The Korea Times

Ode to teen misfits

Rasaq Kukoyi, left, as William and Kim Min-ju as Ji-young in a scene from the play "Orange Polar Bear" / Courtesy of National Theater Company of KoreaKorea, UK join hands for play 'Orange Polar Bear'By Kwon Mee-yoo"Orange Polar Bear," a play currently on view at the Baek Seonghui & Jang Minho Theater in central Seoul, embraces anyone who thinks one is not the center of interest but on the periphery.Co-produced by the NCCK, Birmingham Repertory Theatre and Hanyong Theatre, "Orange Polar Bear" revolves around two teenagers living halfway across the world from each other ― Ji-young in South Korea and William in the U.K.The girl lives in an apartment on the 15th floor with her always busy father and grandmother. Her parents divorced and she hasn't seen her mother for 13 years. While she is stuck somewhere between being a child and a woman, her friend Tae-hee matures early and is chosen to become a trainee at a popular entertainment agency. Amid her struggles, the girl acquires her mother's new address and embarks on a journey to find her.The boy immigrated to England and his mother w

Oct 16, 2018By Kwon Mee-yoo

Arts & Theater

Sejong Center opens black box theater

Exterior of Sejong S Theater / Courtesy of Sejong Center for the Performing ArtsOpening program lacks uniquenessBy Kwon Mee-yooThe Sejong Center for the Performing Arts is one of the largest and most prestigious theaters in Korea with its Grand Theater, M Theater and Chamber Hall. Now the theater is making an attempt to nurture more experimental works at its newly built Sejong S Theater, opening Thursday. "The Sejong S Theater is a black box theater, in which stage and seat composition can be easily modified. This is going to be a cradle for innovative theatrical productions from plays and musicals to dance, music and traditional art," Kim Sung-kyu, the theater's new CEO who took office in September, said at a press conference, Monday.The 2,200 square-meter theater has roughly 320 seats and has an orchestra pit, which could provide a better environment for live music for small-sized productions.However, the program of the Sejong S Theater's opening festival is rather disappointing. Despite bragging about the versatility of the theater, none of the shows prepared for the opening festi

Oct 15, 2018By Kwon Mee-yoo

Korean Heritage

Looted portrait of Joseon prince returned after 18 years

Cultural Heritage Administrator Chung Jae-suk, right, hands over the stolen portrait of Grand Prince Ikan to Yi Seok-hee of the Jeonju Yi clan during a returning ceremony at the National Palace Museum of Korea, Tuesday. YonhapBy Kwon Mee-yooThe stolen portrait of Grand Prince Ikan, South Chungcheong cultural heritage material no. 329, was returned to his descendents after 18 years of being unaccounted for. The Cultural Heritage Administration (CHA) held a returning ceremony at the National Palace Museum of Korea, Tuesday, and briefed those in attendance on the pursuit of lost cultural heritage. The portrait disappeared in January 2000 from Yeongjeonggak, a royal portrait hall of the Jeonju Yi clan in Nonsan, South Chungcheong Province, where Joseon royal portraits are enshrined.CHA head Chung Jae-suk handed over the portrait in a newly built paulownia box to Yi Seok-hee of the Yi clan and gave her appreciation to the determined pursuit of the heritage investigation division."We felt guilt for losing such an important family heritage. Now we are happy and relieved to have the portrait

Oct 10, 2018By Kwon Mee-yoo

Looted portrait of Joseon prince returned after 18 years

Arts & Theater

Yoo Young-kuk's abstract art rediscovered

Yoo Young-kuk's "Work" (1967) / Courtesy of the artist and Kukje GalleryBy Kwon Mee-yooLate artist Yoo Young-kuk as a student in Japan in the late 1930s-early 40s / Courtesy of the Yoo Youngkuk Art FoundationYoo Young-kuk (1916-2002) was an artist ahead of his time. The artist often said his work wouldn't be sold in his lifetime, considering its abstractness emphasizing nature through basic formative elements.He sold his first painting when he was 60. "He was known as an artist who did not sell his works, but I think it was more like he found no one to buy them. Back then, society did not understand abstract art and people from his hometown said they wouldn't accept works as a gift," recalled Yu Jin, chairman of the Yoo Youngkuk Art Foundation and son of the artist.Yoo's works were recently rediscovered and are on the rise in the art market as well. In September, his 1959 painting "Work" broke the artist's price record and sold for 600 million won ($530,000).The "Colors from Nature" exhibition at Kukje Gallery in downtown Seoul sheds light on how the artist developed his own style of

Oct 9, 2018By Kwon Mee-yoo

Yoo Young-kuk's abstract art rediscovered

K-pop

'Hedwig' creator's concert is treat for fans

John Cameron Mitchell performs during his "The Origin of Love Tour in Seoul" at the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts in Seoul, Saturday. / Courtesy of ShownoteBy Kwon Mee-yooJohn Cameron Mitchell, the creator of "Hedwig and the Angry Inch" showered Korean fans with songs and behind-the-scenes stories of the revolutionary rock musical at his "The Origin of Love Tour in Seoul" concert from Friday to Sunday.The Seoul concert opened with an arranged rock version of "Aegukga," the national anthem of Korea, and accompanying performer Amber Martin introduced Mitchell quoting a line from "Hedwig" ― "Whether you like it or not, John Cameron Mitchell!""Hedwig" has an exceptionally strong fan base in Korea since the musical's premiere in 2005. The story of the philosophical rocker from East Berlin, who moves to Kansas after sex change surgery, has attracted over 500,000 people here. Mitchell visited Korea for the first time in 10 years after his Hedwig concerts in 2007 and 2008 with Korean performers. Mitchell in glittery drag makeup sang "The Origin of Love," the first song written for th

Oct 8, 2018By Kwon Mee-yoo

'Hedwig' creator's concert is treat for fans

Arts & Theater

Park Yoo-deok portrays humane side of King Sejong in '1446'

A scene from the musical “1446” / Courtesy of HJ CultureBy Kwon Mee-yooKing Sejong, the fourth king of 1392-1910 Joseon Kingdom, is best known for his creation of “hangeul” (Korean alphabet) and also one of the most frequently revisited historical figures in Korean culture. Numerous television dramas and films such as “The Great King, Sejong” (2008) and “Deep Rooted Tree” (2011) have featured King Sejong as the main character. The new musical “1446,” which raises the curtain at Theater Yong at the National Museum of Korea, Thursday, aims to breathe a new interpretation into the great king with music. The show's title “1446” comes from the year King Sejong introduced hangeul.HJ Culture, a theatrical production company known for shows based on historical characters such as van Gogh, Salieri and Rachmaninoff, turns its eye to a Korean figure this time. Producer Han Seung-won said the life of King Sejong meets the qualifications for a good musical full of impactful events and inner conflicts.Actors take part in a wor

Oct 4, 2018By Kwon Mee-yoo

Park Yoo-deok portrays humane side of King Sejong in '1446'

Society

Yeoju mayor Lee seeks to inherit King Sejong's spirits

Yeoju Mayor Lee Hang-jin poses for a photo with Yeoju's specialty rice at Yeoju City Hall in Yeoju, Gyeonggi Province, Tuesday. Korea Times photo by Choi Won-sukBy Kwon Mee-yooLee Hang-jin, the new mayor of Yeoju, Gyeonggi Province, has had the busiest three months of his life after taking office on July 2. Lee is the youngest mayor and the first from the Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) to govern Yeoju.Lee, 52, is still occupied in understanding his assignment as mayor. "A local government's head oversees over 13,000 tasks. I am still on my way to comprehend what I have to do make Yeoju a better place to live," Lee said at an interview with The Korea Times, Tuesday.Lee stepped into politics in 2014 when he was elected as a member of Yeoju City Council. Before that, he was an environmental activist who fought against the Four Major Rivers Restoration Project of the 2008-13 Lee Myung-bak administration. Yeoju was greatly influenced by the project as the city is on the Namhan River, an upstream branch of the Han River.The new mayor aims to take a leaf from King Sejong's book, the fourth

Oct 4, 2018By Kwon Mee-yoo

Yeoju mayor Lee seeks to inherit King Sejong's spirits

Arts & Theater

Qi Baishi collector Lee hopes to open museum

"Rooster" by Chinese artist Qi Baishi in Lee Seon-hee's collection / Courtesy of Lee Seon-heeBy Kwon Mee-yooThough not well known in Korea, Qi Baishi (1864-1957) is the pioneer of Chinese modern painting. Last year, a major Qi exhibition was held at the Seoul Calligraphy Art Museum at Seoul Arts Center, but only some 50 works from the Hunan Museum in China were on view, instead of covering the artist's whole career. Lee Seon-hee, a major Chinese art collector in Korea hopes to open a museum to showcase Qi's work.Often dubbed as China's Picasso, Qi is known for simple yet powerful strokes portraying vibrant energy of animals and plants. Lee said Qi's paintings reminded him of "cheong-hyang-ja-won," an idiom meaning how clean fragrances waft far way. "Qi learned from nature, while other artists went abroad to study art. It makes him stand out," Lee said at an interview with The Korea Times at his office in southern Seoul. Lee, an art aficionado, became interested in Qi and other Chinese artists' works in the late 1980s and early 90s. Lee purchased a bunch of Chinese paintings, includin

Sep 19, 2018By Kwon Mee-yoo

Qi Baishi collector Lee hopes to open museum

Arts & Theater

'Matilda' brings strong female characters forward

A scene from musical "Matilda" / Courtesy of Seensee CompanyBy Kwon Mee-yooIt has been 30 years since Roald Dahl's quirky yet funny young rebel Matilda made her debut. However, the children's literature character still lives on in the pages of the book as well as on the stage of theaters around the world in a musical adaptation, including a recently opened Seoul production.The Korean production is receiving standing ovations every night as audiences travel Matilda's whimsical journey through her apathetic family and ghastly school, standing up against absurdity.Catherine Mallyon, executive director of the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) which produced the musical rendition of "Matilda," said a good musical like “Matilda” does not happen overnight. The RSC began as the Shakespeare Memorial Theatre and still Shakespeare's works take up about 60 percent of the troupe's repertoire, but the company also presents works of Shakespeare's contemporaries and today's writers. Some of the notable non-Shakespeare works produced by the RSC include "Les Miserables," "Wolf Hall" and "Mat

Sep 18, 2018By Kwon Mee-yoo

'Matilda' brings strong female characters forward

Arts & Theater

Looking for needle in Gwangju Biennale's haystack

Lara Baladi's "Watch Out for Zuzu"Gwangju Biennale explores border issues in scattergun approachBy Kwon Mee-yooGWANGJU ― Under the theme "Imagined Borders,” derived from Benedict Anderson's book "Imagined Communities,” the 2018 Gwangju Biennale deals with imminent issues such as refugees, migration, cold war, divisions and the digital divide.For this year's Gwangju Biennale, 11 curators organized seven main exhibitions with some 300 works of art by 165 artists from 43 countries. "We selected multiple curators last November and the curators picked the artist in March," Kim Sun-jung, president of Gwangju Biennale Foundation, said during press preview on Sept. 6. Three of the main exhibitions are held in the Gwangju Biennale Exhibition Hall and the remaining four at the Asia Culture Center (ACC). GB Commission is presented at the former Armed Forces' Gwangju Hospital and the Pavilion Project is held at three different venues throughout the city in collaboration with other international institutions.The 12th edition of Gwangju Biennale made the choice to encompass a wide rang

Sep 13, 2018By Kwon Mee-yoo

Kwon Mee-yoo

Read more

Ode to teen misfits

Sejong Center opens black box theater

Looted portrait of Joseon prince returned after 18 years

Yoo Young-kuk's abstract art rediscovered

'Hedwig' creator's concert is treat for fans

Park Yoo-deok portrays humane side of King Sejong in '1446'

Yeoju mayor Lee seeks to inherit King Sejong's spirits

Qi Baishi collector Lee hopes to open museum

'Matilda' brings strong female characters forward

Looking for needle in Gwangju Biennale's haystack

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