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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

Euljiro's lighting industry seeks originality

T Lamp, designed by Isy Design Studio and manufactured by Faro Lighting / Korea Times photo by Choi Won-sukBy Kwon Mee-yooEuljiro is known for its lighting district, spanning between Euljiro 3-ga Station and Euljiro 4-ga Station. Despite rapid urban development, the Euljiro area in the heart of Seoul has been a hub of technicians, craftsmen and manufacturers, clustered in small factories. The lighting industry is one of Euljiro's specialties, which boomed in the 1970s and 1980s along with building material businesses in the area. Now the urban lighting industry is deflated compared to its heyday, but there still is demand for finding interior product within arm's reach, keeping the lighting shops alive.With the purpose of breathing new life into the urban industrial district, the Seoul Design Foundation matched small manufacturers with young designers and presented their collaborations at the Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP) Design Fair.Such collaborations between Euljiro manufacturers and designers are boosted by the success of AGO, a lighting brand designed by Yoo Hwa-sung of BYMARS a

Dec 12, 2019By Kwon Mee-yoo
Euljiro's lighting industry seeks originality
  • Master mechanical engineer's speaker wears young design
Arts & Theater

Jenny Holzer awakens disturbing awareness in text art

Jenny Holzer's LED artwork “FOR YOU” installed at MMCA Seoul features texts by five female writers ― Svetlana Alexievich, Hawzhin Azeez, Han Kang, Kim Hye-soon and Emily Jungmin Yoon. Courtesy of MMCABy Kwon Mee-yooJenny HolzerRenowned American conceptual artist Jenny Holzer brings her provocative text work, for the first time in the Korean language. The pieces will show at the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea (MMCA) in "MMCA Commissioned Project FOR YOU: Jenny Holzer" through July 5, 2020.MMCA director Youn Bum-mo said this commissioned project represents the artist's first engagement with the Korean language presented in an institutional setting."I hope that Holzer's newly commissioned works for the museum will give visitors, both Korean and foreign, new insights into contemporary art and draw the attention of the world," Youn said.The project consists of two parts ― posters and LED art piece "FOR YOU" at Seoul Box in MMCA Seoul, and permanent engravings of 11 selected texts from the artist's "Truisms" on the stone bridge of MMCA Gwacheon.Holzer sai

Dec 8, 2019By Kwon Mee-yoo
Jenny Holzer awakens disturbing awareness in text art
Arts & Theater

Designers, small businesses collaborate for design fair

Poster for DDP Designer FairBy Kwon Mee-yooThe DDP Design Fair at Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP) will bring the bright ideas of young Korean designers to life with the collaboration of master craftsmen in Seoul's old downtown manufacturing district. Projects on show will include Cirkus and Mozzi lighting designed by Yoo Hwa-sung's BYMARS studio and made by lighting manufacturer AGO.Held at the DDP's Art Hall 2 and International Conference Hall, the fair will showcase the results of collaborations between young designers and veteran small manufacturing business owners.The fair's characteristics comes from the DDP's location near Dongdaemun and Euljiro, traditionally Seoul's hub of technicians, craftsmen and manufacturers. The region is clustered with small factories manufacturing lighting, furniture, tiles, metal crafts and stitched goods and the craftsmen are dexterous, able to make almost anything. However, many of the manufacturers' products are not original but copies of popular designs.The Seoul Design Foundation (SDF) organized the pairing of these manufacturers with young design

Dec 3, 2019By Kwon Mee-yoo
Designers, small businesses collaborate for design fair
Arts & Theater

Gaya Confederacy revisited in 'Iron and Tune' exhibit

"Gaya Spirit ― Iron and Tune" opens at the National Museum of Korea, Tuesday. YonhapBy Kwon Mee-yooThe Gaya Confederacy (42-532) is a lesser-known chapter in Korea's history. The National Museum of Korea is holding "Gaya Spirit ― Iron and Tune," a special exhibition shedding light on the rich cultural and historical heritage of the ancient kingdom."Gaya is vaguely known as a confederacy of states, often dubbed the kingdom of iron due to its flourishing iron production," National Museum of Korea curator Yoon On-shik said.This is the first exhibit on the ancient confederacy since 1991, unveiling the archaeological findings of the past 28 years to the public. It also coincides with the Moon Jae-in administration's agenda of rediscovering the Gaya Confederacy.The exhibit's subtitle comes from the two most famous things about Gaya ― highly advanced ironware representing power and the "gayageum," a Korean 12-string zither named after the confederacy that symbolizes harmony."The Gaya did not consolidate each polity with supremacy, but respected the individuality of each state. This is the w

Dec 2, 2019By Kwon Mee-yoo
Gaya Confederacy revisited in 'Iron and Tune' exhibit
Arts & Theater

Lee Ja-ram catches audiences in 'Old Man and Sea'

Lee Ja-ram performs “The Old Man and the Sea,” a new pansori piece based on Hemingway's novel, at Doosan Art Center. Courtesy of Doosan Art Center By Kwon Mee-yooPansori performer Lee Ja-ram is a natural born storyteller. She has a rare talent, allowing her to balance the upholding of tradition and re-creating the genre for the 21st century. Trained for pansori, or traditional Korean narrative music, from childhood, Lee is known for singing the complete version of traditional stories "Simcheong-ga" and "Chunhyang-ga" when she was still in high school. Aside from her successful career in the traditional music field, Lee also serves as a vocalist for indie band ?Amado Lee Jaram Band. From 2007, she took up a new challenge of making original pansori pieces using contemporary language, making a leap from her five existing traditional pieces. Her original pansori works include “Sacheon-ga” and “Ukchuk-ga,” based on Bertolt Brecht's "The Good Woman of Szechuan" and "Mothe

Dec 1, 2019By Kwon Mee-yoo
Lee Ja-ram catches audiences in 'Old Man and Sea'
Travel & Food

W13.2 billion: Kim Whan-ki's 'Universe' makes history

Kim Whan-ki's 1971 diptych "05-IV-71 #200 (Universe)" fetched 13.2 billion won (HK$88 million) at the 20th Century and Contemporary Art Evening Sale by Christie's Hong Kong on Saturday. YonhapBlue dot painting sold for 13.2 billion won in Hong Kong auctionBy Kwon Mee-yooKim Whan-ki has done it once again, breaking his own record price for most expensive Korean artwork. His painting in question became the first art piece by a Korean artist to be sold for over 10 billion won.Kim's 1971 diptych "05-IV-71 #200 (Universe)" fetched 13.2 billion won (HK$88 million) at the 20th Century and Contemporary Art Evening Sale by Christie's Hong Kong on Saturday.The 254-by-254-centimeter painting consists of two canvases painted in Kim's iconic “Whanki blue” dotted style. The auction house described it as "painted with a thin calligraphic brush in the manner of traditional Asian ink paintings and epitomizes the peak of both spiritual and technical maturity in Kim's Pointillist works."With "Universe" becoming the most expensive Korean art piece ever auctioned, Kim dominated the top 10 lis

Nov 25, 2019By Kwon Mee-yoo
W13.2 billion: Kim Whan-ki's 'Universe' makes history
Arts & Theater

Former ammunition facility gets new life

Kim Su-yong's “Another Disguise” on the wall of the former ammunition maintenance shop in Hongcheon, Gangwon Province as part of the 2019 Gangwon Triennale / Courtesy of Gangwon TriennaleBy Kwon Mee-yooGangwon Province is pushing forward with art to develop tourism and culture in the region. The Gangwon Triennale 2019 opened last week at the Hongcheon Art Museum and a former ammunition maintenance facility in Hongcheon County, featuring the work of artists from the province.The Gangwon Art and Culture Foundation overhauled an array of art-related events held in the province around the time of the PyeongChang Winter Olympics and transformed the major Gangwon Biennale into a triennial event which will make the rounds in the province. The biennale started in 2015.This is part of the province's attempt to establish a sustainable, public and participatory visual art event that boosts urban restoration and tourism. The Gangwon Triennale focuses on artists based in Gangwon Province, it will be followed by the Gangwon Kids Triennale in 2020 and the Gangwon International Triennale

Nov 24, 2019By Kwon Mee-yoo
Former ammunition facility gets new life
Arts & Theater

Tomas Saraceno seeks symbiosis with spiders

Argentinian-born artist Tomas Saraceno poses for a photo in front of "Seoul/Cloud Cities" at Gallery Hyundai in central Seoul where his solo exhibition is held through Dec. 8. Courtesy of the artist and Gallery HyundaiBy Kwon Mee-yooArgentinian-born artist Tomas Saraceno learned how to have a symbiotic relationship with nature through spiders."I always think of the spiders collaborating with me, not me collaborating with them," Saraceno said during a short visit to Seoul to open his solo exhibition at Gallery Hyundai, which runs through Dec. 8. "They have lived on the planet Earth longer than humans ― over 140 million years. I think they know better than us and can teach us something.”The exhibit features a wide range of Saraceno's works from his collaborations with spiders to utopian visions inspired by clouds."Arachno Concert with Arachne (Nephila senegalensis), CosmicDust (Porus Chondrite) and the Breathing Ensemble" by Tomas Saraceno / Courtesy of the artist and Gallery Hyundai"Arachno Concert With Arachne (Nephila senegalensis), CosmicDust (Porus Chondrite) and the Breathi

Nov 17, 2019By Kwon Mee-yoo
Tomas Saraceno seeks symbiosis with spiders
Arts & Theater

Artists make social experimentations at 'Korea Artist Prize'

Hong Young-in "Sadang B" is on display at the Korea Artist Prize 2019 exhibition at the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Seoul. / Courtesy of MMCABy Kwon Mee-yooHong Young-in, Park Hye-soo, Rhii Jew-yo and Kim A-young are the four artists representing Korean contemporary art this year at the Korea Artist Prize (KAP) 2019, held at the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Seoul (MMCA). Established in its current style in 2012, the prize is co-organized by the MMCA and the SBS Foundation. A panel of Korean and overseas experts select four candidates and provide them an opportunity to present new art that develops their artistic world. The new works are exhibited at the KAP exhibition and the winner is announced at a later date after the opening of the show.This year, for the first time, all four candidates are female. "This year's candidates have gained attention for their experimental work in video, installation and performance, parting from the traditional mediums of painting and sculpture," curator Yang Ok-kum said. The curator said this year's KAP exhibitio

Nov 14, 2019By Kwon Mee-yoo
Artists make social experimentations at 'Korea Artist Prize'
  • MMCA looks upon 50-year history in 'The Square'
Arts & Theater

MMCA looks upon 50-year history in 'The Square'

Nalini Malani's “The Tables Have Turned” shows symbolic images that threaten lives of individuals and currently on view as part of “The Square: Part 3 2019” at the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Seoul. Courtesy of MMCABy Kwon Mee-yooThe National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea (MMCA) initially opened its doors inside Gyeongbok Palace with only four staffers. Fifty years later, the MMCA has since become one of the most prominent contemporary art organizations in Korea with four branches and 8,417 artworks in its collection. The museum commemorates its 50th anniversary with "The Square: Art and Society in Korea 1900-2019," an exhibition held across three of its branches for the first time.Youn Bum-mo, director of the MMCA, said Korea's modern history is in the museum. "This exhibition shows how art dealt with and interpreted Korea's turbulent modern history. While we look into the vast history of the 20th century through art, we also seek a turning point for the next five decades of the MMCA," Youn said.Park Gi-jeong's "Plum Blossom

Nov 14, 2019By Kwon Mee-yoo
MMCA looks upon 50-year history in 'The Square'
  • Artists make social experimentations at 'Korea Artist Prize'
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