The Korea Times

Two landscape painters light up dark days

Works of the late Korean artist Lee Sang-beom (1897-1972), also known as Cheongjeon, including "Returning at Dawn,” center, are on view at Hyundai Hwarang in central Seoul. Courtesy of Gallery HyundaiLee-Byeon rivalry helps modernize indigenous ink painting techniqueBy Kwon Mee-yooInk-and-wash paintings were once the most admired genre of art in Korea.Unbeknownst to many, however, the indigenous ink-based landscape painting style had vanished from mainstream art as the local art market has globalized and Western-style abstract art exerted influence on Korean painters. In the 1980s, the prices of ink paintings in East Asia were similar among countries. While the prices of Chinese painter Qi Baishi's works soared and fetched a record $141 million in 2017, Korean ink painting is underrated in the market. There is no ink-and-wash painting in the top 20 most expensive Korean artworks auctioned.The "Two Great Artists of Korean Painting: Lee Sangbeom ― Byeon Gwansik" exhibition at Gallery Hyundai in central Seoul sheds light on the two artists Lee Sang-beom (1897-1972) and Byeon Gwan-

Apr 11, 2019By Kwon Mee-yoo

Two landscape painters light up dark days

Arts & Theater

Artists take step forward in feminism

Installation view of "No Patience for Monuments" at Perrotin Seoul / Courtesy of Perrotin SeoulBy Kwon Mee-yooWhile female nudes painted by male artists are common in fine art, in the name of composition and aesthetics, male nudes by female artists are still rare.“No Patience for Monuments,” a new exhibition at Galerie Perrotin Seoul, brings works of 12 artists who question the historic ways of a male-centric society and monumentalize this history.Valentine Blondel, director of Galerie Perrotin New York, organized this exhibit after seeing women rallying for their rights when she visited Seoul last summer.“I saw #MeToo protests of women in front of the plaza the last time I visited Seoul. In reference to the current political climate, I proposed to the team here to gather a group of artists who are interested in feminism, deconstructing gender stereotypes and gender equality and questioning patriarchal values,” Blondel said during a press preview last week.The title of the exhibition was derived from Ursula Le Guin's “The Carrier Bag Theory of Fiction.&r

Apr 9, 2019By Kwon Mee-yoo

Arts & Theater

Find your inner rock star in Andrew Lloyd Webber musical

Actor Conner John Gillooly, who plays Dewey Finn in the musical "School of Rock," speaks during a press conference at Westin Chosun Seoul, Monday. Courtesy of S&Co 'School of Rock' to hit Korea in JuneBy Kwon Mee-yooIt's time to rock. The recent Broadway hit musical “School of Rock” will embark on its first world tour starting in Seoul in June with energetic rock music and a touching story that everyone can relate to.Shin Dong-won, producer of Korean production partner S&Co, said he becomes nervous when new shows approach opening even though he starts with confidence each time.“The show is joyful and hilarious, and will linger on for a long time. I hope Korean audiences will resonate with School of Rock just like I did,” Shin said during a press conference in Seoul, Monday.The musical, with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber (“The Phantom of the Opera”) and book by “Downton Abbey” creator Julian Fellows, premiered on Broadway in 2015 and opened in London's West End in 2016.Patrick O'Neill, associate director and choreographer of the m

Apr 8, 2019By Kwon Mee-yoo

Find your inner rock star in Andrew Lloyd Webber musical

'Super cool' kids wearing multiple hats in 'School of Rock'

Arts & Theater

Why did Nora return to Doll's House?

Woo Mi-hwa, left, and Seo Yi-sook play Nora Helmer in the play “A Doll's House, Part 2,” which is set 15 years on from where Henrik Ibsen's “A Doll's House” concludes. Courtesy of LG Arts CenterBy Kwon Mee-yooNorwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen's 1879 work “A Doll's House” is a modern classic. It revolves around an immature and unsophisticated housewife Nora, who is married to wealthy bank manager Torvald. As the play progresses, Nora realizes her strength and eventually walks out on her husband and children, becoming emancipated from an oppressive marital system in a male-dominated society.Written 140 years ago, the play was revolutionary ― it portrayed the self-actualization of a woman when feminism was a relatively new concept. The play still resonates with today's audiences as many of the issues it raised are still relevant even though women's rights have advanced considerably over the past century.A 2017 Broadway play “A Doll's House, Part 2” by Lucas Hnath picks up after Ibsen's play concludes and unravels a follow-up story of what

Apr 2, 2019By Kwon Mee-yoo

Arts & Theater

Korean art gets attention in Hong Kong

People stand around “Willing To Be Vulnerable ― Metalized Balloon,” created by Korean artist Lee Bul, at the Encounters sector of the seventh edition of Art Basel in Hong Kong, March 27. AP-YonhapBy Kwon Mee-yooTen galleries from Korea promoted Korean artists to leading collectors in Hong Kong last week, reflecting the artists' heightened status on the international art scene. Art Basel in Hong Kong, the largest art fair in Asia, wrapped up its seventh edition at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, Sunday. More than 88,000 visitors viewed the world-class artworks during the five-day event.Among the 242 participating galleries from 36 countries, the Korean galleries presented a variety of works from contemporary artists to internationally renowned artists.Hakgojae Gallery solely exhibited Korean artists, especially those of Minjung Art, a pro-democracy and populist art movement in Korea during the 1980s. Headlined by feminist artist Yun Suk-nam's “Kim Man-duk's heart is the tears and the love,” the gallery introduced other Minjung Movement artists K

Apr 1, 2019By Kwon Mee-yoo

Korean Heritage

Ahn Sook-sun looks back on teachers in 'Two Loves'

Master pansori performer Ahn Sook-sun will present "Two Loves," a new changgeuk revolving around her life and two important teachers, at the Sejong S Theater of Sejong Center for the Performing Arts from April 5 to 7. Courtesy of Art Village ProjectBy Kwon Mee-yooAhn Sook-sun, 70, is one of the most notable figures in the gugak (traditional Korean music) field. She is a master performer in pansori (traditional Korean narrative music) and listed as Intangible Cultural Heritage No. 23 for "gayageum sanjo and byeongchang" (singing accompanied by Korean 12-string zither). She will present "Two Loves," a new "changgeuk" (theatrical format featuring pansori vocal style), revolving around her life and two important teachers, at the Sejong S Theater of Sejong Center for the Performing Arts from April 5 to 7.The changgeuk is sponsored by the Art Village Project of the Chung Mong-Koo Foundation and Korea National University of Arts. The foundation supports bridging the fine arts and village culture.Ahn Sook-sun, left, as a child / Courtesy of Art Village ProjectLee Dong-yeun of Korea National

Mar 31, 2019By Kwon Mee-yoo

Ahn Sook-sun looks back on teachers in 'Two Loves'

Arts & Theater

Kohei Nawa explores life, death with headless sculptures

"Spider (Black Si_VESSEL)" by Kohei Nawa / Courtesy of the artist and Arario GalleryBy Kwon Mee-yooThe gallery space is pitch-black upon entering. As eyes adjust, glittering human shapes in bizarre poses emerge from the darkness. Through these figures, frozen in a split second of choreography, Japanese artist Kohei Nawa questions the future of humankind.Best known for his “PixCell” series, in which he covers taxidermied animals with glass beads, Nawa introduces a new series of works inspired by body movements, this time at Arario Gallery Ryse Hotel. The headless black sculptures are in the “Vessel” series, a joint project of Nawa and choreographer Damien Jalet.“About four years ago, Jalet proposed a contemporary dance piece and I jumped into stage design for the first time. The theatrical experience provided a stimulus to my sculptural works, expanding to a new world,” Nawa said during a press preview of the exhibit last week.It premiered as a dance performance and Nawa transformed the moments of dance into sculptures. The sculptures are themed on

Mar 26, 2019By Kwon Mee-yoo

Kohei Nawa explores life, death with headless sculptures

Arts & Theater

Korean dancers win big at Valentina Kozlova International Ballet Competition

Ryu Seong-woo of South Korea performs at the 8th annual Valentina Kozlova International Ballet Competition at Symphony Space in New York City, Saturday. UPI-YonhapBy Kwon Mee-yooKorean dancers bagged trophies at the eighth annual Valentina Kozlova International Ballet Competition held at the Symphony Space in New York City from March 18-23. Ryu Seong-woo, 21, won the gold medal in the Male Senior Division of the Classical Competition as well as the Best Interpretation of the Male Classical Compulsory category, receiving double awards at the competition. Park Ha-eun, 22, obtained a gold medal in the Female Senior Division in Classical Ballet. Ryu and Park also won scholarships from Conservatoire National Superieur de Musiaue et de Danse de Paris, Stage Arcachon International Ballet Summer Workshop, Summer program France and Summer workshop Salzberg.Park Ha-eun of South Korea performs at the 8th annual Valentina Kozlova International Ballet Competition at Symphony Space in New York City, Saturday. UPI-YonhapChoi Mok-rin won silver and Gwak Ji-oh won bronze in in Female Senior Division

Mar 26, 2019By Kwon Mee-yoo

Korean dancers win big at Valentina Kozlova International Ballet Competition

Arts & Theater

David Hockney exhibition 'splashes' into Seoul

Visitors have a look at British artist David Hockney's "Bigger Trees Near Warter” or “Ou Peinture Sur Le Motif Pour Le Nouvel Age Post" (2007), right, and "In the Studio, December 2017" (2017) currently on display at "David Hockney," the artist's first-ever solo exhibition in Asia, at the Seoul Museum of Art, Thursday. YonhapWorld's most expensive artwork's living creator holds first retrospective in KoreaBy Kwon Mee-yooDavid Hockney is finally here. The first solo exhibition of the British artist, who holds the record for the most expensive work of art by a living artist ever sold at auction, is one of the most anticipated art events this year here in Korea.“David Hockney,” opened Friday at the Seoul Museum of Art (SeMA), features 133 artworks of the octogenarian artist from eight institutions, mostly from the Tate which has an extensive collection of Hockney works and co-curated the exhibit with SeMA.The “English-Los Angeleno” artist's major retrospective commemorating his 80th birthday held at the Tate Britain in London became one of the museum'

Mar 25, 2019By Kwon Mee-yoo

David Hockney exhibition 'splashes' into Seoul

Arts & Theater

Independence movement gets new life on stage

Yang Jun-mo, center, as Ahn Jung-geun in Musical "Hero" / Courtesy of ACOM InternationalBy Kwon Mee-yooThis year marks the centennial of the March 1 Independence Movement, which provided a catalyst for Korean resistance during the 1910-45 Japanese occupation. In commemoration of such a crucial moment in Korea's turbulent modern history, a handful of theatrical events are on show, revealing stories of the patriots who risked their lives for the liberation of their homeland and history-making events of the period.HeroThe musical "Hero" tells of the national hero Ahn Jung-geun who fought against Japan when the Korean Empire was on the brink of annexation.The musical revolves around Ahn, a Korean independence activist best known for the 1909 assassination of Ito Hirobumi, Japan's prime minister and the first resident governor general of Korea.The musical, premiered in 2009 on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of Ahn's death, returned to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the March 1 Movement as well as the 10th anniversary of the show. "Hero" was staged at New York's Lincoln Center

Mar 21, 2019By Kwon Mee-yoo

Kwon Mee-yoo

Read more

Two landscape painters light up dark days

Artists take step forward in feminism

Find your inner rock star in Andrew Lloyd Webber musical

Why did Nora return to Doll's House?

Korean art gets attention in Hong Kong

Ahn Sook-sun looks back on teachers in 'Two Loves'

Kohei Nawa explores life, death with headless sculptures

Korean dancers win big at Valentina Kozlova International Ballet Competition

David Hockney exhibition 'splashes' into Seoul

Independence movement gets new life on stage

Top 5 stories