When Spanish architect Fernando Menis came to Seoul in early 2020 for a lecture, he found himself stuck in the city as the sudden outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic halted all international travel. It was a totally unexpected situation, and the architect decided to walk around the city every day just to explore it without any particular intent. “After I had breakfast at 8 a.m., I started to walk for five hours every day alone like a student. I (found) a lot of things beautiful. I discovered sma

Arts & Design April 25, 2023

Ever since it was announced early this year that American realist painter Edward Hopper’s exhibition was going to open in Seoul, there has been a huge interest in the show, prompting more than 100,000 early bird tickets to be sold before the opening last week. The exhibition “Edward Hopper: From City to Coast” at Seoul Museum of Art, which opened Wednesday, marks the first-ever exhibition in South Korea of the New York-born artist (1882-1967), known for his paintings of ordinar

Arts & Design April 23, 2023

British Japanese artist Simon Fujiwara’s art seems playful and mischievous at first glance, as presented at an exhibition at Gallery Hyundai in Seoul. The recurring presence of a bear in his oeuvre piques the curiosity of viewers, leading them to question what the artist wants to tell the world -- and who the bear is. Fujiwara has brought together some 40 works of art at a solo exhibition in Seoul that opened on April 5. An identity-free cartoon bear named “Who” -- which seemin

Arts & Design April 22, 2023

The National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea has selected four finalists for the Korea Artist Prize 2023, following a short hiatus last year to make improvements to the 10-year-old annual award, which had fallen under growing criticism for its quality and low recognition. The museum earlier this week announced four artists -- sound artist Kwon Byung-jun, Korean-Colombian artist Gala Porras-Kim, Lee Kang-seung whose work explores queer history, and interdisciplinary artist Jun S

Arts & Design April 22, 2023

Youn Bum-mo, the director of the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea has officially resigned from his post on Tuesday, according to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. “Youn expressed his desire to withdraw from the director position on April 10 during a meeting with the minister, and it was accepted. We will open recruitment in early May to appoint a new director,” an official from the ministry told The Korea Herald. Youn was inaugurated to head the stat

Arts & Design April 18, 2023

The Korean Pavilion at next month's 18th Venice Architecture Biennale asks the question: How have our choices shaped the globe today? The architecture exhibition will lead visitors to reflect on the past, the present and think about the future. The two artistic directors of the Korean Pavilion -- curator Jung So-ik and art professor Park Kyong -- have titled the exhibition which will run May 18- Nov. 26, “2086: Together How?” The overarching theme of the upcoming architecture bi

Arts & Design April 14, 2023

Art Busan 2023, a major art fair in the southern port city, will be held early May in its largest-ever venue at the Busan Exhibition and Convention Center since its inaugural fair in 2012. The leading art fair in South Korea will also collaborate with Busan Tourism Organization to offer an opportunity to experience the city during Art Busan Week from May 1 to 9. The art fair will be held from May 4 to 7 at Bexco, bringing together some 146 galleries from 22 countries. “We will use the wh

Arts & Design April 14, 2023

Reservation to begin for Louis Vuitton pop-up restaurant Reservation begin Monday at 6 p.m. via dining reservation app CatchTable for Louis Vuitton’s pop-up restaurant in Seoul that opens in May, a collaboration with a double Michelin starred restaurant in London called Ikoyi. Customers can enjoy daily multicourse menus for lunch, dinner and tea. When Louis Vuitton opened two pop-up restaurants in Seoul at the same venue in May and September last year, bookings filled in less than five min

Culture April 14, 2023

The Galleries Art Fair, South Korea’s oldest art fair, kicked off Wednesday in its largest scale ever at Coex in southern Seoul, joined by 156 homegrown galleries. The 41st edition of the fair that began with a VIP preview Wednesday runs through Sunday in Coex halls B and D with the largest number of Korean galleries participating since its establishment in 1979. The Galleries Art Fair and KIAF SEOUL, founded in 2002, are run by the 160-member Galleries Association of Korea. The Galleries

Arts & Design April 13, 2023

Youn Bum-mo, the director of the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea recently offered to resign from his post during a meeting with Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Park Bo-gyoon, local media reported Thursday. Youn, whose term expires in early 2025, came under criticism last year when the Culture Ministry unprecedentedly revealed the result of a special audit which showed 16 cases of illegal and inappropriate actions at the museum, including purchasing artworks at auc

Arts & Design April 13, 2023

The vivid colors of the walls match the paintings of modernist architecture by London-based interdisciplinary artist Shezad Dawood at Barakat Contemporary in Seoul, where his second show at the gallery is running. Color is music to the artist who loves colors and calls himself a “real colorist.” When he stages an exhibition, he sees it as a musical score, in which different colors create both consonances and dissonances, he said. “For me, it is probably the first time ever doin

Arts & Design April 12, 2023

Korean artist Park Young-ha’ solo exhibition “Local Songs: Park Young Ha” at the Helen J Gallery in Los Angeles shows the artist’s lyrical approach to art. Park has been known for paintings that recall the traditional mud-plastered walls of Korean houses in rural areas. Park has pursued paintings that feature matieres techniques, adding physical texture to a painting and using a mixture of materials such as fine sand, gold dust and stone powders. He layers them using meta

Arts & Design April 11, 2023

Korean craft art will be introduced at Milan Design Week 2023, scheduled to kick off April 17, with craft works by 20 Korean artists in the exhibition, “Shift Craft.” “Shift Craft,” curated by Koo Byung-jun, will coincide with Milano Design Week 2023, exhibiting 65 craft works encompassing ceramics, glass, wood and "otchil," or lacquerware. Organized by the Korea Craft and Design Foundation, the exhibition will run through April 23 at the Fondazione Giangiac

Arts & Design April 10, 2023

GWANGJU -- It was raining when the 14th Gwangju Biennale opened last Wednesday, a reflection of the biennale's theme: “Soft and weak like water.” As a symbol of democratic uprising decades ago, the city has been left with wounds. Artistic director Lee Sook-kyung presented water as a metaphor for solidarity and recovery, bringing together 79 artists across the world whose works interpret the theme in transnational and trans-generational ways. The whole city will be filled with ar

Arts & Design April 9, 2023

Japanese architect Tadao Ando's work at Museum SAN Museum SAN, designed by renowned Japanese architect Tadao Ando, is nestled in the mountains of Wonju, Gangwon Province and much appreciated for its striking building and beautiful surroundings. In commemoration of its 10th anniversary, the museum has opened a solo exhibition on the architect titled, “Tadao Ando – Youth,” the architect’s first show at the museum, shedding light on his artistic career since the 1970s.

Culture April 7, 2023