Hyundai Motor Series 2020: Haegue Yang - O2 & H2O” is underway.  A total of 9 pieces of the artist’s kinetic sculptures including “Sonic Domesticus,” “Sonic Clotheshorse” and “Sonic Ropes” will be ac

Feb. 6, 2021

Nam June Paik Art Center offers augmented-reality experience

The Nam June Paik Art Center is using augmented-reality technology to introduce the masterpieces of Paik Nam-june, a South Korean-born artist who is known globally as the founder of video art. “We tested AR service operation last year and have decided to implement the system,” an official from the art center said. The coronavirus pandemic has accelerated the application of the technology, he said. Starting Thursday, the world’s sole art center dedicated to Paik -- home to s

Feb. 5, 2021

Emerging artists get their own online platform with launch of 'Manifold'

While the coronavirus has closed borders and restricted travel, virtual space remains wide open, offering new possibilities. Taking advantage of such possibilities is the online exhibition platform “Manifold,” which introduces emerging Korean artists to the international arts scene at a time when the pandemic hinders in-person exhibitions. Manifold is part of the Korea Arts Management Service’s Grant for Artists Management’s project, begun in 2019, that aims to suppo

Feb. 3, 2021

It’s settled. Modern art master’s name in English is Lee Jung-seop

The sole public museum dedicated to Korea’s modern artist Lee Jung-seop has decided to adopt “Lee Jung-seop” as the artist’s official name in English. This means the museum, located on Jeju Island, will change its current name -- Lee Jung-seob Gallery -- to one using the current romanization. For decades, various organizations and exhibitions have used many different romanizations of Lee’s name. “We have long recognized the need to decide on the English

Feb. 3, 2021

13th Gwangju Biennale postponed to April

The 13th Gwangju Biennale, which was scheduled for Feb. 26, will now be held in April as the pandemic continues to ravage the country, the Gwangju Biennale Foundation announced on Monday. “We have decided to put off the biennale due to the pandemic, but other things, including the participating artists and commissioned artworks, remain as planned. We are preparing online exhibitions as well,” a public relations official from the Gwangju Biennale Foundation told The Korea Herald. Fe

Feb. 1, 2021

Video artist Paik Nam-june remembered 15 years later

The Nam June Paik Art Center on Friday hosted a conversation with Lev Manovich, a professor at City University of New York and the leading theorist of digital culture and media art, to commemorate the 15th anniversary of video art pioneer Paik Nam-june’s death. The conversation took place at the Nam June Paik Art Center in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province, and was led by the director of the art center, Kim Seong-eun. The talk, which will be uploaded online in early February, was livestreamed v

Jan. 31, 2021

Joseon era folding screen bought at US auction on display at palace museum

Three traditional folding screens, including one which was brought back from the United States last year, are on display at the National Palace Museum of Korea. The most famous of the three -- Yojiyeondo, or banquet at Yoji in Korean -- depicts an extravagant feast hosted by Seowangmo, a goddess in Chinese mythology. The banquet takes place by Yoji, a huge pond in the Kunlun Mountains which is believed to be the dwelling place of gods. King Mu of China’s Zhou dynasty was said to have at

Jan. 27, 2021

National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art publishes English-language book on its collection

The National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea, has published “MMCA Collection 300” in English, providing an introduction to representative modern and contemporary works from the museum’s holdings. The Korean-language edition of the book was published in 2019 to commemorate the museum’s 50th anniversary, and was a bestseller at major online bookstores in South Korea. The English-language edition features a glossary section newly added for international rea

Jan. 27, 2021

Seoul Museum of Art experiments with ways to examine collection

Seoul Museum of Art’s first exhibition of the year is an attempt to redefine the museum’s collection with an experimental approach -- interaction between citizens and experts. Scattered at three locations throughout Seoul, the Seoul City-run SeMA is located at Seoul Museum of Art (Seosomun-dong), Buk-Seoul Museum of Art in Nowon-gu and Nam-Seoul Museum of Art in Gwanak-gu. Established in 1988, SeMA holds more than 5,000 works in its collection. “Collection_Opening Hacking

Jan. 26, 2021

‘After Every Winter Comes Spring’ exhibition at National Museum of Korea extended until April 4

The National Museum of Korea announced on Tuesday that it is extending the run of its special exhibition “After Every Winter Comes Spring” for nine weeks. The exhibition, which opened Nov. 24 and reopened Jan. 19 after a two-week shutdown, will now run through April 4. Visitors will have an opportunity to see the painting “Sehando,” which reflects the hardships that its creator, scholar and calligrapher Chusa Kim Jeong-hui (1786-1856), experienced while in exile. &ldq

Jan. 26, 2021

[Feature] Late Samsung Chairman Lee Kun-hee’s art collection out for appraisal

The late Samsung Chairman Lee Kun-hee’s treasure box is open. Besides being South Korea’s wealthiest and most powerful businessman, Lee, who died Oct. 25, was also an avid art collector who amassed an important collection of Korean art as well as contemporary Western works. Some of the works in his collection are under appraisal, raising speculation that they may be sold off in the near future. The appraisals are being carried out by the Galleries Association of Korea’s Art

Jan. 25, 2021

[Eye Plus] Sea of light

The Mapo Oil Depot, located near the World Cup Park in Mapo, western Seoul, was once a level-one security facility that was off limits to the public for almost 40 years. The facility has recently been refurbished as a cultural space for citizens.  A lantern exhibition, titled “Sea of Light,” is currently running at the once abandoned oil tank, offering a cultural experience for those who are feeling exhausted amid the prolonged coronavirus pandemic.  The exhibition hall f

Jan. 23, 2021

Spotlight shone on different aspects of video art pioneer Paik Nam-june

Paik Nam-june is widely known as the founder of the video art who expanded the art medium to television sets in the early 1960s. The internationally acclaimed artist is receiving a renewed interest ahead of a restoration of “The More the Better,” Paik’s magnum opus, at the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art and a solo exhibition of his works at Leeahn Gallery in Seoul is an opportunity to look at Paik’s various art practices. The exhibition, the gallery&rsqu

Jan. 23, 2021

Two artists expanding boundary of art

The artworks of lacquer artist Jeong Kwang-bok and sculptor Hong Seung-tae may seem like they have nothing in common. But the two artists’ work styles share a common feature -- expanding the boundary of art without confining themselves to a certain art medium or art category. The exhibition “Modern Postmodern, Postmodern Post” at Gallery Insa Art in Insadong, central Seoul, showcases the two artists’ latest 70 artworks -- sculptures, lacquer paintings and craftworks.

Jan. 22, 2021