Brazil graffiti artist paints massive Olympic mural

RIO DE JANEIRO (AFP) - Perched atop a cherry picker truck several stories high, Brazilian graffiti artist Eduardo Kobra sprays puffs of paint on a sprawling mural in the colors of the Olympic rings.With three weeks to go to the Summer Games in Rio de Janeiro, Kobra and his assistants are racing to put the finishing touches on the 3,000-square-meter painting that graces a wall in the city's newly overhauled port district.The mural depicts five indigenous faces representing the continents of the w

July 18, 2016

30 years of Korean modern photography at a glance

Photographs depicting the modern days of Korea have long served as lens for many to get a glimpse of the country’s turbulent modern history. 　It has not been long since Korean modern photography began to function as more than documentation. Korean photographers started experimenting with various aspects of the media in the late 1980s. 　The National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea highlights the nearly 30 years of Korean modern photography since then in the ongoing exhibition “Public

July 17, 2016

[Highlights] Arts and entertainment calendar

Exhibitions “Treasures from Afghanistan”: The National Museum of Korea is holding an exhibition that showcases more than 230 rare Afghan artifacts. The exhibition, started in Paris in 2006, has been hosted by 18 museums in 11 countries around the world, including the National Gallery of Art in Washington D.C., the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and British Museum in London before arriving in Seoul. The featured artifacts, dating from the Bronze Age to the third century, offers a comprehe

July 15, 2016

Park Yoo-chun faces sex trade, fraud charges

Police on Friday charged actor-singer Park Yoo-chun with solicitation of prostitution and fraud, while clearing him of sexual assault allegations.Police said it is “difficult to prove there was use of force” in the four sexual assault complaints brought against Park last month. However, Park will be charged with solicitation of prostitution and fraud concerning one of the four women who filed charges against him. The woman will also be charged with prostitution.Meanwhile, the second of the four

July 15, 2016

[Album Review] New voice in country leans into the moment

Sean McConnell“Sean McConnell” (Rounder Records)One of the freshest new voices coming out of Nashville has actually been around for a while.His name is Sean McConnell, and though he’s barely on the senior side of 30, he’s been putting out indie records since he was 15. He's also made a mark as a songwriter, covered by the likes of Tim McGraw, Brad Paisley and Christina Aguilera. But his earlier material never touched down with this much force. With his new self-titled album, McConnell unleashes

July 15, 2016

[Album Review] Steven Tyler's country album shines

Steven Tyler“We’re All Somebody from Somewhere”(Dot/Big Machine)The opening stanza of Steven Tyler’s move into country music includes references to Jesus, mama, bullets and whiskey. On paper, those clicheuros feed those who see the Aerosmith veteran’s Nashville embrace as a desperate attempt to stay relevant by finding a musical genre that will accept him.  Those naysayers would be wrong. “We’re All Somebody from Somewhere” -– Tyler’s first solo album -- plays to his strengths: inventive melodie

July 15, 2016

[Album Review] Aaron Neville shakes a funk feather on ‘Apache’

Aaron Neville“Apache” (Tell It Records/Kobalt)Aaron Neville picks up the pace and delves into songwriting on “Apache,” a lively album meshing New Orleans R&B with Brooklyn funk. Ably guided by Soulive’s Eric Krasno and backed by members of Lettuce and session aces like keyboardist Pete Levin and sax player Cochemea Gastelum, Neville’s famous falsetto and vocal quivers shine brightest on the ballads while also raising some of the brisker tunes above where they belong.Evoking a childhood nickname,

July 15, 2016

Maestro Chung questioned in defamation probe

Maestro Chung Myung-whun was questioned by the Seoul Central Prosecutors’ Office Thursday morning regarding his alleged involvement in the ousting of former Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra CEO Park Hyun-jung in December 2014. “I believed what my colleagues of 10 years had told me,” Chung told reporters outside the Prosecutors’ Office, in reference to the 10 SPO members who had filed charges against former CEO Park over allegations of sexual and verbal harassment. After a months-long investigation b

July 14, 2016

Psy’s ‘Daddy’ most viewed K-pop music video on YouTube in 2016

Four years after his global hit “Gangnam Style,” Psy continues to hold his position as one of K-pop’s biggest names.“Daddy” from the singer’s seventh album “Chil-jip Psy-da” gained the most global views of all official K-pop music videos on YouTube from November 2015 to June 30, the company announced on Thursday. The video has recorded over 170 million views so far. Psy’s award-winning hit “Gangnam Style” still maintains its spot as the most viewed video on YouTube of all time, accumulating over

July 14, 2016

Multimedia artist Kang Ik-joong to light up London’s River Thames with ‘Floating Dreams’

South Korean renowned artist Kang Ik-joong said Wednesday he will be exhibiting a large-scale installation art piece on the River Thames, London, in September.“Floating Dreams,” the centerpiece art work for the yearly riverside festival “Totally Thames,” will consist of 500 miniature paintings drawn by South Korean seniors who had to flee their hometown across the border during the 1950-1953 Korean War.The three-story-high lantern sculpture (11-meters long, 10-m wide and 10-m high), will be illu

July 14, 2016

Ai Weiwei’s refugee life jackets in Vienna palace pond

VIENNA (AFP) - Visitors to Vienna’s Belvedere Palace were confronted Wednesday with 1,005 refugees’ life jackets drifting in the baroque pond -- courtesy of Chinese dissident artist Ai Weiwei.The installation, entitled “F. Lotus,” consists of 201 rings each holding five life jackets -- retrieved from the Greek island of Lesbos -- arranged in the letter “F” and floating like lotus flowers.Ai, who in February this year attached 14,000 life jackets to the columns of a Berlin concert house, said tha

July 14, 2016

All-star Korean pianists gear up for July performances

Several of the country’s top names in classical music are gearing up to hit the stage with new performances, promising a star-studded July for fans of local classical piano music. The first highly anticipated piano recital will kick off on Friday with the country’s latest classical phenom Cho Seong-jin, who last gave sell-out performances here in February. Cho is slated to perform alongside the Seoul Philharmonic at its upcoming recital of Chopin and Tchaikovsky later this week under the baton o

July 13, 2016

Maestro Chung says truth will soon be revealed

Maestro Chung Myung-whun, the former 10-year music director of the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra, is scheduled to return to Korea on Wednesday after being summoned by the Seoul Central Prosecutors’ Office.Former SPO CEO Park Hyun-jung, who was ousted as the orchestra head in December 2014 over allegations of sexual and verbal harassment by members of the SPO, has filed a suit against Chung and his wife, surnamed Koo, who are currently staying in France, on charges of defamation.Along with the all

July 12, 2016

Seoul to play host to Asia-Pacific int’l dance fest

For the first time in more than two decades, Seoul will be playing host to the upcoming World Dance Alliance Asia-Pacific International Dance Festival & Conference from July 21 to 24.The annual festival invites dance troupes from across the world to perform both traditional and contemporary pieces that highlight the Asia-Pacific dance culture and showcase them on stages all over the globe, including its recent runs in Australia, Malaysia and Singapore.  This year’s four-day festivities, under th

July 12, 2016

GFriend returns sweet and strong

GFriend has no intention of losing its innocent schoolgirl image anytime soon, the K-pop group’s members said Monday. They were holding a press showcase for the release of their first full-length album “LOL,” whose track “Navillera” topped major Korean music charts after its release at midnight on Sunday. “For now, we still want to be girls,” Sowon said when asked whether the group was ready to show off a more mature side. “It’s only been a year and a half since our debut ... we thought it would

July 12, 2016

Sechs Kies to hold first concert in 16 years

Legendary idol group Sechs Kies will be holding its first concert in 16 years, according to management agency YG Entertainment on Monday. The group had split up in 2000, but some members recently got back together.Sechs Kies debuted in 1997 and returned to the spotlight earlier this year when it appeared on MBC’s show “Infinite Challenge” in April.  Since that appearance, the group’s members have been participating in other variety programs, including KBS’ “Happy Together,” JTBC’s “Please Take C

July 12, 2016