Ahn Eun-me is a one-of-a-kind Korean contemporary dancer. Even then, not many would expect to see her in an art museum. “It is strange to look back on my own past 30 years,” Ahn said during a press conference held Wednesday at the SeMA’s main branch in Seosomun-dong, Seoul, where a solo exhibition of her work is underwayTitled “Known Future,” the show comprises installations, video works, sounds, archive materials and performances.A statue of Ahn, painted in glitter

Arts & Design July 1, 2019

Gracias Choir has teamed up with classical musicians for its nationwide tour, titled “Svobodno,” which will entail six concerts in five cities.Classical musicians joining the tour include pianist Mikhail Benediktov, former guest soloist of the Mariinsky Theater; violinist Chingiz Osmanov, grand prize winner of the International Jascha Heifetz competition; and oboist Liang Wang, a former member of the New York Philharmonic. The concerts will feature choral and classical music pieces,

Performance June 30, 2019

Four classical musicians from South Korea have received awards in the voice, violin, cello and brass instruments sections of the International Tchaikovsky Competition held this week in Russia, according to organizers Friday.  Kim Ki-hoon, a 27-year-old baritone, won second prize in the voice competition held at the Mariinsky Theater in St. Petersburg.Kim Dong-hyun, 19, finished third in the violin section of the competition’s 16th edition, following the final round held at Tchaikovsky

Performance June 28, 2019

Dull knocking sounds and clunky noises from sewing machines resonate through the streets of Changsin-dong. Inside the sweatshops that line the streets, clothes are scattered here and there and colorful rolls of fabric are stacked on shelves. Located in Seoul’s central district of Jongno, this area has for many decades been the mecca of the country’s garment industry. Here stands Lumpium, the Sewing History Museum, a four-story building built in 2018 by the city government.On dis

Arts & Design June 27, 2019

The Amorepacific Museum of Art is holding a Barbara Kruger solo exhibition, featuring 44 works from the conceptual artist’s four-decade career, ranging from early paste-ups to new work produced in Korean. Titled “Barbara Kruger: Forever,” the show marks her first solo exhibition in Asia.Kruger, born in 1945, is an internationally acclaimed American artist best known for works that combine images and text to convey a feminist cultural critique. More broadly, the artist has been

Arts & Design June 27, 2019

People listen to digitally rendered music, but most people are not familiar with digital paintings.Choi & Larger Gallery in Seoul is holding a solo exhibition of works by London-based artist Matthew Stone, featuring some 20 digital paintings under the title “Small Awakenings.”  Stone utilizes both traditional painting tools and new technologies in his art, which usually requires twice as much time to make because of the additional processes involved.Stone first makes brushs

Arts & Design June 26, 2019

Portraits are not the most favored of items for art collectors. Not many people want strangers’ photos hanging on their walls. But artist Kim Ok-sun continues to take photographs of people because she is drawn to them. Atelier Hermes in Seoul is holding a solo exhibition of Kim’s works under the title “Berlin Portraits,” featuring some 25 large portraits of Korean nurses who went to work in West Germany in the 1960s and ’70s and settled there, starting new lives. Th

Arts & Design June 25, 2019

From monodrama and contemporary dance performances to interviews and a lecture, Doosan Art Center has tied various art forms to explore apartments in South Korea.“Post APT,” a multidisciplinary show, recalls the history, issues and stories that associated with apartments to get the audience to reflect on the dominant form of housing here. “Post APT” is co-produced by choreographer Jung Young-doo, architect Chung I-sak, film director Paik Jong-kwan and composer Kayip. It i

Arts & Design June 23, 2019

A relatively unknown painter, Park Saeng-kwang, is being highlighted at a Daegu museum in an attempt to reassess the artist. Although the artist’s name is not familiar to most of us, he is considered to have influenced many artists who came after him. Though he did not have any direct ties to minjung art -- a sociopolitical art movement that emerged in South Korea in the 1980s – he greatly influenced the movement, said the Daegu Art Museum’s chief curator, Lee Jin-myung.Born in

Arts & Design June 19, 2019

A new art appraisal company has recently launched its services, filling a void created after the disbandment of a major player in the field here. Previously, local art appraisal services were offered mainly by a network consisting of the Korean Art Appraisal Board and the Korean Art Appraisal Association in cooperation with the Galleries Association of Korea. The appraisal board opened in 2001 and started to offer appraisal and authentication services in cooperation with the Korean Art Appr

Arts & Design June 18, 2019

Luxury parasols and umbrellas, with elaborate embroidery and lace, precious tortoiseshell handles and silver and ivory shafts offer a glimpse into the French culture of luxury in the 17th to 20th centuries. Platform-L, a modern and contemporary art venue in Seoul, is holding “Summer Bloom,” an exhibition featuring antique French umbrellas and parasols from different periods, collected by Michel Heurtault. Born in 1966, Heurtault may be the only state-certificated master in the world

Arts & Design June 17, 2019

The ASEAN-Korea Center, an intergovernmental organization, has kicked off ASEAN Week 2019 in Seoul. The ASEAN-Korea Center Secretary-General Lee Hyuk, Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon and Thai Ambassador Singtong Lapisatepun joined the opening ceremony held Friday at Seoul Plaza and delivered congratulatory remarks.Seoul Mayor Park has pledged to strengthen ties with major cities of the 10 ASEAN member countries.First lady Kim Jung-sook, who is on an overseas trip with President Moon Jae-in, also deliv

Diplomatic Circuit June 14, 2019

CGV, the country’s largest multiplex operator, will kick off an event featuring films exclusively for adult viewers from July 11-24 at CGV Arthouse branches, which focus on arthouse and indie films.  “Cinema Adult Vacation” will introduce 17 films, ranging from classic horror movies, such as “The Exorcist” and “The Omen,” to zombie film “28 Days later.” Some of the films will be screened here for the first time, including Jim Jarmus

Film June 14, 2019

Fractured pieces of a glass pane are put together in artist Quac In-sik’s works. The broken glass bears impressions of the heavy metal ball that fell on it, dramatically revealing the materiality of the fragile object.Quac’s experimental works have greatly influenced many artists who came after him, but his works have been unheralded. The National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art’s Gwacheon branch is holding a Quac retrospective, part of its attempt to reassess the artist&

Arts & Design June 12, 2019

Born and raised in a small town in France, Jean-Christophe Maillot rose to the top: Les Ballets de Monte-Carlo, one of the world’s most famous ballet companies, founded by Monaco’s royal family. Maillot described himself as a “Cinderella” during a press conference held Monday at Ode Port in Sinsa-dong, Seoul.The longtime director of the renowned ballet company added that making the timeless story real had been his initial focus. According to the director, the reinvention

Performance June 11, 2019