Photographer Lee Jung-jin’s new works reveal deep inner self

 Upon entering photographer Lee Jung-jin’s solo exhibition, one may be overwhelmed by huge nature photographs in black and white. Then, upon bending over for a closer look, one might be tempted to touch them due to their unique velvet-like texture. This is because they are printed on Korean traditional mulberry paper, called “hanji.” PKM Gallery in Samcheong-dong is hosting the exhibition, titled “Jungjin Lee: Voice,” two years after the artist’s solo e

Feb. 2, 2020

[Herald Interview] Father-daughter team has eyes on ‘Korean minimalism’

Eyeglasses are more than a fashion accessory, being a necessity for those who need their vision corrected. Designer Yun Ji-yoon, who formerly worked at a fashion firm, fell in love with the practicality of eyeglasses. She joined hands with her father Yun Chul-joo -- who has been in the eyewear business for around 30 years -- to launch eyewear brand Yun, naming the brand after the family name. The Yun family all pitched in the business, and launched the label’s first shop in Berlin in

Jan. 30, 2020

Written, monochrome work highlights 2020 gallery calendar

From modern text and monochrome work to Joseon-era calligraphies, many galleries are keeping things simple in the coming year. Elsewhere, there is a planned exhibition to mark the 70th anniversary of the Korean War and the Seoul Mediacity Biennale marks its 20th outing. Here are some exhibitions worth visiting this year. Yun Hyong-keun’s solo exhibition at PKM Gallery In March, PKM Gallery in Samcheong-dong, Seoul, will put on a solo exhibition of 20th century monochrome artist Yu

Jan. 27, 2020

National Museum of Korea shows unique development of Finnish design

Finnish-style furniture is popular in Korea, but not many Koreans have a chance to deeply think about how the country’s designs have evolved. The exhibition “10,000 Years of Design – Man, Matter, Metamorphosis” shows how design in Finland has evolved around the country’s nature and ecosystem from the end of Ice Age when the Finnish landmass emerged. Breaking the mold of typical design exhibitions, the current exhibition at the National Museum of Korea includes artif

Jan. 20, 2020

Will students wear hanbok school uniforms?

We may be seeing students dressed in hanbok-inspired school uniforms soon. The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism announced Thursday its plans to adapt hanbok-inspired school uniforms, at a New Year’s event held at Novotel Ambassador Dongdaemun Hotel & Residences in central Seoul.The Culture Ministry and Ministry of Education last year signed a memorandum of understanding on the school uniform project, with a contest held to come up with school uniform designs based on Korea&rsquo

Jan. 17, 2020

[Eye plus] Look into King Jeongjo’s dream city: Hwaseong Fortress

The Hwaseong Fortress in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, dates back to the latter part of the Joseon era (1392-1910).Designated a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage site in December 1997, the 5.74-kilometer-long fortress wall was constructed from 1794 to 1796, taking two years and nine months. The fortress was intended to display King Jeongjo’s filial piety toward his father and create a new city with its own economic power.Jeong Yak-yong, a prominent Silhak -- practical learning -- scholar, led the

Jan. 17, 2020

Modern masterpieces on show at Seoul Arts Center

The Seoul Arts Center is showcasing impressionist and postimpressionist masterpieces collected by the Israel Museum, Jerusalem as the first exhibition of the year. The exhibition features 106 pieces by masters including Edgar Degas, Claude Monet, Paul Gauguin, Paul Cezanne and Pierre-Auguste Renoir. Impressionism -- one of South Koreans’ favorite art movements -- originated in late 19th-century France as a rejection of traditional and mainstream artistic styles. Instead, the artists expres

Jan. 16, 2020

BTS to hold joint exhibitions with internationally acclaimed artists

The world’s biggest boy band from South Korea has teamed up with internationally acclaimed artists and curators to hold joint exhibitions around the globe. Titled “Connect, BTS,” the band’s latest project involved collaborating with artists and curators to showcase artworks that are in line with the boy band’s philosophy, which stresses on diversity and supports those who are marginalized. A total of 22 international artists have joined the event dire

Jan. 14, 2020

KCDF appoints head of Korea exhibition for Milan Design Week

The Korea Craft & Design Foundation has appointed Kang Jae-young of Mangrove Artworks as the artistic director of the Korea exhibition that will be showcased at Milan Design Week 2020 in April. Kang, an expert in craft exhibition, was formerly a curator at Whanki Museum and the Korea Ceramic Foundation. While directing multiple exhibitions -- including the 25th anniversary exhibition of Kim Whan-ki in 1999 -- she also served as a co-curator for the Nanjing Triennale in China. During Mil

Jan. 12, 2020

[Eye Plus] Exhibition highlights Gaya relics

An exhibit in Seoul until March 1 guides you through 2,000-year-old artifacts, ranging from iron armors and swords to pottery and accessories like gold crowns.The National Museum is holding an exhibition on Gaya, an ancient confederacy of small city-states in the central-southern region of the Korean Peninsula from AD 42-562.Under the title of “Gaya Spirit -- Iron and Tune,” the exhibition displays some 2,600 artifacts from 31 institutions here and abroad, including the Tokyo Nationa

Jan. 10, 2020

MMCA confident about holding largest-ever Paik Nam-june exhibition, despite nagging issues

The National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art is preparing to host an archival exhibition this year dedicated to South Korea’s pioneering media artist Paik Nam-june. The show, set to be the largest of its kind, will coincide with the start of a three-year project to restore the artist’s monumental media work “The More the Better.” “We almost have set up the archival exhibition of Paik Nam-june, but some complicated issues with the owner of Paik’s col

Jan. 9, 2020

Artist Koo Jeong-a selected one of 100 most inspiring individuals by OOOM Magazine

Koo Jeong-a, a South Korean artist, was selected as one of the world’s most inspiring people in 2019 by OOOM Magazine -- the sole Korean to figure in the list. The German magazine each year announces 100 individuals who have been influential in each field. In its fourth annual announcement, Koo -- ranked at 32nd -- was one of the four artists on the influential individuals list, according to PKM Gallery. The Seoul-based gallery is currently holding an exhibition, “Eternal Now,”

Dec. 27, 2019

Art brings attention to history of oppression, disconnected cultural inheritance

Kukje Gallery’s Busan venue is holding a solo exhibition of Daniel Boyd, featuring 11 convex-dot paintings based on historical photos that Boyd has come across in different sources, from family photo albums to the photo collection of the British Museum. Boyd is an Australian artist who transforms photos of the colonial and postcolonial periods into paintings that raise questions about the colonial history of Australia and the power dynamic in the historical narrative.Boyd began his artisti

Dec. 23, 2019

Dongdaemun Design Plaza brightens Seoul

With the Seoul Light Festival underway at the Dongdaemun Design Plaza, the Seoul Design Foundation hosted a forum Friday, discussing how art should evolve in the era of artificial intelligence. The state-funded design foundation is hosting the festival from Friday to Jan. 3, turning the outer walls of the DDP into a gigantic media facade. The projected media art is themed “Seoul Haemong,” inspired by the past, present and future of Seoul City and South Korea. “The DDP has

Dec. 20, 2019

[Herald Interview] Photographer dedicates sunset years to int’l competitions

In his sunset years, a civil engineer-turned-photographer has been making his name at international photography competitions. Over the past five years, professional photographer Ryu Shin-woo, 76, has won 2,420 acceptances for 352 works in 466 competitions across 73 countries,  sponsored by the Federation Internationale de l’Art Photographique, also known as the International Federation of Photographic Art.  The federation, a nongovernmental organization recognized by UNESCO,

Dec. 18, 2019

Exhibition looks at overarching presence of virtual reality

In a video introducing Niantic’s mobile game Pokemon Go, which uses augmented reality, Pikachu is running around in an open-air cafe, past real people. The uplifting yellow creature even plays hide-and-seek using real-world objects like flower pots. “Watching the video, I thought this real world has become an image -- in an allegorical sense. It was somewhat scary too when I thought about how the real world and virtual reality overlap with one another, the one with Pikachu and the ot

Dec. 15, 2019

MMCA exhibition highlights Korean video artists, Paik Nam-june and beyond

Paik Nam-june is inarguably the foremost video artist in South Korea. But who else can we talk about when it comes to video art, and what are the distinctive characteristics that other Korean video artists have developed? The exhibition “Korean Video Art from 1970s to 1990s: Time Image Apparatus” at the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea’s Gwacheon venue in Gyeonggi Province chronicles video art in Korea between the 1970s and the 1990s, presenting some 130 wo

Dec. 11, 2019

Wael Shawky reconstructs Arab history through art

Imagine a Middle Eastern man walking bare feet on the streets of Mecca in the 1970s, who soon takes out his keys and drives away in a Cadillac. This interesting juxtaposition of a Bedouin city and the influx of Western influence was a common scene in Mecca at the time, when Wael Shawky was a child in the city. His experiences in Mecca have influenced him a great deal, said Shawky, whose artistic efforts are mainly invested in grappling with the history of Arab world to better understand its

Dec. 8, 2019

Exhibition brings Middle East closer to Korea

Middle Eastern countries often face negative stereotypes among Koreans. But Seoul Museum of Art’s “Gohyang: Home” offers a closer look at nations in the region, beyond the stereotypes shaped and fueled by negative press.The exhibition consists of works of art that address social, political and historical issues, such as the history of the Crusades, the ongoing conflict between Palestine and Israel, the war in Afghanistan, myths of Arab nations and the lives of ordinary people,

Dec. 5, 2019

Exhibit takes place around discarded power plant

An exhibit is underway at an outdoor space near retired thermal power plants in Mapo-gu, Seoul, which await to be transformed into a cultural complex. The event, titled “Kraftwerk 2019: Homo Symbious,” features sculptural works that address ecological and environmental issues. Forty-four local artists are participating in the exhibition, showing works made of a wide range of materials, including wood, stone, earth, iron, copper, stainless steel, synthetic resins, fiber reinforced pla

Dec. 4, 2019