Clubs, art exhibitions & sports games

Clubs

Underlounge Seoul
Hongdae or Hongik University Area

This is the local club of a hip Japanese chain that also has a branch in Shanghai. Located in the famous clubbing area Hongdae, it’s all flashy with loud music and lights. Spacious, with a supersized mirror ball hanging over your head, DJs from near and far make music while you hang out at the bar or in classy private rooms. Located near the main entrance of Hongik University. Call (02) 325-5715 or visit www.underlounge.kr.

Boutique Club 52
Itaewon

Once called Function inside Macaroni Market, Club 52 boasts a chic and modern interior with the DJ spinning the beats for the hippest crowd from the center of the dance floor. Featuring top DJs from both home and abroad, two bars inside the club serving the coolest cocktails including some made with Hendrick’s gin, and a high-class interior, Club 52 is always the place for good times.

Club Volume
Itaewon

Located in the Crown Hotel near Noksapyeong Station, Club Volume offers the finest venue for specially themed weekly events and talented international DJs for unforgettable nights of dancing and debauchery. Reborn after extensive renovations to maintain its reputation as a quality club with a superior sound system, luxurious setting and stylish people, Club Volume was listed by TIME magazine among the 10 things to do in 24 hours in Seoul. Call 1544-2635 for more information.

Le Nuit Blanche
Cheongdam-dong

Formerly Club Answer, Le Nuit Blanche is a posh restaurant, theater and club. Located in front of the Hotel Prima in Cheongdam-dong, Le Nuit Blanche offers Cirque du Soleil-type performances at its theater restaurant. World-class DJs from all over the world perform at the club. Call (02) 514-4311 or visit www.lenuitblanche.com.

Cafe Mou
Sinsa-dong

This cafe has a rich ethnic interior that mixes inspirations from such places as Morocco and France. Its menu is limited, but features desserts. It is located at the edge of Dosan Park. 650-9 Park View Building, Sinsa-dong, Gangnam, near the Cine City Theater in Apgujeongdong. Call (02) 3444-6069.

Berlin Cafe & Lounge
Itaewon

Almost hidden atop a hill at the mouth of Itaewon, this terrace with a view offers deliciously themed dinner platters, strong cocktails and DJs on the weekends. The kitchen is open late and the waitstaff is attentive. The modern decor, floral touches and artistic ambiance add to the dining experience. Call (02) 749-0903 for reservations.

Once in a Blue Moon
Apgujeong-dong

Once in a Blue Moon is one of the best known jazz clubs in the city. It features live jazz sets from two different bands every night, usually starting at 7:30 p.m. The place exudes an elegant, sophisticated atmosphere that is perfect for a romantic date. It is located on the street between the Hakdong intersection and the Galleria intersection in Apgujeong-dong. Call (02) 549-5490 or visit www.onceinabluemoon.co.kr for more information.

3 — Drinking Lab
Hongdae

Owned and operated by three men with exceptional backgrounds, 3 —Drinking Lab, near Sangsu Station and Hongik Universit, is a bar popular with many prominent people in the music industry. A radio DJ, a drummer and a previous restaurateur join forces to make 3 a great place for cocktails, mixed drinks and a special white sangria to knock your socks off. There is even occasional live music to enliven the evening. For more information, call 02-323-9033.

Platoon Kunsthalle
Apgujeong-dong

Platoon Kunsthalle is a cultural space where visitors can enjoy various facilities, including an event hall, library lounge, art studios, and a bar and restaurant. Open from Monday to Saturday from 11 to 12 a.m. DJ nights on Thursday and Friday from 10 p.m. Located near exit 10 of Hakdong Station on subway line 7. Visit www.kunsthalle.com or www.platoon.org.

Noxa Lounge
KyoungLiDan

A restaurant and bar serving home-style Italian cuisine along with basic cocktails, wine and a large selection of non-alcoholic drinks, Noxa offers the best patio seating in the neighborhood with a cosmopolitan flair. Call (02) 790-0776 for more information.

Gachi
Apgujeong-dong

Salsa enthusiasts can dance the night away here. To get to Gachi, get off at Apgujeong Line 3 and get out at Exit 5. After walking past six streets, look for the Matilda Club and Bar on the seventh street, turn left and look for Gachi’s red-and-white sign. Gachi is open from Mondays to Fridays 6 p.m. to 12 a.m., Saturday and Sunday, 2 p.m. to 12 a.m. Call (02) 540-7087.

St.102
Hongdae

This hip-hop club often has special parties and performances. There are many Korean homies here with do-rags, dreads and baseball caps turned sideways. Visit st102.cyworld.com. 360-18 Seogyo-dong, Hongdae, or call (02) 335-7166.

Naos Nova
Itaewon

A wine bar and restaurant with a design so stunning that it was featured in several interior design magazines before its doors even opened to the public. Its location across from Namsan Park gives it a wonderful, cool atmosphere. Visit www.naosnova.com. 448-120 Huam-dong Yongsan-gu, Seoul or call (02) 754-2202.

Kyotofu
Itaewon

With a stark, modern interior and unique menu options with tofu-based ingredients, this restaurant and sake lounge offers a hip dining experience. Call (02) 749-1488 for reservations.

Club FF
Hongdae

This live-music venue features all kinds of music. Depending on the night, they feature funk, punk, rock or pop. Club FF attracts an eclectic mix of people. Walk down to the alley with Club Tool on the corner and turn right. Visit clubff.cyworld.com.

Traditional

Korea House performances
Korea House
Open run

Korea House regularly holds a series of traditional performances featuring dance, “pansori” (Korean opera) and more. Tickets cost 50,000 won. The venue offers various hands-on activities such as making kimchi. For more information, visit www.koreahouse.or.kr or call (02) 2266-9101. Located near Exit 3 of Chungmuro Station, subway lines 3 and 4.

Kim Duk-soo’s Traditional Yeonhui Performance ‘Pan’
Gwanghwamun Art Hall
Open run

“Pan,” which opened in May 2008, is a Korean traditional performance expressing on stage a Korean clown’s joyful and pleasant emotions in harmony with traditional instruments, drama and circus acts. Since its first performance in 2008, the theater has prepared a new version of the show and opened it to the public in 2009. The second version is now being presented. Located near exit 1 of Gyeongbokgung Station, subway line 3. Tickets cost 30,000 to 50,000 won. For more information, call (02) 722-3416.

Miso
Chongdong Theater
Open run

This Korean musical tells the romantic story a young couple in the Joseon Kingdom (1392-1897) falling in love with each other, describing the transformation of love as chronicling the four seasons and using Korean musical instruments and dance. The musical was created in 2008, and the second version has been running since 2010. Tickets cost 30,000 to 50,000 won. Located near exit 5 of Seodaemun Station, subway line 5. For more information, call (02) 751-1500.

The Hall of Masters
Museum of Traditional Music, National Gugak Center
Open run

The National Gugak Center is holding the exhibition “The Hall of Masters” to present the “gugak” (traditional Korean music) spirit of ancestral cultural assets. More than 30 relics, including traditional Korean instruments and costumes, are on display along with photos of 78 gugak masters, donated by their descendants and pupils. For more information, call (02) 580-3130.

Saturday Morning Concert with Tea ’Morning of SamcheongGak’
SamcheongGak
Through Dec. 31

SamcheongGak, a traditional Korean cultural venue established in 1972, has been holding regular morning concerts on the last Saturday of each month. Audiences can enjoy traditional Korean music with special seasonal Korean teas. In August, “Emulnori,” composed of traditional Korean percussion instruments, will be performed by Hanna Kim and Kyongjin Park. In September, “haeguem,” a traditional Korean two-stringed instrument, will be played by Yuna Kim. Tickets cost 20,000 won. Located near exit 5 of Jonggak Station on subway line 1. A shuttle bus from subway stations to Samcheonggak is provided. For more information, call (02) 765-3700 or visit http://www.samcheonggak.or.kr.

Art Exhibitions

Oh Chi-gyun ’Persimmons’
Gallery Hyundai (Gangnam)
Through Sept. 20

Gallery Hyundai (Gangnam) displays a series of recent art pieces focusing on the images of “persimmons” painted by artist Oh Chi-gyun from 2009 to 2011. The artist utilized persimmon trees as background subjects for his pieces before, but it’s his first time to focus on them. The artist says the trees remind him of his poor childhood when his family used to earn a living by selling the persimmons that grew on trees around their yard. Located near exit 2 of Apgujeong Station on subway line 3. Admission is free. For more information, call (02) 519-0800.

Artist of the Year 1995-2010
National Museum of Contemporary Art
Through Oct. 30

To reflect on the past 16 years of contemporary art in Korea, the museum is to hold an exhibition “Artist of the Year 1995-2010.” The museum has selected 23 artists who have tried to explore new artistic areas using their own creativity. The exhibition will not only display the representative pieces of the 23 artists, but films including each artist’s monologue and comments will also be introduced. The exhibition is expected to provide an opportunity to forecast the future of Korean contemporary art by looking back on the history of Korean art since 1995. Tickets cost 3,000 won. Located near exit 4 of Seoul Grand Park (Daegongwon) Station on subway line 4. For more information, call (02) 2188-6000.

PLANT - FLOWING
Gallery CHA
Through Sept. 7
Artist Kang Jee-hyeon holds her first private exhibition titled “PLANT-FLOWING” through Sept. 7 at Gallery CHA. Her pieces explore the full vitality of plants based on the materials and techniques often used in oriental paintings. Plants are her artistic subjects, narrowing them down to flowers. By reproducing the images of plants in her own way, she tries to describe how flowing means another vitality which only exists in plants. Located near exit 4 of Gyeongbokgung Station on subway line 3. Admission is free. For more information, call (02) 730-1700.

Faces
63 Sky Art Museum
Through Nov. 13

Focusing on “faces” as the main theme, the exhibit features selected seven portrait artists. The museum attempts to show how human faces have been so beloved by many artists in that they are able to directly reflect the inner workings of subjects. In that sense, audiences interested in portrait art will have a good opportunity to see in what ways each artist utilizes human faces as the subject to express his or her artistic world. The exhibition, composed of 61 pieces, includes such artists as Alex Katz, Julian Opie, Lee Soo-dong, Kim Min-kyoung and Yoon Gi-won. Interactive art pieces by Oh Chang-geun and Cho Sung-hyun are also included. Tickets cost 12,000 won. Located near exit 6 of Daebang Station on subway line 1. For more information, call (02) 789-5663.

KIAF 2011
Hall A, COEX
Sept. 22-26

Celebrating the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Korea and Australia, Korea International Art Fair (KIAF) is set to introduce the artistic potential and creativity of Australian art. Since its first exhibition in 2002, the fair has been contributing to enhancing the ties of art markets among North Asian countries and the expansion of cultural exchange throughout the world. For this exhibition, KIAF admits 117 galleries from Korea and 75 from other countries including Australia and Japan. In particular, “BMW M3 GT2,” an art car made by pop artist Jeff Koons in cooperation with BMW will be displayed during the exhibition. Tickets cost 15,000 won. Located near exit 5 or 6 of Samseong Station on subway line 2. For more information, call (02) 766-3702-4.

YIPPA 2011
Culture Station Seoul 284 (Old Seoul Station Museum)
Through Sept. 30

Under the slogan “Share the Moment, Share the Future,” Yonhap News Agency held a press photo competition for photojournalists and freelance photographers. The Yonhap International Press Photo Awards (YIPPA) now more than 80 prize-winning pieces to the public through Sept. 30. The exhibition aims at contributing to the United Nation’s efforts to push for international peace, promote the co-prosperity of humankind and protect the global environment, supporting UN Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). The grand prize was presented to “Cholera Victims” by Emilio Morenatti from the Associated Press. Admission is free. Located near exit 2 of Seoul Station on subway line 1 or 4. For more information, call (02) 568-9340.

Takashi Kuribayashi — INBETWEEN
Beyond Museum
Through Oct. 16

This is the first exhibition for the “Museum Beyond Museum Project II,” which aims to call people’s attention to urgent issues in contemporary society. This year’s theme is the environment. Several art works by Takashi Kuribayashi, a Japanese installation artist, will be exhibited themed under environmental problems such as the recent earthquake in Japan. Kuribayashi tries to share his thoughts as an artist about the border between humans and nature. Tickets cost 6,000 to 10,000 won. Located near exit 9 of Cheongdam Station on subway line 7. For more information, call (02) 577-6688.

Anthony Browne
Sejong Center for the Performing Arts*
Through Aug. 30

The art works excerpted from the children’s books produced by Anthony Browne, a British author and illustrator, are on display. Browne is known for frequently inserting images of gorillas into his books. For this exhibition, artist Lee Lee-nam helped transfer several of his drawings into digital versions. Tickets cost 9,000 to 11,000 won. For more information, call 1544-6499 or (02) 3143-4360.

Woo Jong-duk: Pina Bausch & I
Alle 434
Through Aug. 31

Photographer Woo Jong-duk holds an exhibition for the first time in Korea. His last exhibition was “Pictures on the Stage” in Germany. In 2003, Woo viewed the performance of Pina Bausch, a world-famous choreographer known for transcending the border between dance and theatrical music for the first time. Since then he has taken almost all of the pictures of her performances as she advanced the art of modern dance. Bausch died two years ago of cancer at the age of 68. Admission is free. Located near exit 1 of Seonbawi Station on subway line 4. For more information, call (02) 3444-4337.

French Art Today: Marcel Duchamp Prize
National Museum of Contemporary Art
Through Oct. 16

To introduce the artistic trends in modern French art, the museum is featuring 16 young artists who were either winners or nominees of the Marcel Duchamp Prize. It is an annual award established by the Association for the International Diffusion of French Art with the goal to encourage and globalize French modern art. From videos to installation works, sculptures, photos and prints, the exhibition features a large scope of work suggesting the unique and historical character of French art. Tickets cost 5,000 won. Located next exit 4 of Daegongwon Station on subway line 4. For more information, call (02) 2188-6000.

American Art
National Museum of Contemporary Art (Deoksu Palace)
Through Sept. 25

For the first time in Asia, 87 artworks by 47 artists owned by the Whitney Museum of American Art are on display. By looking at American contemporary art, people can understand American culture and society. There are special programs such as a lecture, seminar and conversation with a curator. Tickets cost 12,000 won. Located near exits 1 and 12 at City Hall Station on subway lines 1 and 2. For more information, call (02) 2188-6069, 6070.

2011 Musee d’Orsay — Reve et Realite
Hangaram Art Museum, Seoul Arts Center*
Through Sept. 25

This exhibition includes the Van Gogh masterpiece, “La Nuit Etoilee, Arles,” which is being shown for the first time in Korea, and other famous artworks from Paul Cezanne, Paul Gauguin, Claude Monet, Edgar Degas, Auguste Renoir and Pierre Bonnard from the Musee d’Orsay collection. Tickets cost 5,000 to 12,000 won. For more information, call (02) 325-1077.

Kids

Don Quixote
Theater Yong
Through Aug. 28

The family musical “Don Quixote,” based on the novel “The Ingenious Gentleman Don Quixote of La Mancha” by Spanish author Miguel de Cervantes, is to be performed at Theater Yong. It is being staged to celebrate the special exhibition of “Princely Treasures” at the National Museum of Korea. Tickets cost 30,000 to 50,000 won. Located near exit 2 at Ichon station on subway line 4. For more information, call 1544-595.

Sports Games

Baseball
Saturday Aug. 27 and Sunday Aug. 28

SK Wyverns vs. KIA Tigers
Gwangju Baseball Stadium at 5 p.m.

LG Twins vs. Hanwha Eagles
Daejeon Baseball Stadium at 5 p.m.

Lotte Giants vs. Nexen Heroes
Mokdong Baseball Stadium at 5 p.m.

Samsung Lions vs. Doosan Bears
Jamsil Baseball Stadium at 5 p.m.