Seoul Auction has withdrawn a book of sketches by Korean artist Chun Kyung-ja that was due to be auctioned Wednesday. The book of 16 drawings by Chun, bidding for which was set to start at 400 million won ($343,000), was removed from the list of artworks Tuesday, just one day before the auction, amid suspicion the sketches may be counterfeit. “An art expert raised suspicion that the sketches might have been forged at a private gathering and it has been spread in the Korean art world. We already

Performance June 29, 2016

 GWANGJU -- The name of the Seoul-based artist duo Kimchi and Chips pretty much tells where the artists are from.  Korean-British artist duo Mimi Son and Elliot Woods formed an art studio in 2009, adopting the quirky name. Since then, the two have been creating installations that challenge people’s perception of light and space and presenting them at museums and galleries throughout the world. One of the most well-known works is the first edition of the “Light Barrier” series in which the artist

Performance June 28, 2016

Artist Lee U-fan, whose abstract paintings have become the subjects of art forgeries, took a look at the paintings the National Forensic Service identified as counterfeits for the first time Monday, but said he has yet to conclude if they are fakes. 　“I will come back (to the police) the day after tomorrow. There are things I have to check again,” said Lee as he left the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency after having examined the paintings. 　Lee’s attorney Choi Soon-yong explained that Lee would

Performance June 27, 2016

Preparing a funeral for a Joseon king required many steps. 　It took five to seven months to prepare the body for the funeral. It required that the country’s top pungsu -- or Korean geomancy -- experts choose an ideal burial site. And thousands of workers were recruited to construct the tomb and carry the body to the burial site.　Such lesser-known facts about kings’ deaths and the complex funeral procedures of the Joseon era (1392-1910) are revealed at the new exhibition “Royal Tombs of the Joseo

Culture June 23, 2016

The Culture Ministry announced five winners of the 2016 Korean Young Architects Award on Wednesday. 　The winners were Kim Hyun-seok of June Architects and architect duos Shin Min-jae and Ahn Kee-hyun of AnLstudio as well as Lee Seung-taek and Lim Mi-jeong of STPMJ Architecture.  Lim Mi-jeong (left) and Lee Seung-taek of STPMJ Architecture (Korea Architects Institute) Shin Min-jae (left) and Ahn Kee-hyun of AnLstudio (Korea Architects Institute)　The prestigious architect award established in 2008

People June 22, 2016

Herald Artday, a subsidiary of Herald Corp., is holding an online auction from June 24-28, presenting major artworks of modern and contemporary Korean artists. The art auction features some 190 artworks of renowned Korean artists, including Young-woo, Kim Jong-hak, Ha Dong-cheol, Oh Chi-gyun, Ahn Chang-hong and Moon Hyeong-tae. Highlights of the auction include an abstract painting made in the early 1970s by the late Kwon Young-woo, who recently emerged as a Dansaekhwa artist, and the snow lands

Performance June 22, 2016

Artist Lee U-fan will finally have a look at the paintings that the National Forensic Service confirmed as counterfeits of his works next Monday. 　“We can’t conclude whether the paintings are forged or not since we haven’t seen them,” said Lee’s attorney Choi Soon-yong in a phone call with The Korea Herald.　Choi said Lee will then decide on when and how he will press charges against the art forgers -- there are suspected to be several art forgers -- and gallerists, who are accused of distributin

Performance June 21, 2016

Artworks are usually purchased primarily for aesthetic reasons and are mostly privately owned, but a relatively new Chinese model of art investment allows multiple buyers to share an artwork. 　The Chinese model of artwork stock exchange, which invites investors to buy and sell shares of artworks, has landed in Korea, with the China National Culture and Art Co., LTD, a holding company under the China’s Culture Ministry, opening the Korea Culture and Artworks Exchange on Wednesday. This marks the

Culture June 16, 2016

Singer-artist Cho Young-nam, who has been in hot water since May over allegations he hired a ghost painter for several years to create his paintings, was indicted without detention on fraud charges Tuesday, according to the Chuncheon Supreme Prosecutors’ Office. 　Cho is accused of allegedly having two ghost painters create his paintings, well known for motifs of Korean folk card game Go-Stop, from about five years ago and selling them without informing his buyers of the fact. His manager was als

Culture June 14, 2016

A colossal 19th-century map of the Korean Peninsula will go on the block at an art auction in Seoul on June 28.　The map of the Korean Peninsula “Daedongyeojido,” which measures 3.8 meters by 6.7 meters in total, was made by geographer Kim Jeong-ho in 1861.　The map is one of some 20 remaining Daedongyeojido maps and one of the three known colored versions to date. Maps of Daedongyeojido, translated as the great map of the East, are housed at museums and public institutions in Korea, including Kyu

Culture June 14, 2016

A variety of events that highlight Korean traditional and contemporary culture, ranging from traditional dance to K-pop, are taking place this month in France.　“K-Culture Week,” from June 1-7, was designated by the Korean and French governments. Its highlights include dance performances, exhibitions, food events and a literature event.  Dancers perform at the biennial French dance competition Danse Elargie. (2015-16 Korea-France Year)　It seeks to boost the ongoing two-year-long series of cultura

Culture June 2, 2016

A pop-up store showcasing creations by leading Korean fashion designers will open at the multibrand store L’Eclaireur from June 22-28 in Paris. 　The temporary shop-in-shop will feature women’s and men’s clothing by 10 Korean designers who regularly participate in Seoul Fashion Week and have been selected as “Seoul’s 10 Soul” to represent the Korean fashion scene. The program, run by the Seoul Metropolitan Government, offers financial, marketing and logistical support for the selected designers i

Arts & Design May 31, 2016

An abstract painting by Kim Whan-ki was auctioned for 30 million Hong Kong dollars ($3.86 million) at an auction in Hong Kong on Sunday, becoming the third most expensive piece of Korean art to be sold at auction. 　The painting titled “Untitled 3-V-7#203” was sold to an Asian collector at Seoul Auction’s Hong Kong sale at the Grand Hyatt Hotel on Sunday. The painting, with a starting price of HK$17 million, drew competition from bidders at the site and over the phone, according to a Seoul Auctio

Performance May 30, 2016

Koreans traveled more frequently within the country last year compared to the year before, according to a travel survey report released by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.In 2015, about 87.9 percent of the population aged over 15 made trips within the country, a 1.6 percent increase from 2014. An average Korean citizen travels 5.47 times a year for the combined duration of 9.34 days and spends an average of 582,770 won ($500). The survey was conducted on 6,534 Korean citizens, aged o

Travel May 12, 2016

Dubai Renaissance compared with other iconic skyscrapers (OMA)A conventional, rectangular office building may not seem like an attractive design choice when major cities compete to build iconic skyscrapers as symbols of their economic growth. But Reinier de Graaf, partner of the Office for Metropolitan Architecture, founded by architect Rem Koolhaas, says the simple form will ironically stand out among other stylish buildings. “When everything is exciting, a non-exciting (design) becomes excitin

Arts & Design Feb. 28, 2016