Painting album by Joseon master painter to go on block next month

A painting album by Jeong Seon (1676~1759), an artist hailed as the Joseon-period master of landscape paintings, will be put on auction for the first time next month. Designated as Treasure No. 1796, the painting album of Haeak palgyeong and Songyu palhyeondo comprises 16 paintings by Jeong Seon -- eight scenes of Mt. Kumgang (Haeak palgyeong) located in today‘s North Korea and eight paintings depicting the eight Confucian scholars of China’s Song Dynasty (Songyu palhyeondo). The

June 24, 2020

[Museum of One’s Own] Lee Ungno Museum remembers underappreciated Korean modern artist

The following is part of a series that explores museums dedicated to the well-known Korean contemporary artists that bear their name. --Ed. When Western culture started to flood Korea in the early 1900s, many Korean artists faced a crucial question: how to apply Western art in their paintings without Korea’s painting tradition losing its cultural identity. Born in 1904, Lee Ung-no was one of the artists who agonized over this question and successfully integrated the two different cultu

June 22, 2020

Gallery Hyundai sheds light on Korea’s experimental in 2nd part of 50th anniversary show

Gallery Hyundai, a major gallery in Korea, has unveiled the second part of the special exhibition that celebrates its 50th anniversary with a strong line-up of Korean experimental art. The second part of the exhibition which runs from June 12 to July 19 at the gallery in Jongno, central Seoul, features five artists of Korea’s experimental art -- Lee Seung-taek, Kwak Duck-jun, Park Hyun-ki, Lee Kun-yong and Lee Kang-so – who were active from the late 1960s to the mid-1970s, expandi

June 20, 2020

[Eye Interview] Creating universe with small square canvases

The great disruptor. The COVID-19 pandemic has been raging around the world since the beginning of the year, claiming lives, crippling economies and laying bare the great inequalities that divide the world. The new coronavirus has directly or indirectly impacted our lives. For New York-based artist Kang Ik-joong, the lockdown has been a time for contemplation. “We don’t know where we are exactly,” Kang said during an interview with The Korea Herald on June 12 in Seoul. He ha

June 19, 2020

Abstract painter Choi Wook-kyung's pop art influence, experimentation revisited

South Korean painter Choi Wook-kyung (1940-1985) in a sense represented a unique amalgamation of abstract expressionism of her home country and the United States. In an era when the field was dominated by political and populist art, Choi dug deeper into the realm of abstract expressionism after studying the works of Willem de Kooning, Mark Rothko and Robert Motherwell in America, leaving behind a legacy of signaling timely intercultural exchange between South Korea and the US. Choi, whose hal

June 18, 2020

Harry Chun shows how refugees strive to carry on their lives

South Korea is one of the few countries where ordinary people do not encounter refugee issues in their ordinary lives. Many people easily neglect the issues of how refugees around the world are desperately struggling to secure their lives -- although Koreans were once refugees during the Korean War in the early 1950s. Independent photographer Harry Chun, who is now based in Korea, reminds us of how refugees on the other sides of the world are striving during the most devastating moments in

June 17, 2020

'Gwanghwamun Arirang' stands tall in heart of Seoul

The masterpiece “Gwanghwamun Arirang” created by internationally acclaimed artist Kang Ik-joong to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the start of the Korean War was unveiled on Monday at Gwanghwamun Square in Jongno-gu, central Seoul. The opening ceremony was attended by former United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon; Defense Minister Jeong Kyeong-doo; Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun; Minister of Patriots and Veterans Affairs Park Sam-Duck; Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha; an

June 15, 2020

[Museum of One’s Own] Uijae Museum of Korean Art strives to keep Korean literati paintings intact

The following is part of a series that explores museums dedicated to Korea’s well-known contemporary artists that bear their name. --Ed. If you walk up Mudeungsan in Gwangju, you will encounter the Uijae Museum of Korean Art, which sits on the mountain slope and blends in harmoniously with the scenery.  The museum is dedicated to Huh Baek-lyun, the master of Korean literati painting who also went by the pseudonym Uijae. Huh is known as Korea’s last modern literati painter.&n

June 15, 2020

'Old Korea': Presumed portrait of Joseon war hero revealed in revised book

A watercolor painting, 77 by 55 centimeters in scale, depicts a bearded man, presumably from the Joseon era, with a dauntless look on his face, wearing a military felt hat. Donning a blue hanbok robe, the man sits on a chair holding a whip. Behind him stands a screen with images of "geobukseon," or turtle ships, sailing in the water, along with smaller vessels. From the geobukseon images, those with even a passing interest in Korean history would assume that the painting is that of Y

June 10, 2020

[Museum of One’s Own] Childlike paintings belie artist’s inner torment

  The following is part of a series that explores museums dedicated to the well-known Korean contemporary artists that bear their name --Ed. On a hill covered with green grass, a light blue building greets visitors. The Chang Ucchin Museum of Art in Yangju, Gyeonggi Province, is composed of triangles and rectangles. Its design reflects the artist’s lifelong philosophy: simplicity. “If my father were alive, he would have loved this place,” Chang Kyeong-soo, t

June 8, 2020

[Video] COVID-19 pandemic ushers in new ways of exploring art in Seoul

With the summer heat and the COVID-19 virus hitting the metropolitan area in South Korea, citizens are in search of places to avoid the scorching sunlight as well as the crowd. Citizens are making their way to a host of local museums and art galleries in Seoul, which have taken preventive measures to block the spread of the coronavirus. A case in point is D Museum, located in Seoul’s Hannam-dong, which opened its doors last month, after having been closed due to COVID-19. The museum&rs

June 8, 2020

Installation work in central Seoul becomes talk of town

A 9-meter-tall installation work that resembles Cheomseongdae -- Korea’s oldest astronomical observatory used during the Silla Kingdom in the seventh century that sits at Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Province -- has been situated in the heart of Seoul. The installation artwork named “Rebirth” was created by Han Won-suk, an installation artist and architect, in 2006. It had previously been displayed in the Cheonggye Stream area, Hana Bank’s headquarters in Seoul and the S

June 5, 2020

Seoul Biennale of Architecture and Urbanism takes international applications for next year

The Seoul Metropolitan Government has started taking international applications for the next year’s Seoul Biennale of Architecture and Urbanism (SBAU), aiming to select around 100 projects around the world. The biennale, which will be held from September to November 2021, will be held under the theme of “Crossroads, Building the Resilient City,” encompassing five co-related topics of urbanism, architecture, design, landscape and city to examine how the five factors can become

June 2, 2020

[Museum of One’s Own] Whanki Museum keeps alive spirit of Kim Whan-ki and his wife

The following is part of a series that explores museums dedicated to Korea’s well-known contemporary artists that bear their name. --Ed. If you are interested in Korea’s modern fine art, you may be familiar with Kim Whan-ki’s masterpiece “05-IV-71 #200 (Universe),” a piece that recorded the highest-ever price for a Korean artwork sold at an auction by fetching 13.2 billion won ($10.8 million) at a Hong Kong auction last year. Born in 1913, Kim was a pioneer of Ko

June 1, 2020

[Weekender] Changes in architectural design inevitable in post-COVID-19 era

The post-COVID-19 era is looming, bringing changes to what people considered normal. As the world deals with this highly contagious disease and prepares for other viruses in the future, interior design experts imagine new layout models and architectural changes to minimize the spread of disease. To begin with, more people are expected to work from home, which calls for changes to architectural design so that households can accommodate workspaces. “People will spend more and more time at

May 30, 2020

‘MaytoDay’ brings up painful memory of Gwangju Democratization Movement for remembrance

Memories of the Gwangju Democratic Uprising will be brought back next month at the exhibition “MaytoDay,” organized by Gwangju Biennale Foundation. The Gwangju Democratization Movement took place in May 1980 when civilians protested against military strongman Chun Doo-hwan, who came to power in a military coup in December 1979. Martial law troops mobilized in Gwangju to suppress the demonstrations killed more than 200 citizens and wounded more than 3,000 -- the highest number of c

May 30, 2020

‘Wave’ on Coex digital billboard grabs international attention

A minute-long video of a wave crashing screened on Korea’s biggest digital display at Coex K-pop Square has become the talk of the town, receiving local as well as international media coverage. The video of wave crashing down, made using anamorphic illusion by design company d’strict titled “Wave,” makes the display panel seem like a giant glass tank holding water. The curved screen made such illusion possible, but the design and application took more than three months

May 26, 2020

[Museum of One’s Own] Technology, art in harmony: Paik Nam-june’s philosophy lives on at art center

  The following is part of a series that explores museums dedicated to Korea’s well-known contemporary artists that bear their name. --Ed. There is a street named Paiknamjune-ro, in Yongin City, Gyeonggi Province, where Nam June Paik Art Center, the only art center in the world dedicated to the artist who founded the video art genre, stands majestically. With its facade of reflective printed-glass, the building looks like a grand piano, an instrument Paik loved as a music major in

May 25, 2020

MMCA’s new project breaks traditional concept of family dealing with queer community

The National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea (MMCA) is hosting an exhibition “2020 MMCA Asia Project: Looking for Another Family” until August as part of the Asia Project, focusing on Asian contemporary art. The exhibition, “2020 MMCA Asia Project: Looking for Another Family” looks into different forms of families, breaking away from the conventional definition of biological or martial relationships, showcasing 15 artworks from 15 artist teams across eight

May 22, 2020

Art, tech merge at ‘Inside Magritte’ in Seoul

More than 100 artworks by Rene Magritte, reproduced with digital technologies, offer an immersive experience that maximizes interaction with the master’s artworks. The exhibition “Inside Magritte,” which runs until Sept. 13 at the Insa Central Museum in Insadong, central Seoul, provides a multisensory learning experience that uses music, light, virtual reality techniques and video art to bring the artist and his works to life. Directed by The Fake Factory, based in Florence

May 18, 2020