Eye-like

Campbell’s slow exit should be heardGlen Campbell“Ghost on the Canvas” (Surfdog)Given the circumstances of its release, it would be wonderful to say how Glen Campbell’s presumably final album is an unmitigated triumph. Not quite, though it came closer than anyone had a right to expect.An in-demand s

Sept. 9, 2011

Lawmaker named fashion ambassador

Rep. Cho Yoon-sun (left) of the Grand National Party shakes hands with Won Dae-yun, chairman of Korea Fashion Association, after being appointed goodwill ambassador of the 2011 Korean Fashion Culture Centennial Awards on Tuesday at Imperial Palace Hotel in southern Seoul. (Korea Fashion Association)

Sept. 8, 2011

National Ballet to stage Maillot’s ‘Romeo and Juliet’

Chung Myung-whun to conduct Seoul Philharmonic for Oct. 27-30 showsKorean ballet has grown phenomenally in the past few years, said conductor Chung Myung-whun at a press conference held Thursday at the Press Center in central Seoul. “Korea National Ballet used to be like our old orchestras. It was r

Sept. 8, 2011

Ladies of U.S. pop win with wacky, weird tactics

NEW YORK (AP) ― Whether it is being encased in an egg or wearing slabs of meat, there never is a question whether Lady Gaga will make a spectacle of herself at an awards show; the only question is just what kind.So when the MTV Video Music Awards came around this year, Gaga did not disappoint. Altho

Sept. 8, 2011

Israeli designer Ron Arad installs swirling media art in Seoul

A giant red metallic ribbon swivels towards the sky at Sindorim D-CUBE City’s Millefleur Park in Guro-dong, western Seoul. Taking a closer look, one can see about 24,000 tiny LED screens lined on the outside of the 17-meter-tall installation work, which features images and text such as poetry and ev

Sept. 7, 2011

Experts discuss ways to promote Korean culture

Forum brings world perspectives on Korean cuisine, literature and popular culture promotionInternational cultural figures gathered on Tuesday in Seoul for a series of discussions on Korean culture and ways of promoting it globally.The Culture Communication Forum, which kicked off Sunday, has provide

Sept. 6, 2011

Intel and VICE sponsor Creators Project in Seoul

The Creators Project, a global cultural and technology initiative by global media company VICE and Intel, will be held from Sept. 7 to 10 at Platoon Kunsthalle in Nonhyeon-dong, southern Seoul. Launched in 2010, The Creators Project is an ongoing global initiative to support emerging and leading art

Sept. 5, 2011

Veteran artists’ autumn day out

Bahk Yiso, Lee Kang-so, Im Ok-sang and Oh Chi-gyun hold solo shows in SeoulA number of South Korea’s veteran artists are holding solo exhibitions in Seoul after a considerable hiatus. Im Ok-sang, an artist who has been wandering outside galleries painting murals and making installation works in Seou

Sept. 5, 2011

Singing from one genre to another

Indie music helps Lee Ja-ram create new form of pansoriPansori prodigy and indie musician Lee Ja-ram is to hold a pansori gala show, staging highlights of Korea’s four representative traditional pansori and her own contemporary pansori creations in Seoul on Sept. 16.Pansori is a traditional form of

Sept. 5, 2011

More fundraising and sponsorship crucial for SPO: Chung Myung-whun

Maestro talks about the importance of on-going support after successful European tourFollowing a successful European tour, the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra hopes for more fundraising programs and sponsorship, SPO music director Chung Myung-whun and its president Kim Joo-ho said Friday.“Orchestras in

Sept. 4, 2011

Korean Eye preview at National Assembly

The preview of this year’s Korean Eye exhibition will take place over five days starting Monday in the lobby of the National Assembly in Yeouido. Visitors will be able to sneak a peek of what the exhibition “Korean Eye: Energy and Matter” will look like when it kicks off in New York in November. Sev

Sept. 4, 2011

Collecting art is way for entrepreneur to see future: Pinault

SongEun ArtSpace showcases 22 contemporary artworks from François Pinault collectionIn considering artworks for his extensive collection, François Pinault, a noted art collector, listens to himself more than anything else. “Rather than listening to critics’ opinions, I focus on artwork

Sept. 4, 2011

Jessica Simpson wants smaller boobs

Jessica Simpson is planning to take breast reduction surgery, a U.S. entertainment magazine reported.Jessica Simpson (Bloomberg)According to the magazine, the U.S. TV star and singer does not want her double D breasts, reportedly telling her friends that they make her look bigger than she really is.

Sept. 4, 2011

Buddhist nun teaches how to live better on temple food

Nun Seonjae’s popular cooking class has over 2,000 on waiting listAbout 40 middle-aged women and a few men were all eyes and ears as Buddhist nun Seonjae related to them how she refused to cook at Hotel Shilla when treated like a regular cook. “Temple food is not some random cheap food. I told them

Sept. 2, 2011

Highlights

Theater“Mahoroba”: Young theater company “DreamPlay” is bringing Japanese playwright Horai Ryuta’ s theatrical account on women of different ages and their shared experiences. The play begins as Midori, a single working woman who lives alone in Tokyo while refusing to get married, visits her family

Sept. 2, 2011

Eye-like

Sumi Jo“Libera”Universal MusicMarking the 25th anniversary of her international debut, soprano Sumi Jo has released “Libera,” an album which encompasses musical genres from opera arias to musical numbers. In an interview, Jo said the title, meaning “free” in Italian, represents her 25 years of free

Sept. 2, 2011

Gana Art Center donates artifacts

Lee Ho-jae, head of Gana Art Center, one of the most prominent art galleries in South Korea, donated 128 Korean artifacts to Seoul Arts Center last week. The donated items ― 74 rubbed copies of epigraphs from the ancient and medieval times and 54 calligraphy works done with Chinese black ink from th

Sept. 1, 2011

Sumi Jo voices her Bohemian spirit in 25th anniversary CD

Since coloratura soprano Sumi Jo made her international operatic debut as Gilda in Verdi’s “Rigoletto” in Italy in 1986, the 25 years of world tours and musical explorations have made her musical life “free.”Such a free-spirited and gypsy-like image is the core concept of Jo’s latest album “Libera,”

Sept. 1, 2011

Gwangju searches for new definition of design

Co-director Ai of China unable to attend biennale; Korean director selects Chinese artist’s work for 10 most important exhibitsGWANGJU ― A day may be too short to enjoy everything the 4th Gwangju Design Biennale has to offer. The nation’s biggest design biennale kicked off its 52-day run on Thursday

Sept. 1, 2011