OAHU, Hawaii ― It was only when the sharks had a momentary feeding frenzy 6 feet from me that the wondrous beauty of Hawaiian nature was eclipsed by a “what the hell am I doing here?” moment.I had surfaced, and so had two big 9-footers, and all that separated us was the top couple bars of the shark cage in which I treaded water.The sharks thrashed. Saltwater splashed. I looked at the metal bars, rising just a foot or so above the surface, and the question arose: Are sharks good jumpers?I was abo

Travel Nov. 9, 2012

The Swedish fashion brand H&M will unveil a new collection in collaboration with the French fashion house Maison Martin Margiela at around 230 H&M stores worldwide including Seoul next Thursday. The collection will consist of iconic Maison Martin Margiela garments and accessories for men and women, presented in oversized coats, masculine shapes, deconstructive tailoring and clothes using trompe l’oeil to give optical illusion. “Maison Martin Margiela is one of the most important and influential

Arts & Design Nov. 7, 2012

Van Gogh’s paintings from his Paris years will be on exhibit in Seoul from Thursday. The exhibition, titled “Van Gogh in Paris: A Dialogue with Modernism,” features about 60 paintings on loan from the Van Gogh Museum of Amsterdam, including the late artist’s famous self-portraits and landscape paintings. It also displays historical research and data about the artist and his works, including x-radiographs of his paintings. “Van Gogh’s time in Paris from 1886-1888 was when his style developed dras

Performance Nov. 7, 2012

The Korean traditional attire of hanbok will be showcased at an international fine art event next month in Miami. At the opening art show of Art Miami, 12 models in hanbok dresses, designed by Lee Hye-soon of the hanbok brand Damyeon, will be walking among the 500 guests, giving them a close look at their elegant lines and fabrics and sophisticated colors and patterns. “I am invited to showcase hanbok at the opening art show titled ‘Fashion is Art.’ I am happy with the title because it’s the phr

Arts & Design Nov. 6, 2012

The faces and gestures of Dutch artist Folkert de Jong’s human body sculptures look relaxed and joyful, without that serious aura that often leads viewers of artwork to struggle to make sense of what they see. But behind the sculptures’ happy demeanors, de Jong has hidden some important meanings, represented in the materials used for his sculptures. De Jong is well-known for using industrial materials such as Styrofoam and polyurethane foam and imbuing them with social and political meaning. “Th

Performance Nov. 4, 2012

Designers created different images of a smart, city woman for the 2013 spring and summer season at Seoul Fashion Week last week. To represent a confident urban attitude, they took a structural and practical approach, adding color and soft details to prevent the urban looks from becoming either too strong or pedestrian. Inspired by vintage playing cards, Andy & Debb applied illustrations of the king, queen, jack, joker and ace of hearts to blouses, pant suits, jump suits and long dresses. A broad

Arts & Design Nov. 2, 2012

The U.S. has been referred to as a melting pot of different races, religions and cultures. And the culinary cultures of 50 states reflect such cultural diversity. As it’s difficult to sample dishes from different states in the U.S., the U.S. Embassy in Seoul is offering an online culinary promotion that introduces culinary cultures of every state. During the promotion period through Jan. 16, 2013, the campaign asks Facebook users to leave posts about American cuisine, selects those who received

Travel Nov. 2, 2012

The Korea Tourism Organization unveiled a Korea tourism campaign on the world famous Hollywood Boulevard and Highland Avenue in the U.S. The KTO installed a billboard advertisement on the exterior of Hollywood & Highland Center, a popular shopping mall and entertainment complex, on Wednesday that will be up for four months until Feb. 19. The KTO expects the billboard advertisement to raise the profile of Korea as a travel destination and to fully utilize the exposure to the mass international au

Travel Nov. 1, 2012

Nami Island, the small half-moon-shaped island in Chuncheon, is rising as one of the must-visit tourist destinations in Korea, attracting more than 500,000 foreign tourists so far this year. The island officials expect the number will reach over 600,000 by the end of the year. The number of foreign and Korean visitors is expected to be 2.5 million. “It’s the number of foreign visitors who come on group tours, and does not include the visitors who come individually,” said Minn Kyung-hyuk, executi

Travel Oct. 31, 2012

Daegu-based painter Kang Min-jeong chooses damaged fruits and vegetables that don’t meet market standards as subjects of her still life paintings, looking to bring out the hidden beauty and quality of the produce neglected by others. The mid-career artist, who studied western painting at Daegu’s Keimyung University, showcases her new paintings at the Daegu Art Festival, which kicked off Wednesday and runs through Nov. 5.Finding inspiration in natural materials, she has devoted over two decades o

Performance Oct. 31, 2012

An art project by Korean artists is on exhibit at the TINA B. Contemporary Art Festival in Prague, giving fresh perspectives on Korean art to the global audience. The project titled “Woo:ri,” the Korean word for “us” or “we,” showcases installations and media art at various places throughout the historic city of Prague during the art festival, which ends on Wednesday.The annual TINA B. festival, which stands for “This Is Not Another Biennale,” aims to bring contemporary art closer to general peo

Performance Oct. 29, 2012

Choi Jae-eun, a Korean artist based in Japan and Germany, is holding an exhibition that offers a fresh perspective on the relationship between human beings and the sky. The 56-year-old artist is well-known for her philosophical reflection on nature and experimental approach to contemporary art. Choi explores themes of the finite and infinite and the flow of time at the new exhibition being held at Kukje Gallery in Seoul, representing the ideas through diverse works such as photography, film and

Performance Oct. 28, 2012