Paddle down Han River

Are you feeling exhausted or drained under the hot weather?

There’s a riverside festival coming up this weekend to cool you down.

“2022 Han River Festival - Summer” kicks off this Friday, offering more than 20 programs spanning the 11 riverside parks in Seoul until Aug. 15.

How about hopping onto a “king canoe” and paddling through the Han River’s waterway?

The 12-person canoe leaves at a dock near Seorae Island, and passes by Sebitseom and Jamsu Bridge before returning to Seorae-naru.

The beautiful night scenery of Seoul will unfold throughout the 60-minute journey.

The highlight is drifting through the Banpo Bridge’s Moonlight Rainbow Fountain, the world’s longest bridge fountain, recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records.

The bridge’s water jets and multi-colored light show will dazzle your eyes right in front of you.

The guide on board might ask if you would like to pass under the water-splashing bridge, so be prepared for the waterfall!

The king canoe ride is available every day at 7 p.m., 8 p.m., and 9 p.m. during the 18 days of the summer festival, with three canoes available for each time slot.

The round-trip ride costs 20,000 won for adults and high school students, 15,000 won for middle school students and 10,000 won for elementary students and children.

Reservations can be made through the festival’s official website. On-site registration is also possible, but slots may fill up quickly.

Other programs and activities for this weekend include an outdoor music festival on Friday and Saturday, a nighttime riverside strolling on Saturday, and an aquathlon on Sunday.

For more information, visit festival.seoul.go.kr/hangang.

Watch plays, ballet outdoors on a summer evening

For theater-lovers who are nervous about the pandemic, free outdoor shows are open for summer evenings in Seoul.

The Seoul Arts Center in Seocho-gu, southern Seoul, is hosting its “Night Goblin Screening” series through August.

The screenings are a collection of past live performances filmed by the SAC in 4K high-resolution video. The performance videos are presented through a colossal screen installed by the SAC‘s main garden every Saturday at 7 p.m.

This Saturday, “Dallae’s Story,” a Korean marionette show that has swept global prizes across Spain and China, will be screened. The play depicts a tragic yet beautiful story surrounding a little girl named Dallae and her family, during times of the Korean War. 

“Giselle,” a recorded version of Universal Ballet’s performance, will be screened on Aug. 6., followed by “Swing,” a National Contemporary Dance Company’s performance video, on Aug. 13.

Outdoor sitting mats are handed out to all guests as complimentary gifts, upon entrance to the venue.

Classical music group Novus Quartet‘s record album and tickets to SAC’s regular talk show event, “SoSo Salon,” will be given to attendees via a lottery.

The number of guests allowed within the open compound area is not limited. Light snacks and drinks can be carried along.

Outdoor screenings can be postponed according to weather conditions. Details on schedules will be updated at the SAC‘s official website.

(hykim@heraldcorp.com)

Get a glimpse of a museum’s storage, explore 800 drawings

When you think of an exhibition, the white cube often comes to mind. But before the exhibits are displayed at fancy exhibition halls, they are kept in storage.

MMCA Cheongju in North Chungcheong Province is the fourth branch of the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea. It is a museum, but at the same time, the building itself is a storage facility for the institution‘s collection. 

A unique storage space on the fourth floor of the building is now open to the public. You will be led to a room full of art, featuring as many as 800 drawings by Korean contemporary masters – including Lee Jung-sup, Yoo Young-kuk, Paik Nam-june and Park Seo-bo -- from the museum’s collection are on display at the room. You will need to take off your shoes and wear indoor slippers to enter the exhibition space.

Drawings are often used as rough sketches for finished creations, but drawing itself is increasingly being recognized as an artform on its own. The exhibition may seem like a behind-the-scenes peek, but the work here has its own aesthetic values.

Drawings by Kim Young-joo (1920-1995) and Moon Shin (1923-1995), a painter who became a sculptor, are part of the exhibition “Drawings from MMCA Collection, Special Storage.”

The exhibition runs through September 2026. The museum is closed on Mondays.

(hwangdh@heraldcorp.com)

(hykim@heraldcorp.com)

(yunapark@heraldcorp.com)