The Korea Times

Robert Lepage explores complexity of memory in '887'

A scene from Robert Lepage's "887" / Courtesy of LG Arts CenterBy Kwon Mee-yooCanadian playwright, actor and director Robert Lepage will unravel his childhood memories in his monodrama “887” at LG Arts Center in southern Seoul this week. Lepage, known for his visually compelling theatrical pieces and films, has staged “Andersen Project,” “Needles and Opium” and "The Far Side of the Moon" in Korea and received favorable reactions over the past decade. Lepage's latest staging “887,” starring the creator as the sole performer, is more personal compared to his previous works introduced to Korea. “I usually hide behind a character to tell my story, but I use my own name in '887.' It is an autofiction in which everything is true, but not true. It is part of poetry and you have to lie a little to look good. All events and people described in '887' are true, but how I connect to those elements to make a play is not necessarily true,” the actor-director said during a press conference at the Canadian Embassy in Korea, Monday.The show

May 28, 2019By Kwon Mee-yoo

Robert Lepage explores complexity of memory in '887'

Arts & Theater

Kim Whan-ki painting fetches 7.2 billion won

A visitor watches Kim Whan-ki's 1971 painting "Untitled" during a preview ahead of Seoul Auction's 29th Hong Kong sale at Grand Hyatt Hong Kong. The painting fetched 7.2 billion won, becoming the second most expensive Korean artwork ever auctioned. Courtesy of Seoul AuctionRed-dot painting becomes second-most-expensive Korean artwork ever auctionedBy Kwon Mee-yooA red-dot abstract painting by Kim Whan-ki (1913-74) was sold for 7.2 billion won ($6.1 million), becoming the second-most-expensive Korean artwork.The 1971 painting “Untitled” was auctioned at Seoul Auction's 29th Hong Kong sale at Grand Hyatt Hong Kong, Sunday.Kim Whan-ki's red dot painting "Untitled" (1971) is auctioned during Seoul Auction's 29th Hong Kong sale at Grand Hyatt Hong Kong, Sunday. The painting was sold for 7.2 billion won, becoming the second most expensive Korean artwork ever auctioned. Courtesy of Seoul AuctionThe painting was similar in style to Kim's 1972 work “3-II-72 #220,” which sold for 8.5 billion won ($7.1 million) at Seoul Auction's Hong Kong sale in May 2018. Both are fill

May 27, 2019By Kwon Mee-yoo

Kim Whan-ki painting fetches 7.2 billion won

Arts & Theater

Art Busan features galleries from 17 countries

A view of Art Busan 2018 / Courtesy of Art BusanBy Kwon Mee-yooPoster for Art Busan 2019The eighth edition of Art Busan begins at BEXCO in the southern city of Busan on May 30 and runs through June 2.The art fair, founded in 2012, aims to be the largest in Korea in the first half of the year, vying with the Korea International Art Fair (KIAF) slated for October in Seoul, the oldest and largest art fair here."Busan was once considered a barren land for art as galleries could not sell artworks in Busan,” Art Busan president Sohn Young-hee said during a press conference on May 21. “However, Art Busan has now settled as a cultural festival in Busan and many citizens take part in it. We have new European galleries participating in the fair for the first time this year, looking for new clients here, which is encouraging for us."This year, 164 galleries from 17 countries will feature their artworks at Art Busan. Major Korean galleries, such as Kukje Gallery, Gallery Hyundai, Arario Gallery, PKM Gallery and Gana Art, will present contemporary art trends, while relatively young ga

May 26, 2019By Kwon Mee-yoo

Art Busan features galleries from 17 countries

Arts & Theater

Superflex 'swings' say 'together, we can'

From left, Kim Sun-jung, artistic director of the Real DMZ Project, Jakob Fenger of Superflex and Zoh Kyung-jin, a landscape design theory professor at Seoul National University, ride Superflex's installation "One Two Three Swing!" Tuesday at Dora Observatory in Paju, Gyeonggi Province, which looks across the Demilitarized Zone into North Korea. Courtesy of Real DMZ ProjectDanish artist trio installs swings at Dora ObservatoryBy Kwon Mee-yooTwo swings hang from orange-colored pipes in front of Dora Observatory in Paju, Gyeonggi Province, near the heavily fortified Demilitarized Zone (DMZ). It is not easy to ride the swing alone, because the seats are designed for three people at a time.Danish artist trio Superflex's “One Two Three Swing!,” a playful yet politically subversive sculptural infrastructure installed as part of the Real DMZ Project, sends a key message for the two Koreas ― together, we can pull together a thing that was previously unimaginable. Superflex is a collective that consists of Jakob Fenger, Rasmus Nielsen and Bjornstjerne Christiansen. Fenger visited

May 22, 2019By Kwon Mee-yoo

Superflex 'swings' say 'together, we can'

Superflex turns financial crisis into art

Arts & Theater

Artist, dancer present 'Dream Ritual' in London

Poster for "Dream Ritual" / Courtesy of the artistBy Kwon Mee-yooLondon-based Korean artist Park Bong-su and Korean choreographer and dancer Cha Jin-yeob are presenting "Dream Ritual," introducing Korea's tradition of buying and selling dreams, in London.The performance, which will be staged at the Coronet Theatre in Notting Hill, London, from July 3 to 6, aims to explore the stages of sleep and subconscious through dance and movements."Dream Ritual" begins from the "Samguk Sagi" (History of the Three Kingdoms), the oldest surviving record of Korean history, where the tales of dream transactions are first mentioned. In Korean tradition, people could sell dreams to those who want to buy them for money or other valuable items.In the performance, Cha plays the character Munhui, who buys a dream and becomes a shaman who travels to the collective unconscious where she encounters the dreams of others.For the performance, Park received donations of real-life dreams from people through her website. Quotes from these dreams will be projected on thin, sheer organza fabric representing the arcs

May 21, 2019By Kwon Mee-yoo

Artist, dancer present 'Dream Ritual' in London

Arts & Theater

Yoon Suk-hwa bids tearful farewell to theater

Actress Yoon Suk-hwa sings “It Was Our Time” from the Arnold Wesker play “Letter to a Daughter,” during a press conference at Theater Jungmiso on May 16. Due to financial problems, Yoon will shut down the theater, which has been operating for 17 years, in June. Yonhap17-year-old Theater Jungmiso to close in JuneBy Kwon Mee-yooLocated a bit off the main street of Seoul's theater district Daehangno, Theater Jungmiso is not one of the fanciest ones, but it has been home to many thespians who staged a variety of experimental plays and musicals.The theater will fade into history once Yoon Suk-hwa's farewell monodrama performance “Letter to a Daughter” slated for June 11 to 22 wraps up.The 190-seat theater is owned by the 63-year-old actress, who financed the building of the theater in 2002, renovating a former public bathhouse with the help of architect Jang Yoon-gyoo. Jungmiso is Korean for rice mill, as Yoon wanted the place to produce artistry and beauty as if pounding rice from its husk.“I thought I am too old to commemorate something, but the

May 20, 2019By Kwon Mee-yoo

Yoon Suk-hwa bids tearful farewell to theater

Arts & Theater

Kim Whan-ki's rare red dot painting up for auction

Kim Whan-ki's 1971 painting "Untitled" will be auctioned at Seoul Auction's 29th Hong Kong sale at Grand Hyatt Hong Kong, May 26. Courtesy of Seoul AuctionBy Kwon Mee-yooA rare red-dot painting by Kim Whan-ki (1913-74) will be auctioned this month, fueling speculation the sale could break the record for the most expensive Korean artwork.Seoul Auction said Kim's 1971 painting “Untitled” would be auctioned at the company's 29th Hong Kong sale at the Grand Hyatt Hong Kong, May 26.Kim, known for combining Korean lyricism with Western modernism, is one of the most highly-regarded Korean abstract artists. The artist already dominates the list of most expensive Korean artworks as his works occupy the top six posts. At No. 1 is the 1972 painting “3-II-72 #220,” sold for 8.5 billion won ($7.1 million) at a Hong Kong sale in May 2018. “Untitled,” measuring 255 by 204 centimeters is filled with red dots with two blue color-fields on the top and in the lower left corner. The colors create contrast and tension.Kim is mostly known for his signature style of abst

May 20, 2019By Kwon Mee-yoo

Kim Whan-ki's rare red dot painting up for auction

Arts & Theater

13th DIMF bridges musical industry with overseas

"Fiddler on the Roof" from Russia will be staged at the 13th Daegu International Musical Festival on July 5-7. Courtesy of DIMFBy Kwon Mee-yooBae Sung-hyuk, executive committee chairman of Daegu International Musical Festival (DIMF), speaks during a press conference announcing the 13th edition of the event, which will be held from June 21 to July 8 in the southern city, at the Press Center in Seoul, Tuesday. Courtesy of DIMFThe 13th edition of Daegu International Musical Festival (DIMF) will bring a variety of shows from countries around the world in June. Bae Sung-hyuk, DIMF executive committee chairman, said it is DIMF's role to introduce new styles of musicals to Korea.“Previously, we focused on bringing in musicals from countries like Kazakhstan and Slovakia that the Korean public is relatively unfamiliar with. This year, our headliners are from the U.K. and Russia, but a Spanish musical is something new to Korea,” Bae explained at a press conference at Seoul's Press Center, Tuesday. “From Asia, the majority of our invited shows are from China, but we try to div

May 15, 2019By Kwon Mee-yoo

13th DIMF bridges musical industry with overseas

Korean Heritage

Korean seowon recommended for UNESCO World Heritage

Sosu Seowon in Yeongju, North Gyeongsang Province is recommended for UNESCO World Heritage List by the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS). Courtesy of Cultural Heritage AdministrationBy Kwon Mee-yooKorean neo-Confucian academies known as “seowon” are likely to become South Korea's 14th World Heritage designated by UNESCO.According to the Cultural Heritage Administration (CHA), Tuesday, the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS), an advisory body for UNESCO, recommended the seowon to be inscribed on UNESCO's world heritage list.Seowon refers to private education institutions of the Joseon Kingdom (1392-1910). They generally consisted of a school to prepare for the Confucian-based civil service examination and a Confucian shrine.The academies were recognized for establishing the teacher-student lineages of neo-Confucianism in Korea, with their priority on social education and memorial rites for sages.The history of seowon dates back to 1543, when scholar Ju Se-bung established Baegungdong Seowon, which was later renamed Sosu Seowon, under K

May 14, 2019By Kwon Mee-yoo

Korean seowon recommended for UNESCO World Heritage

Arts & Theater

'Grease' updated, but still behind times

Han Jae-ah, left, as Sandy and Kim Tae-oh as Danny in a scene from the 2019 production of "Grease" at D-Cube Arts Center / Courtesy of OD CompanyBy Kwon Mee-yoo“Grease” is a 1971 hit musical set in the 1950s, with widely known songs such as “Summer Nights” and “Beauty School Dropout.”The show returns to the Korean stage after six years with a renewed look, using up-to-date LED screens and flashy 3D holographic backdrops, but it could not overcome the old-fashioned gender stereotypes.The Jim Jacobs-Warren Casey musical is set in Rydell High School and revolves around 10 high school students' love, friendship and politics through rock 'n' roll music. The show was adapted into a film of the same name starring John Travolta in 1978, and became world famous.“Grease” was a big hit in Korea as well. The show, premiered for the stage in Korea in 2003, has been performed over 2,500 times in 26 different productions. However, it has been on hiatus for a while after the last production in 2013.“I wanted to renew this great musical comedy wit

May 13, 2019By Kwon Mee-yoo

Kwon Mee-yoo

Read more

Robert Lepage explores complexity of memory in '887'

Kim Whan-ki painting fetches 7.2 billion won

Art Busan features galleries from 17 countries

Superflex 'swings' say 'together, we can'

Artist, dancer present 'Dream Ritual' in London

Yoon Suk-hwa bids tearful farewell to theater

Kim Whan-ki's rare red dot painting up for auction

13th DIMF bridges musical industry with overseas

Korean seowon recommended for UNESCO World Heritage

'Grease' updated, but still behind times

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