WASHINGTON (AP) ― Vincent van Gogh’s various versions of some of his well-known paintings are featured in the first major exhibit of his artwork in Washington in 15 years at The Phillips Collection.“Van Gogh Repetitions” opens Saturday to examine some of the artist’s familiar paintings, looking at how he repeated certain compositions during his 10-year career. It was organized with the Cleveland Museum of Art, which will host the exhibit in March.The new exhibit is a bright spot for museum visit

Oct. 16, 2013

Wooden utility poles cut through a gallery space from one end to the other in a new exhibition of Brazilian artist Carlito Carvalhosa in Seoul. The poles, each measuring 8-12 meters long, pierce through the gallery walls and extend to the bottom of the floor while supporting other poles delicately placed one on top of another. The position of wooden poles in a white cube triggers questions among viewers as his past works did by transforming everyday materials and familiar space into unfamiliar t

Oct. 15, 2013

Spain’s up-and-coming choreographer Marcos Morau named his company La Veronal, after the sleeping pills used by famed British writer Virginia Woolf. An avid fan of Woolf and a former photographer, Morau has never been a dancer. His company, founded in 2005, doesn’t just consist of dancers ― its members include photographers, actors, writers and filmmakers. In Morau’s works, dancers don’t always dance to music; they often dance to narrations, and sometimes pure silence, donned in unexpected costu

Oct. 15, 2013

DOHA (AFP) ― Qatar unveiled 14 massive bronze sculptures by British artist Damien Hirst charting the gestation of a human being from conception to birth.The “Miraculous Journey” statues were uncovered for a day last week outside the Sidra Medical and Research Centre, still under construction on the outskirts of Doha.They were put back under wraps until Jan. 14 to “protect them while work is ongoing” in the area, the Qatar Museums Authority explained.The project is an initiative by Sheikha Al-May

Oct. 14, 2013

In the world of music, some artists hit their peak fast and decline while others make incremental improvements throughout their career.French pianist Jean-Efflam Bavouzet is a good example of the latter. He won the International Beethoven Piano Competition in 1986 but it was in 1995 that he received the international spotlight by performing with the legendary maestro Georg Solti, who invited him to perform Bartok’s Piano Concerto No.1 with the Orchestre de Paris. Bavouzet holds the title of the

Oct. 14, 2013

FUKUOKA, Japan (AFP) ― A Japanese breakdancer has spun and somersaulted his way into the sport’s global finals to be staged in South Korea next month after winning a regional competition on home soil. Noritoshi “Nori” Kikuchi showed off a series of downrocks, power moves and freezes to emerge victorious at the “Red Bull BC One” contest held inside a historic Shinto shrine in the southern city of Fukuoka on Saturday.The knockout tournament featured 16 elite dancers from several countries, includi

Oct. 14, 2013

One of the leading pioneers of mashing together new and old school music, DJ Parov Stelar, and his band will be returning to Seoul with the band’s unique style of swing-time pop and electronica in their first solo concert in Korea next month. The band has performed on a number of occasions in Seoul as part of the line-up for various jazz festivals, including the annual Seoul Jazz Festival. This time, however, the Parov Stelar Band is bringing its brass and rhythm infused electronic sounds in a f

Oct. 14, 2013

Ever since pine trees launched photographer Bae Bien-u to global fame, they always seemed to remain his signature pieces. But long before he began capturing pine trees, he had had a broad range of subjects in mind. Born in the southern coastal town of Yeosu, the artist was inspired by natural elements such as the sea, wind and trees.Having photographed diverse landscapes for more than 20 years, Bae gathered pictures under the title “Windscape” for the first time and showed them in Paris, Berlin

Oct. 13, 2013

The “King of Ballads” Shin Seung-hoon will be back on the pop scene for the first time in four years with the release of a new mini album, “Great Wave,” on Oct. 23. Shin, who has 10 regular and two mini albums, on Friday said he has finished the mastering of the new album. “Shin has been exploring different genres of music lately. The ‘Great Wave’ is the final part of his experimental trilogy: ‘Radio Wave’ (2008), covering modern and alternative rock; and ‘Love O’clock’ (2009) featuring R&B,” sa

Oct. 13, 2013

This is the 10th in a series on producers, MCs, DJs and artists working in the Korean underground hip-hop scene. ― Ed.Producer and owner of hip-hop club In2Deep Onesun considers himself lucky. Back when he first became interested in hip-hop ― in the ’90s ― there was almost none to be found in Korea. Because of its explicit nature, hip-hop wasn’t imported to the country. But, Onesun listened to the Armed Forces Network and went to France in middle school. Through that he was exposed to popular mu

Oct. 13, 2013

Rookie artist shines on ‘Jackasoul’Mayson The Soul“Jackasoul”(KT Music)Mayson The Soul’s first creation “Jackasoul” is a soulful start for the up-and-coming rookie R&B artist. The 8-track album starts strong with “Holiday,” featuring Beenzino’s smooth rapping. The song has a neo-soul buzz, mixing in different effects for a multi-layered sound enhanced with Mayson’s quality vocals. “Lost” is one of the heavier-sounding songs on the album, with distorted guitar riffs that run throughout in-between

Oct. 11, 2013

American music industry legend Seymour Stein carefully walked across the stage with his cane in hand and shared his colorful past as one of the last remaining old-school “record men” left in the game on Friday, the second day of the annual MU:CON global music conference in Seoul. “I’m here for the music,” said Stein, one of the keynote speakers at the forum. “If I didn’t believe there was great music here, I wouldn’t be here.”Stein, a vice president of Warner Music Group and co-founder of Sire R

Oct. 11, 2013

Typically black and white Korean traditional ink-and-brush landscape paintings are given a touch of brilliance in works by artist Kim Jong-sook.The artist uses thousands of small Swarovski Elements, high quality crystal pieces by Swarovski, in her traditional Korean landscape paintings. There have been many attempts to reinterpret Oriental landscape paintings by contemporary artists, and with Swarovski crystals, Kim transforms the calm, serene landscape into a world of fantasy and imagination. H

Oct. 10, 2013