Exhibitions

“Wellknown Unknown”: Kukje Gallery is holding a group exhibition featuring seven young artists whose works cover a wide range of genres in contemporary art. Curated by Kim Sung-won, an independent curator, critic and art professor, the exhibition introduces seven artists and teams, including Kim Hee-cheon, Nam Hwa-yeon, Oh Min, Kim Young-na, Yi Yun-yi, EH and VERYTHINGS. They explore different and opposite sides of contemporary society such as appearance and disappearance, emergence and withdrawal, and celebrity and anonymity. The exhibition runs through July 31. For more information, visit www.kukje.org. 

“Middle of Nowhere”: Salon de H will be presenting a solo exhibition of artist Woo Kuk-won from July 7 to Aug. 12. The artist’s paintings, which appear to be random scribbles and spontaneous texts, are results of the artist’s exploration of his inner mind. His desire for freedom is portrayed in the “Bluebird” and “Somewhere” presents ideas on his bucket list as well as his hope and longing. For more information, visit www.salondeh.com.

“Big: Kids and Design”: More than 200 pieces of 20th-century vintage furniture designed for children by renowned designers are on view at Kumho Museum of Art until Sept. 11. The exhibition sheds light on the point in the 20th century when specific needs of children started to be considered in designing furniture. It also introduces chairs, tables, toys and other objects created by leading designers of the period such as Peter Keler, Luigi Colani, Jean Prouve and Renate Muller whose designs are intended to stimulate children’s creativity and imagination. For more information, visit www.kumhomuseum.com.

“Artspectrum 2016”: Leeum, Samsung Museum of Art, is holding its biennial exhibition that introduces emerging young Korean artists until Aug. 7. The exhibition features some 40 works of art across diverse mediums such as painting, photography, video and installation. It explores a variety of topics ranging from personal accounts to Korea’s modern history. The exhibition attempts to show the expanding boundaries of art by combining graphic design, statistics and sound. For more information, visit www.leeum.org or call (02) 2014-6901.

Lee Jung-seob: The National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea is presenting a solo exhibition of Korean art master Lee Jung-seob to mark the 100th anniversary of his birth. The exhibition showcases some 200 paintings and 100 pieces of related documents on loan from some 60 museums and collectors, including the Museum of Modern Art in New York. Divided into major periods of his artistic career from the 1930s to 1940s, the exhibition guides viewers through Lee’s tumultuous personal life and the early modern history of Korea. The Lee Jung-seob exhibition runs until Oct. 3 at the MMCA’s Deoksugung Palace museum. For more information, visit www.mmca.go.kr.

“Three Jewels: Buddhist Art of Korea”: Ho-Am Art Museum is holding an exhibition that highlights Korean Buddhist art until Nov. 6. The exhibition, which is divided into three sections, presents Buddhist paintings, sculptures and craftworks that portray teachings and lives of two major subjects of worship in Korean Buddhism -- the Sakyamuni Buddha and Amitabha Buddha. The museum, located near Everland, operates a shuttle bus from the Everland ticket office to the museum every hour from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tickets are priced at 4,000 won for adults and 3,000 for teenagers. For more information, visit www.hoammuseum.org. 

Dance

“Tchaikovsky Ballet Fantasy”: Wise Ballet Theater will present Tchaikovsky’s ballet performance at the National Theater of Korea KB Haneul Youth Theater at 2 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. from Aug. 12-14. The performance aims to provide children and adolescents on summer vacation with a chance to enjoy a classical ballet performance. The program will feature parts of Tchaikovsky’s three renowned ballets -- “The Sleeping Beauty,” “The Swan Lake” and “The Nutcracker.” Commentary for children will also be provided.

Tickets range from 25,000 won ($22) to 30,000 won and are available at www.ntok.go.kr or ticket.interpark.com. For inquiries, call (02) 547-9851 or (02) 547-9853.

“KNCDC-Theatre de Liege Collaboration Nativos”: The Korea National Contemporary Dance Company and Ruda asbl & Theatre de Liege will premiere “Navitos” at the Seoul Arts Center Jayu Theater from July 15-17. “Navitos,” choreographed by Ayelen Parolin and Marc Iglesias, repetitively presents certain movements, along with a traditional percussionist presenting shamanic tones.

The performing team will also kick off its world tour from Nov. 15 to Dec. 8, visiting France, Belgium, and Italy.

The performance begins at 8 p.m. on Friday and at 3 p.m. on weekends. Tickets range from 20,000 won to 30,000 won and can be reserved at www.sacticket.co.kr or ticket.interpark.com. For inquiries, call (02) 3472-1420 or (02) 6196-1616.

“Giselle: A Death-defying Love Story”: Universal Ballet will kick off a local tour with “Giselle” at the Chungmu Arts Hall from Aug. 12-14. “Giselle,” choreographed by Jean Coralli and Marius Petipa, is a romantic ballet in two acts which premiered at Universal Arts Center (previously Little Angels Art Hall) in 1985. The ballet depicts the tragic love story of a peasant girl Giselle trying to save her lover from a group of supernatural women despite his betrayal.

The performance will begin at 8 p.m. on weekdays and at 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. on weekends. The ballet company will perform in Gunpo from Aug. 19-20 and in Suwon from Sep. 23-24.

Tickets range from 20,000 won to 80,000 won and can be reserved at ticket.interpark.com. For inquiries, call (02) 2230-6600.

“Fairy tale ballet: Cinderella”: The performance by Wise Ballet Theater will take place at Art Hall Mac, Mapo Arts Center from July 8-9. The performance is based on the fairy tale “Cinderella,” which tells the story of a girl abused by her stepmother and stepsisters. She falls in love with a prince with the help of a fairy. The ballet company, which was formed in 2005 with the goal of popularizing classical ballet, has provided opportunities for families with children to enjoy ballet by presenting “Family ballet” and “Fairy tale ballet.”

The performance will begin at 8 p.m. on Friday and at 5 p.m. on Saturday. Tickets range from 30,000 won to 50,000 won and can be reserved at ticket.interpark.com. For inquiries, call 02-3274-8600

Pop Music

“2016 JYP Nation Concert”: The biggest talents from JYP Entertainment, one of Korea’s largest entertainment companies, will gather for two days for the agency’s biennial concert from Aug. 6-7 at Jamsil Arena in Seoul. The lineup includes some of the most renowned names in K-pop: Wonder Girls, GOT7, Twice, 2PM and many others. Tickets range from 110,000 won ($96) to 99,000 won, and can be purchased at ticket.interpark.com.

“Someday Festival 2016”: The two-day outdoor music festival is back again this year to bring together both prominent and up-and-coming musicians at Nanji Hangang Park in Seoul from Sept. 3-4. The lineup includes popular soul and R&B singer Kim Bum-soo, female duo J Rabbit, as well as The Barberettes, Bily Acoustie, Thornapple and many others. Early bird tickets range from 82,000 won to 109,000 won, and can be purchased at ticket.interpark.com.

“Mamamoo -- Moosical”: K-pop group Mamamoo is holding a concert at Olympic Park’s Olympic Hall in Seoul from Aug. 13-14. The four-member girl group is known for its powerful vocals, funky melodies and spunky personalities. The group debuted in 2014 with the song “Mr. Ambiguous.” Recent hits include “Um Oh Ah Yeh” and “You’re the Best.” Tickets are priced at 99,000 won and can be purchased at ticket.interpark.com.

“Kim Yeon-woo -- Thank You”: Balladeer Kim Yeon-woo is holding a concert at 6 p.m. on Aug. 6 at the Olympic Gymnastics Arena in Seoul’s Olympic Park. Kim, a singer, vocal coach and professor at Seoul Art College is known for his smooth voice and ability to hit high notes flawlessly. Ticket prices range from 77,000 won to 143,000 won. Tickets can be purchased at ticket.interpark.com.

Theater

“Sweeney Todd, The Musical”: The gruesome musical tale of the demon barber of Fleet Street is hitting the Seoul stage. Sweeney Todd follows the life of Benjamin Barker, who, after being wrongfully accused of a crime, takes his revenge on the people of London by murdering the patrons of his barbershop. Starring Ock Joo-hyun, Cho Seung-woo, Yang Jun-mo and Jeon Mi-do, the musical will be staged at the Charlotte Theater in Songpa-gu until Oct. 3. Ticket prices range from 60,000 won ($52) to 140,000 won. For more information, call 1588-5212.

“Wicked”: The Korean version of “Wicked,” the top-grossing musical on Broadway for 12 years, is returning to the musical stage this summer. The production tells the stories of the witches of Oz with music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz. This year’s cast will include Cha Ji Yeon, Park Hye-na, Jeong Sun-ah and IVY. The musical will be staged from July 12 to Aug. 28 at Seoul Arts Center’s Opera Theater. Ticket prices range from 60,000 won to 140,000 won. For more information, call 1577-3363.

“Sleeping Beauty”: Hailed as one of the U.K.’s most popular and successful choreographers and directors, Matthew Bourne is showing his critically acclaimed “gothic romance” dance reinterpretation of the classic fairy tale “Sleeping Beauty” for the first time in Korea this summer. Combining dance, cabaret and circus elements with the music of Tchaikovsky, Bourne has reinvented the traditional tale of good vs. evil with a gothic twist. The performance will be staged until July 3 at the LG Arts Center in Seoul. Ticket prices range from 40,000 won to 130,000 won. For more information, visit www.lgart.com.

“Notre Dame de Paris”: Set in 1482 Paris, Notre Dame de Paris,” follows the life of a young and irresistibly beautiful gypsy girl named Esmeralda. Her allure and charm captures the hearts of countless men, including Quasimodo -- a hunchback harshly crowned as the ugliest man in all of Paris -- and the sinfully sly and soon-to-be-married Phoebus, leading to a spiral of painful drama. The Korean remake of this musical classic will be staged at the Blue Square in Hannam-dong this summer until Aug. 21. It will star K-pop ballad king K.Will and Yoon Gong-ju. Ticket prices range from 60,000 won to 140,000 won. For more information, call (02) 541-6236.

“Newsies”: Inspired by the real-life Newsboys Strike of 1899 in New York City, Disney Theatrical Productions’ “Newsies” has hit the Seoul stage. Starring On Ju-hwan, Suh Kyeong-su, Lee Jae-gyun and Kang Sung-wook, the musical is a two-time Tony Award winner for best choreography and best original score. It received a Grammy nomination for best musical theater album in 2012. “Newsies” will be held at the Chungmu Art Hall until July 3. Ticket prices range from 50,000 won to 130,000 won. For more information, call (02) 1588-5212.

Classical Music

“Adios Piazzolla”: Japanese tango band Cuatrocientos and tango dancers Daniel Juarez and Alejandra Armenti will present a live tango performance at the Seoul Arts Center Concert Hall at 5 p.m. on July 10. Juarez and Armenti are world-class choreographers and tango dancers, who are known as the living legends of Argentine tango. The program will feature Astor Piazzolla’s Adios Nonino, Oblivion, Libertango, The Four Seasons in Buenos Aires “Invierno Porteno,” Le Gran Tango, and more.

Tickets range from 25,000 won to 60,000 won and can be reserved at www.sacticket.co.kr and ticket.interpark.com. For inquiries, call (02) 2658-3546.

“Orquesta Nacional de Espana”: Orquesta Nacional de Espana led by Antonio Mendez will kick off its first concert in Korea at the Seoul Arts Center Concert Hall at 5 p.m. on July 17. The Spanish national orchestra, founded in 1937 during the Spanish civil war, has participated in numerous Spanish festivals and toured across Europe, America, and Asia. The program will feature Turina’s “Danzas Fantasticas,” Falla’s “Noches en los Jardines de Espana” and “El Sombrero de Tres Picos, Suites 1&2,” and Ravel’s Piano concerto in G major. Pianist Paik Kun-woo will accompany the orchestra.

Tickets range from 50,000 won to 220,000 won and can be reserved at www.sacticket.co.kr. For inquiries, call (02) 599-5743.

“Sumi Jo -- My Songs”: World-class soprano Sumi Jo will hold a concert celebrating the 30th anniversary of her international debut performance at the Seoul Arts Center Concert Hall at 5 p.m. on Aug. 28. Jo first appeared in the international scene as the prima donna in Verdi’s three-act opera “Rigoletto” at the Teatro Lirico Giuseppe Verdi in Italy on Oct. 26, 1986. The program will feature songs from well-known operas, including “Caro Nome” from “Rigoletto,” along with Korean songs, and pianist Jeff Cohen will accompany the performance.

Tickets range from 50,000 won to 150,000 won and can be reserved at www.sacticket.co.kr or ticket.interpark.com. For inquiries, call (02) 3461-0976.

“Kim Sun-wook Piano Recital”: Kim Sun-wook will hold a piano recital at the Seoul Arts Center Concert Hall at 8 p.m. on July 20. Kim earned international recognition when he won the Leeds International Piano Competition in 2006 at the age of 18, becoming the first Asian winner and the youngest winner of the competition in 40 years. The program will feature Mozart’s Fantasia in D Minor, K. 397, Schubert’s Piano Sonata No. 18 in G Major, Op. 78, D. 894, and Beethoven’s Diabelli Variations, Op. 120.

Tickets range from 30,000 won to 90,000 won and can be reserved at www.sacticket.co.kr and ticket.interpark.com. For inquiries, call (02) 599-5743.