Korean artist Ahn Chul-hyun showcases his sculptural works at the international fine art event, Art Miami, this week. The Baltimore-based Korean sculptor will present his unique sculptures at the art week until Dec. 9. Ahn has received growing recognition in the U.S., Europe and the Middle East and has participated in a group exhibition, “Aha! Moment,” at the Seoul Arts Center in Korea. He held a solo exhibition at C. Grimaldis Gallery in Baltimore last year. Ahn is known for sculptures that exp

Performance Dec. 4, 2012

Mayfield Hotel has opened residential suites targeting business travelers and long-term visitors to Korea.Located in western Seoul, the hotel is 5 minutes and 30 minutes away from Gimpo and Incheon International Airports, respectively. It also offers easy and fast access to major destinations in the city center such as Yeouido and the Kintex convention center. The hotel offers a unique blend of warm hospitality and comfort from nature as it is built in a forest. A total of 57 suite rooms with ni

Travel Dec. 3, 2012

For Korean media artist Jin Si-yon, light has been an important medium that connects technology and humanity. By incorporating various technologies using LED lights and motion sensors, he elevates video images on flat screens to three-dimensional forms and moving sculptures. The exhibition at Jean Gallery in Seoul presents a comprehensive selection of Jin’s works using lights, mainly LEDs. In “Flow,” Jin creates a new media art form that incorporates dance, music and technology. By attaching ton

Performance Dec. 3, 2012

After much anticipation, Chanel’s black jacket photo exhibition has arrived in Seoul.The exhibition, which began on Saturday, displays photographs of celebrities and various personalities wearing the Chanel jacket. The snaps were taken by Karl Lagerfeld, who has been the head designer and creative director for the fashion house for 29 years. Since its debut in Tokyo in April, the exhibition has toured New York, Taipei, Hong Kong, London, Moscow, Sydney, Paris and Berlin.  The photographs are fro

Performance Dec. 2, 2012

Holiday year-end parties in Korea are not something that everyone looks forward to, as they often involve binge drinking and not much variety. An online survey of more than 1,000 employees conducted in December last year found that about 70 percent said they are tired of the traditional binge drinking culture. And only 8.6 percent said they looked forward to such drinking. This year doesn’t have to follow the same old routine ― endless rounds of drinks and visits to karaoke joints or other drink

Culture Nov. 30, 2012

NEW YORK (AP) ― From memoirs and maps to beautiful hard-covers suitable for coffee-table display, here are some ideas for holiday gifts from this year’s crop of travel books and publications. (Prices shown are cover list prices.)National Geographic’s “World’s Best Travel Experiences” ($40) looks at wild places, urban spaces, man-made wonders and other extraordinary destinations, from beach paradises to religious pilgrimage sites. There’s even a list of best places for dance lessons, whether you

Travel Nov. 30, 2012

When four new cable channels launched on Dec. 1 last year, licensed to broadcast all types of programs ranging from news to entertainment, sports and dramas, expectations were high that it would pave the way for the birth of global media here. But just one year later, the majority of the channels, referred to as “general programming channels” here, are suffering dismal viewership ratings. Low-quality program content and the channels’ conservative image contributed to the weak start, insiders say

Culture Nov. 29, 2012

When Belgian charcutier Benito Plasschaert visited Korea 20 years ago to train staff at a major hotel in Seoul, perhaps no one had ever heard of charcuterie or tasted meat products other than ham. But when he returned last year and again this year for the promotion of prepared meat products at Grand Hyatt Seoul, he was surprised to see people waiting for him and his products ranging from sausages and hams to more unfamiliar products such as pates, terrines, rilletes and meatloaf. Plasschaert pre

Food Nov. 28, 2012

Portraying everyday objects with humor has been the foundation of Claes Oldenburg and the late Coosje van Bruggen’s sculptures. By twisting and simplifying shapes and adding humor to it, the sculptors produced iconic works in major cities in the world including “Spoonbridge and Cherry” in Minneapolis, “Saw, Sawing” in Tokyo, “Cupid’s Span” in San Francisco, and the highly sensational and controversial “Spring” in Seoul. The retrospective exhibition at PKM Trinity Gallery in Seoul presents a comp

Performance Nov. 27, 2012

The Christmas train display at the Millennium Seoul Hilton Hotel is one of the most famous Christmas decorations in the capital, cherished by hotel guests and citizens for 17 years. The display surrounds the 10-meter Christmas tree in the center of the hotel lobby and instantly put hotel guests and visitors in the Christmas spirit. Some people even join bus tours to see the landmark display. Behind the annual Christmas setting of handcrafted model buildings, trains and scenes are Gerry McElligot

People Nov. 27, 2012

  Artday, a sister company of The Korea Herald, presents a variety of contemporary art by Korean and foreign artists for its winter auction and exhibition. It features about 110 paintings by Korean and foreign artists including Kim Jong-hak, Ha In-doo, Ji Seok-chul Yayoi Kusama and Fang Lijun. Artday Auction, launched in October last year, is known as an online auction that is easily accessible for both first-timers and experienced collectors. It aims to become a trusted art auction house that o

Performance Nov. 26, 2012

Shinro Ohtake, an internationally acclaimed Japanese artist, has been pasting printed materials, advertisements and whatever images that intrigue him into notebooks for 35 years. Filled with pages of unique collages and taking on sculptural dimensions through the density of the accumulated materials, his recent scrapbook #65 weighs 28.9 kg and has 895 pages.The mixed-media scrapbooks ― the core element of Ohtake’s art ― became the basis of his major works introduced at Kassel Documenta 2012, the

Performance Nov. 25, 2012

MEXICO CITY (AP) ― For many foreigners, Mexico City invokes images of urban chaos, choking air pollution and pervasive street crime. And it can be an intimidating place for tourists, with maddeningly heavy traffic, a confusing public transportation system and neighborhoods cut off from each other by multi-lane highways plowed through the center of the city.But the capital has changed radically in recent years, and almost entirely for the better. Street crime and air pollution are down and the ci

Travel Nov. 23, 2012