Choi Kwang-ho shows New York highlights from 30 years ago

Photographer Choi Kwang-ho’s solo exhibition brings you back to New York 30 years ago through more than 400 of his photographs. The ongoing exhibition at Gallery Ryugaheon in central Seoul -- a space dedicated solely to documentary photography -- showcases a variety of peoples’ lives in New York between 1988 and 1994, when the city was much rougher than it is now. Choi, 65, remembers those five years in New York as a passionate and precious time for him, living as a young and fea

Aug. 11, 2020

Amorepacific Museum of Art unveils its antique art collection for first time

The Amorepacific Museum of Art -- a museum run by Korea’s cosmetics giant Amorepacific Group -- has unveiled its collection of antique art for the first time since its opening in 2018. The exhibition, “APMA, Chapter Two,” showcases a total of 1,500 artworks spanning from paintings, folding screens, ceramics, ornaments and clothing to wooden furniture from the prehistoric era to the modern times. The exhibition aims to shed light on the beauty of Korean traditional art throug

Aug. 10, 2020

[Herald Interview] Emographic artist Huh Hwe-tae moves on to ‘emosculpture’

The fragrance of Indian ink and old mulberry paper fills the studio of emographic artist Huh Hwe-tae in central Seoul. In the corner of his studio, sculptural works that he has been pursuing in recent years are laid aside. In the mid and late 2000s, Huh attracted global attention for his “emography” – a portmanteau of emotion and calligraphy. The term was coined by Ryu Byoung-hak -- an art critic and independent curator based in Seoul and Germany who also directed the Busa

Aug. 5, 2020

Geometric abstraction pioneer remembered 30 years after his death

When South Korea was in political turmoil in the 1960s, after the Korean War and during the early days of the democracy movement, painter Lee Seung-jio (1941-1990) was at the center of the country’s avant-garde art scene. He introduced geometric abstraction painting with his “Nucleus” series, which he worked on for more than 20 years. The “Nucleus” paintings -- which looked like arrangements of pipes and were first showcased in 1967 -- came as a shock to Korea&rs

Aug. 3, 2020

[Herald Interview] Wild flowers the love of 94-year-old painter

Painter Shin Kum-rye is attracted by wild flowers -- blooms that persist despite a hostile environment. Of them, thistles are her favorite. “The leaves of thistles, they look quite defiant, which is really attractive to me. I feel like painting when I see this type of flowers,” Shin told The Korea Herald on Tuesday at Whanki Museum. The 94-year-old artist, who is based in Seoul, is holding a solo exhibition, “The Spirit of Painting” at the museum in central Seoul, s

July 30, 2020

MMCA Seoul hosts film screening to remember Korean War

In remembrance of the Korean War that resulted in the killing of several million civilians and the division of the Korean Peninsula, the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea will screen films about the Korean War to mark the 70th anniversary this year at the Seoul venue in Jongno, central Seoul. The “Unflattening Screening Series” will begin on Wednesday and run through Sept. 20, with 20 films being screened from Wednesdays to Sundays at MMCA Film and Video, the t

July 28, 2020

Western chinaware used in Joseon royal court on show

  The National Palace Museum of Korea on Wednesday opens an exhibition titled “New Era of The Royal Ceramics - Embracing the Western-Style Porcelain in the Joseon Royal Court,” which will run until Oct. 4. “This is an interesting exhibition where visitors can see how the conservative country challenged itself to become a modern country and also how it embraced ceramics in the process,” head of CHA Chung Jae-suk said during a press conference held at the National

July 28, 2020

Three solo contemporary art exhibitions at one place

Art Sonje Center -- a private art museum in Seoul recognized for experimental contemporary art exhibitions -- is showcasing three solo exhibitions by different artists. Bringing different displays to the museum, the three artists -- Camille Henrot, Lee Mi-re and Don Sun-pil -- guide visitors through diverse aspects of contemporary art. At the exhibition “Saturday, Tuesday,” French artist Henrot brings light to social issues in connection with the seven days of the week. “Tue

July 26, 2020

Kim Whan-ki as a poet who paints

Korean modern art master Kim Whan-ki is widely known at home and abroad for his signature dot paintings. But it is little known that the artist was actually a poet as well, having penned a number of poems as “Suhwa,” and that he sought poetic features in his paintings. “What I have felt since arriving here is a poetic spirit. Art, I think, should contain songs,” Kim wrote in his journal in January 1957 while staying in Paris. “There are powerful songs in the wor

July 25, 2020

2020 Museum Week in August to highlight diversity, inclusion

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism announced that 2020 Museum Week will take place in August. Organized jointly with the Cultural Foundation of the National Museum of Korea, the week will feature diverse events highlighting diversity and inclusion. The week runs Aug. 14 to 23 and will involve online and offline events at 15 museums and art galleries. An exhibition and related educational programs at the Lee Art Museum in Sacheon, South Gyeongsang Province, will focus on the five sens

July 25, 2020

Three teams win 2020 Korea Young Architect Award

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism announced five people from three teams as winners of the 2020 Korea Young Architect Award on Friday. The award program is led by the ministry and organized jointly by the Korea Architects Institute, Korean Institute of Architects and the Korean Institute of Female Architects. For this year, B.U.S Architecture (Woo Seung-jin, Park Ji-hyun and Cho Sung-hak), JIYO Architects (Kim Se-jin) and On Architect (Jung Woong-sik) received the awards out of the

July 24, 2020

[Eye Interview] With court battle over, singer-artist ready for limelight

“I am 75. I am past the age for singing. The state has now said that I should make a living painting,” says Cho Young-nam during an interview with The Korea Herald on July 13 at his apartment in Cheongdam-dong, Seoul, overlooking the Han River and Yeongdong Bridge. He is speaking about the recent Supreme Court decision that found the singer and painter not guilty of fraud. In 2016, Cho was sued by a buyer who accused him of fraud. He was alleged to have hired another artist to pain

July 24, 2020

MMCA Gwacheon unveils its largest ever exhibition for kids

The National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea is showcasing the largest-ever exhibition for kids at its Gwacheon venue after reopening on Wednesday. The exhibition, “Driving into the Color,” is held at the circular gallery -- a 2,645 square-meter exhibition hall – and is dedicated exclusively to children. The exhibition consists of “The Exhibition Zone,” “Activity Zone,” and “Learning Zone.” At the exhibition zone, a total

July 22, 2020

MMCA Seoul to hold 'Project Hashtag 2020' exhibition, after reopening

The National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea will unveil its new exhibition “Project Hashtag 2020” at its Seoul venue, starting Friday. This is MMCA Seoul’s first exhibition after it reopens three venues -- Seoul, Deoksugung and Gwacheon -- in the Seoul metropolitan area on Wednesday as the COVID-19 pandemic shows signs of easing. The project, sponsored by Hyundai Motor, aims to promote young artist groups that collaborate across different fields of art. Amo

July 21, 2020

The minjung art movement: The voices of artists who could not ignore social issues

In the late 1970s, a group of young South Korean artists rebelled against the abstract art that was enjoying widespread popularity across the country. They believed the art world was overly focused on aesthetics at the expense of social issues. At the time, Korea was undergoing rapid industrialization and was ruled by an authoritarian military regime with no regard for human rights. In 1979, around 20 like-minded artists who believed that art should reflect the reality of people’s live

July 21, 2020

Lotte Museum of Art to host first major exhibition of Jean-Michel Basquiat in Seoul

South Korea‘s largest-ever exhibition of works by Jean-Michel Basquiat -- the American contemporary artist known for his rebellious style -– will open in October at the Lotte Museum of Art in Songpa district, southeastern Seoul. Titled “Royalty, Heroism and the Streets,” the exhibition will showcase 150 paintings, sculptures and drawings made by Basquiat and run from Oct. 8 to Feb 7, 2021. Basquiat was the first African American artist to establish a reputation in the

July 20, 2020

KF holds photo exhibition jointly with Korean, Ukrainian artists

The Korea Foundation is holding a modern photography exhibition titled “KREAtive Perspectives” in conjunction with the Embassy of Ukraine in the Republic of Korea, starting Monday. The exhibition will run until Sept. 23 at the KF Gallery in central Seoul. The title “KREAtive Perspectives” derives from the combination of the word “creative” and K, R, E and A from the two countries’ English names, Korea and Ukraine. The main theme of the exhibition

July 19, 2020

Lee Ung-no reaches international audience through Google Arts & Culture platform

Artworks by Lee Ung-no (1904-1989) – a modern artist who created his unique style by successfully integrating Korean painting traditions with Western art -- are now available on the online platform of Google Arts & Culture for international audiences. Lee Ungno Museum collaborated with Google Arts & Culture to showcase the artist and his artworks. Lee is the first Korean artist extensively introduced by the Google’s online art platform in collaboration with a local museum

July 18, 2020

Japanese artist Chiharu holds first gallery exhibition in Korea

Gana Art, a major commercial art gallery in Korea, is hosting a solo exhibition of Japanese installation artist Chiharu Shiota -- widely known for giant installation works with entangled threads -- at its two branches, the Gana Art Center and Gana Art Nineone in Seoul. The artist, who is based in Berlin, expresses her emotions about relationship with others by weaving wool yarns. Her large-scale web which is woven with red wool yarns fills the 150-square-meter exhibition hall at Gana Art in J

July 17, 2020

Painting album by Joseon master painter fails to find new owner

A painting album by Jeong Seon (1676-1759), an artist hailed as a Joseon-era master of landscape painting, failed to find a new owner Wednesday at an auction held by K Auction in Sinsa-dong, southern Seoul. The bidding started at 5 billion won ($4.2 million), which itself would have been the highest price for an antique painting.  Designated as Treasure No. 1,796, the painting album of Haeak Palgyeong and Songyu Palhyeondo comprises 16 paintings by Jeong Seon -- eight of Kumgangsan in tod

July 15, 2020