The National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art’s Gwacheon branch on Thursday opened an exhibition featuring Kim Chung-up, a first-generation modern architect in Korea.Commemorating the 30th anniversary of the architect’s death, “Kim Chung-up Dialogue” highlights the architectural legacy of Kim, who is widely known, though perhaps not sufficiently studied.“Though his name and some of his works are widely known, the ways in which we understood him have been quite superficial. There has not bee

Arts & Design Sept. 4, 2018

Jheon Soo-cheon, the first Korean to win a prize at the Venice Biennale, died Monday from pre-existing medical conditions. Jheon had had five additional operations since his first operation for cerebral hemorrhage in December 2016, according to his family members.Born in Jeongeup, North Jeolla Province, in 1947, Jheon earned Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts degrees from Wako University in Tokyo. In 1986, he received a Master of Fine Arts from Pratt Institute in New York and studied oil painti

Arts & Design Sept. 4, 2018

Rising pianist Cho Seong-jin and conductor Chung Myung-whun will mark the 120th anniversary of Deutsche Grammophon with a concert on Dec. 6 at Seoul Arts Center.“Since when I was a child, I liked listening to CDs, and about 40 percent were by Deutsche Grammophon. I believe it is because the label has worked with many great artists over many years. I am really grateful to work with the label that I have grown up with,” pianist Cho said during a press conference Monday at the Plaza hotel in Seoul.

Performance Sept. 3, 2018

Nearing the end of his three-year tenure as the director of the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea, Bartomeu Mari is still thinking of ways to improve the nation’s public museum.“I hope I learned to adapt to the Korean cultural specificities in a respectful way,” Mari said during an interview held at his office last Monday. “I was asked to come here to make major transformations and improvements and make this museum one of the best in the world. Institutions, we know, are resi

Culture Sept. 2, 2018

The eighth edition of the Herald Design Forum next month will be dedicated to sharing ideas about how to design not just a better but a sustainable future. Under the theme of “Designing Future,” 15 internationally renowned speakers will share their experiences, discussing the latest changes in their respective fields and how they are preparing for the next wave of changes to come. Herald Design Forum 2018 will take place Sept. 14-15 at the Dongdaemun Design Plaza.The upcoming forum will start of

Arts & Design Aug. 28, 2018

Princess Dana Firas of Jordan will speak at the Herald Design Forum 2018, to share her ideas and experience in cultural heritage preservation and public policies concerning the issue. Princess Dana is the wife of Prince Firas bin Raad of Jordan. She is also the chairperson of Petra National Trust, a nongovernmental organization dedicated to the preservation and protection of the World Heritage Site of Petra.Under the theme of “Designing Future, Inspiring Past,” Princess Dana will reiterate the i

Arts & Design Aug. 28, 2018

The Korea National Contemporary Dance Company will introduce the new contemporary dance works of three young local artists from Sept. 6-9 at Seoul Arts Center’s Jayu Theater.The upcoming performances are part of the KNCDC’s “Step-Up” project, dedicated to finding, supporting and developing new works of local artists. Sixty-eight works were submitted for consideration, from which three works were selected: “Until Reaching a Blank” by Bae Hyo-sub, “Aboutdance Vol. 2: Told You So” by Lee Eun-kyung

Performance Aug. 28, 2018

Korean artists Moon Kyung-won and Jeon Joon-ho will hold the “News from Nowhere” exhibition at Tate Liverpool, starting Nov. 23. The winners of the Korea Artist Prize 2012, Moon and Jeon’s exhibition will be held alongside the museum’s 30th anniversary exhibition, a retrospective of Fernand Leger.  Artists Moon Kyung-won (left) and Jeon Joon-ho (right) (Gallery Hyundai)Like Leger got his teeth into reality -- than abstract art -- after returning from the First World War, Moon and Jeon also try t

Arts & Design Aug. 22, 2018

Herald Design Forum 2018 will take place Sept. 14-15 under the slogan “Designing Future” at Dongdaemun Design Plaza in Seoul, seeking to understand how design facilitates innovations, backed by technological and scientific developments.The forum will invite internationally recognized designers, architects and CEOs to discuss how design can help us picture a better future. Dana Firas, princess of Jordan and president of the Petra National Trust, and Peter Red Dot founder and CEO are among forum’s

Arts & Design Aug. 22, 2018

Chinese performance artist and painter Ma Liuming is holding a solo exhibition at Hakgojae Gallery in Seoul until Sept. 16.　Titled “Sediment of Performance,” Ma’s latest exhibition features paintings that recast his past avant-garde performances. Ma Liuming poses for photographs at Hakgojae Gallery in Seoul, Friday. (Hakgojae Gallery)Born in Hubei, China, in 1969, Ma is a globally recognized performance artist, particularly through the use of the artist’s performance persona “Fen-Ma Liuming.” Fe

Culture Aug. 20, 2018

The National Folk Museum of Korea will operate mobile museums at the 18th Asian Games Jakarta-Palembang 2018, which run from Aug. 18 through Sept. 2.Also called “Korean culture boxes,“ mobile museums contain various traditional items from Korea and are being deployed in an effort to promote the nation’s traditional folk culture. Altogether, they will display 153 items representing 88 categories. "Sarangbang" box (NFMK) "Anbang" box (NFMK) "Hanbok" box (NFMK)After the games, the mobile museums wi

Culture Aug. 17, 2018

Maestro Chung Myung-whun is getting ready to conduct the KBS Symphony Orchestra for the first time in 20 years. Chung’s last concert with the orchestra took place in March 1998 in Japan, when he held the chief conductor post. The reunion concert runs Aug. 23-24 at Seoul Arts Center Concert Hall. Conductor Chung Myung-whun (KBS Symphony Orchestra)Titled “Talk With the Virtuoso of German Classic,” the upcoming concert will feature two of the most highly acclaimed violin symphony compositions by Ge

Performance Aug. 17, 2018

Seoulites suffering from “cabin fever” after spending weeks indoors with their air conditioners on full blast might find some relief at Olympic Park 88 Grass Yard, where “Disney in Concert” and soprano Jo Su-mi’s concert “One Night in Paris” are scheduled to run Sept. 8 and Sept. 9, respectively. Jo and the Ditto Orchestra, conducted by Lorenzo Passerini, will perform a variety of songs thematically tied to Paris, ranging from opera arias to genre-crossing pieces, chosen to appeal to opera buffs

Performance Aug. 16, 2018

Slated to kick off on Sept. 7, 2018 Gwangju Biennale expects to complete all preparations by Sept. 4, according to the biennale foundation officials Monday.A total of 164 artists from 43 countries will have their works exhibited at venues across the whole city in the largest art festival in the country.This year’s art biennale consists of three projects, “Imagined Borders,” the “GB Commission” and the “Pavilion Project.” (Gwangju Biennale Foundation)The main project, “Imagined Borders,” comprise

Arts & Design Aug. 14, 2018

Even if you have something you love as a lifelong career, there can be moments you lose the passion you once had. Pianist Kim Sun-wook said during a press conference Tuesday that he had those moments over the last few years but has since regained the love for classical music he had when he was younger.  Pianist Kim Sun-wook speaks during a press conference held in Seoul on Tuesday. (Yonhap)“I used to like having things planned out. I used to dream big and make plans accordingly. Like going to th

Performance Aug. 14, 2018