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Kwon Mee-yoo

Korea Times Politics & City Reporter

Often found at theaters and museums, Kwon Mee-yoo has covered a wide range of cultural fields from K-pop and dramas to theater and fine art for over a decade. Now as K-Culture Desk editor, she tries to connect Korean culture with global readers through fresh perspectives.

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Arts & Theater

'Phantom of the Opera' continues amid pandemic

Jonathan Roxmouth as Phantom and Claire Lyon as Christine in a scene from "The Phantom of the Opera" currently staged at Blue Square in Seoul amid COVID-19 outbreak / Courtesy of S&COKorean theater safety measures catch attention of British culture secretaryBy Kwon Mee-yooThe international touring production of the musical "The Phantom of the Opera," currently on stage at Blue Square in central Seoul, has set a record despite bad timing. The world-famous musical has been showing amid the COVID-19 pandemic.The show is the longest-running show on Broadway, but the world's most glamorous theater districts of Broadway in New York and West End in London have been dark for months to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus. While other productions of the musical in North America, Britain, Italy and Australia have been shut down indefinitely, the Seoul company strives to keep its doors open with rigid safety measures. Claire Lyon from Australia, who plays the show's diva Christine Daae, said there is a survivor's guilt, in a way, as she continues to perform here while most shows in A

Jun 9, 2020By Kwon Mee-yoo
'Phantom of the Opera' continues amid pandemic
Arts & Theater

Redefining 'family' in Asian contemporary art

Lee Kang-Seung's "Imaginaries of the Future" offers an insight into the lives of members of the LGBTQ community in a book lounge-style setting as part of the 2020 MMCA Asia Project "Looking for Another Family" exhibition. Courtesy of MMCABy Kwon Mee-yooThe definition of family has changed over time and a new exhibition at the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea (MMCA) sheds light on the new definition of family, departing from the conventional idea of a "normal family," which consists of a married couple and their children. MMCA director Youn Bum-mo said the 2020 MMCA Asia Project "Looking for Another Family" provides an opportunity to introduce diverse and dynamic Asian contemporary art. "As this time of global crisis marked by the COVID-19 pandemic, the innovative work of the Asian artists in this exhibition and their collaboration will hopefully communicate the spirit of social solidarity and coexistence to the world ― the message should particularly resonate in Asian territory," Youn said.The exhibit is part of the MMCA's effort to discover a new critical perspe

Jun 4, 2020By Kwon Mee-yoo
Redefining 'family' in Asian contemporary art
  • Mobile real estate agency pops up at art museum
Arts & Theater

Mobile real estate agency pops up at art museum

Installation view of "On the Way to Investment," a collaboration between Indonesia's Jatiwangi Art Factory and Korea's Budnamugage, at the 2020 MMCA Asia Project "Looking for Another Family" exhibition / Courtesy of MMCABy Kwon Mee-yoo"Looking for Another Family," the 2020 Asia Project of the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea (MMCA), provides diverse perspectives on changes in the concept of family with artists from eight Asian countries.One of the most playful works at the exhibit is "On the Way to Investment," a collaboration between Jatiwangi art Factory (JaF) from Indonesia and Budnamugage from Korea, which invites viewers to make an investment to buy land in Indonesia. Those who invest in this project will receive a land certificate and plant lettuce and Moringa in the museum's courtyard. Jatiwangi is a district in West Java, Indonesia, and the JaF focuses on discourses of local rural life through art. Jatiwangi began as a clay civilization and became the largest roof-tile-producing region of Southeast Asia. "With the same clay, JaF uses it to encourage peopl

Jun 4, 2020By Kwon Mee-yoo
Mobile real estate agency pops up at art museum
  • Redefining 'family' in Asian contemporary art
Arts & Theater

Lee Kwang-ho broadens artistic horizons in 'Composition in Blue'

Lee Kwang-ho's enameled copper artwork "Composition in Blue" is on view at Leeahn Gallery Seoul through July 31. Courtesy of the artist and Leeahn GalleryBy Kwon Mee-yooLee Kwang-ho is well-known for his creations of weaving electric wires and PVC hoses. His braid lighting "Knot ― Beyond the Inevitable" series and chair "Obsession" series earned international acclaim and his furniture is highly sought after among art collectors and celebrities.His furniture might be familiar to those who frequent the new AmorePacific headquarters in Yongsan District in Seoul. Lee's signature knitted chairs are scattered around the lobby ― he also designed the furniture and lighting for the Osulloc Tea House in the building.However, Lee's exhibition "Composition in Blue," opened last week at Leeahn Gallery Seoul, shows an unknown aspect of him as he takes a leap, blurring the boundary between a designer and an artist. Except for a long sofa-like piece in nylon cord, all the works are in enameled copper and do not have any practical use as actual seating or lighting. Born in Guri, Gyeonggi Province in

May 31, 2020By Kwon Mee-yoo
Lee Kwang-ho broadens artistic horizons in 'Composition in Blue'
Arts & Theater

Kim Kyung-hee captures vitality through vibrant colors

"The Song of My Mind #1" by Kim Kyung-hee / Courtesy of the artist and Keumsan GalleryBy Kwon Mee-yooArtist Kim Kyung-hee has unveiled her latest burst of color and energy at Keumsan Gallery in central Seoul. At her solo exhibition, "My Dream, My Love," Kim presents 40 pieces, including her latest watercolor, "Someday Autumn Night."Kim finds hope in flowers and depicts them on canvas. The artist visualizes the source of life such as love, reminiscences and longing with her unique use of whimsical colors. "Kim tries to replace despair and sorrow with joy and happiness with her lively colors and energetic strokes. Her major colors, the intense combination of red and green, are a reflection of her mature yet heated inner side," the gallery said. "Such vivid and wild colors swirl on the canvas, portraying the artist's agony, audacity and passion. Those colors gain new life through Kim's bold brushstrokes, reflecting her lifepath.""Someday Autumn Night" by Kim Kyung-hee / Courtesy of the artist and Keumsan GalleryKim majored in architecture, but she was fascinated with fine art and won th

May 26, 2020By Kwon Mee-yoo
Kim Kyung-hee captures vitality through vibrant colors
Arts & Theater

Kansong Museum puts 2 treasures up for auction

Treasure No. 285 Gilt-bronze Standing Bodhisattva, left, and No. 284 Gilt-bronze Standing Buddha from the collection of the Kansong Art Museum are up for auction at K Auction, slated for Wednesday. YonhapBy Kwon Mee-yooThe Kansong Art Museum, one of the top private museums in Korea which inherited the collection of Kansong Chun Hyung-pil (1906-1962), has put two of its state-designated Treasures up for auction citing financial difficulties. The Gilt-bronze Standing Buddha (Treasure No. 284) and the Gilt-bronze Standing Bodhisattva (No. 285) will be auctioned at K Auction Wednesday. The starting bids are estimated at around 1.5 billion won ($121 million) for each, but the auction company said the exact starting price will be announced on the day.This is the first time for a state-designated cultural property from the museum to be put up for auction.Chun was the protector of Korean cultural properties under Japanese colonial rule. He collected Korean antiques with money out of his own pocket to prevent them from being taken overseas and established Bohwagak, the first private museum in

May 25, 2020By Kwon Mee-yoo
Kansong Museum puts 2 treasures up for auction
Arts & Theater

Digital technology gives visitors immersive museum experience

Visitors take photos at “Encountering Goguryeo through Images on Stone Walls” of Immersive Digital Gallery 3 at the National Museum of Korea. Courtesy of National Museum of KoreaBy Kwon Mee-yooThe 10-story Stone Pagoda from Gyeongcheonsa Temple Site, national treasure no. 86, tells a story of honor and shame. The stone pagoda, known for its elaborate carvings of Buddha, bodhisattvas and scenes from the classic novel "Journey to the West," was initially built at the Gyeongcheon Temple in Hwanghae Province in 1348 during the Goryeo period. However, it was smuggled to Japan in 1907 by Tanaka Mitsuaki, then-Japanese Minister of Imperial Household Affairs, and returned to Korea in 1960. Upon its return, the pagoda was reconstructed at Gyeongbok Palace, instead of its original place, and then moved to its current location in the National Museum of Korea (NMK) in 2005 after a 10-year restoration project. Now the pagoda gets a new life with the museum's digital immersive project "Stories from Each Level of the Gyeongcheon Temple Pagoda." As the sun goes down and darkness falls in

May 25, 2020By Kwon Mee-yoo
Digital technology gives visitors immersive museum experience
Arts & Theater

Museums employ VR to draw visitors in times of COVID-19 pandemic

COVID-19 has forced museums to turn to online platforms to reach people who are craving culture while they are isolated at home.The unprecedented coronavirus pandemic, which broke out in late December 2019 and has now engulfed the world, portends to reshape our lives, and the world order as we know it. This is the thirteenth in a series of articles to cast light on the changes that might lie ahead. ― ED.By Kwon Mee-yooCOVID-19 has forced art museums and galleries to close temporarily, but museums have turned to online platforms to reach people craving culture while they are isolated at home. The Savina Museum of Contemporary Art in northwestern Seoul saw a surge in digital viewers of its virtual reality (VR) exhibitions after the COVID-19 outbreak. The private museum was one of the first in Korea to offer VR exhibitions in 2012 and it now has an archive of 29 VR exhibitions available online. "We didn't want our long-prepared exhibitions to be wasted after they closed. We wanted to preserve exhibitions as they were displayed, not just through a printed catalogue," said Kang Jae-hyun,

May 24, 2020By Kwon Mee-yoo
Museums employ VR to draw visitors in times of COVID-19 pandemic
  • Play 'Grounded' examines surveillance state
Arts & Theater

Play 'Grounded' examines surveillance state

Cha Ji-yeon performs as the pilot in a scene from the play "Grounded" at Wooran Art Scape 2 in Seoul. / Courtesy of Wooran Foundation and Project Group IldaBy Kwon Mee-yooThe play “Grounded,” staged at Wooran Art Scape 2 in Seoul through Sunday, throws a few well-timed questions on gender, warfare and technology.The one-hander by American playwright George Brant revolves around a fighter pilot whose life takes an unexpected turn as she gets “grounded” from flying for being pregnant and delivering a baby. After years of maternity leave tending her family, she reports her return to her commander, expecting to fly, but instead gets assigned as a member of the "Chair Force" who operates remote-controlled drones over the opposite side of the world.Instead of actually flying over the sky of faraway lands, the pilot works a 12-hour shift at Creech Air Force Base in Nevada. Her new day begins at a home near Las Vegas, where her husband works as a blackjack dealer, and the pilot drives across the desert, in the safety of remoteness, to control her drone that is flying

May 21, 2020By Kwon Mee-yoo
Play 'Grounded' examines surveillance state
  • Museums employ VR to draw visitors in times of COVID-19 pandemic
Arts & Theater

Foundation researches Korean cultural assets in German archabbey

Archabbot Norbert Weber, left, and Father Canut D'Avernas filming a silent documentary "Korean Wedding" in 1925 / Courtesy of St. Ottilien Archabbey and OKCHFBy Kwon Mee-yoo"The Korean Collection at the Mission Museum of St. Ottilien Archabbey" published by the Overseas Korean Cultural Heritage Foundation / Courtesy of OKCHFThe Overseas Korean Cultural Heritage Foundation (OKCHF) published a research report on the Korean collection of the Mission Museum of St. Ottilien Archabbey, Germany, Monday. "The Korean Collection at the Mission Museum of St. Ottilien Archabbey" is the 15th book in the foundation's Overseas Korean Cultural Heritage series. The book elaborates on some 1,800 artifacts from the archabbey museum, collected by missionaries of St. Ottilien Archabbey, who were stationed in theBenedictine Abbey ― now the Catholic University of Korea in Hyewha-dong, Seoul ― from 1909."We hope that this catalogue will strengthen the groundwork for future research on the Korean collections of overseas museums, thus helping to enhance the public's knowledge of Korea's overseas cultural heri

May 19, 2020By Kwon Mee-yoo
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