The Korea Times

National Theater focuses on contemporaries

This is the fifth in a series of special interviews with cultural and sports leaders. — Ed.By Kwon Mee-yooAhn Ho-Sang, CEO of the National Theater of KoreaThe National Theater of Korea (NTOK) is presenting a variety of performing arts, from Korean traditional music and "changgeuk" (Korean traditional opera) to ballet and modern dance.Despite the status of a "national" theater, the venue struggled in the 1990s. But in recent years, the theater has enjoyed a renaissance with a wide range of performances, many of which sold out in minutes. Ahn Ho-Sang, CEO of the National Theater, is seen as the agent of this change."I didn't see the renewal coming, so I hadn't prepared much for an extended term,” Ahn said in an interview with The Korea Times. “However, I was sorry not to round off some of the projects. Now I’m so glad that I have time to finish what I started."He has been reappointed to the job and will serve until 2017.Ahn said the theater had been behind the times and he wanted to make it more contemporary."The times are ever-changing, but the NTOK r

Apr 9, 2015By Kwon Mee-yoo

National Theater focuses on contemporaries

Others

The new British invasion

TINALILIENTHALLIBERTY ART FABRICSWEET CECILY’SROSE & ROSEBy Kwon Mee-yooSIMON HARRISONFrog prince broochSIMON HARRISONChloris bangleMAYRAFEDANE - MiaMAYRAFEDANE - CocoHOKOLO - CushionsBritain is known for its royal family, Big Ben and the Beatles. Now, British design, combining the traditional and the contemporary, has made its mark in Korea.The British Lifestyle Showcase 2015, featuring 23 British brands, was held at the Plaza Hotel in Seoul on March 17.Something glittering always catches the eye and jewelry from TINALILIENTHAL and Simon Harrison was no exception.TINALILIENTHAL, designed by owner-designer Tina Lilienthal, offers a large collection encompassing fashion and fine jewelry. Some designs are inspired by primitive motifs such as spearheads and totems, while others have a whimsical take, combining skulls and strawberries.Harrison's jewelry, loved by celebrities such as Victoria Beckham, takes inspiration from fairytales, such as the frog-shaped brooch from the "Princess and the Frog."MayraFedane is famous for its geometrically shaped handbags. The brand, which sta

Apr 8, 2015By Kwon Mee-yoo

Korean Heritage

Lost Yi Sun-shin book found in museum

“Chungmingonggyecho,” part of National Maritime Museum’s collection, which turned out to be “Janggye byeolchaek. / YonhapBy Kwon Mee-yooA missing book on Admiral Yi Sun-shin (1545-1598) was located at a national museum by a scholar. Ro Sung-suk, an expert on Yi, found that "Chungmingonggyecho," part of the National Maritime Museum's collection, is in fact one of the six artifacts related to the admiral’s whereabouts unknown since the Japanese colonization era (1910-1945).Ro, who made a complete translation of Yi's "Nanjungilgi," or war journal, said "Chungmingonggyecho" turned out to be "Janggye byeolchaek," which is a collection of 68 reports the admiral sent to the king during the Imjin War (1592-1598).The book is a manuscript based on the original reports after Yi's death in 1662 and was passed down through Yi's descendents, along with "Imjinjangcho," another collection of Yi's war reports designated as a national treasure.The document collection starts with Yi describing himself as the Commander of the Left Jeolla Province. The content

Apr 6, 2015By Kwon Mee-yoo

Arts & Theater

Changgeuk meets Brecht

A scene from changgeuk (Korean traditional opera) version of Brecht play “The Caucasian Chalk Circle” / Courtesy of National Changgeuk Company of KoreaBy Kwon Mee-yooGerman modernist playwright Bertolt Brecht's play "The Caucasian Chalk Circle" gained new life when it was combined with "pansori," or Korean traditional narrative music, in the hand of the National Changgeuk Company of Korea (NCCK). The NCCK's previous attempt to put a modern twist on changgeuk (Korean traditional opera singing pansori) with internationally acclaimed director Andrei Serban turned out to be rather intense in "Different Chunhyang," drawing both praise and criticism."The Caucasian Chalk Circle," which ran from March 21 to 28 at Haeoreum Theater of the National Theater of Korea on Mt. Nam, took a different approach, adding a traditional Korean touch to the German epic drama.Managed by Korean-Japanese director Chong Wishing, the changgeuk version of the World War II story centered on a dispute over a child's custody between his wealthy biological mother and a peasant girl who rescued and rai

Mar 29, 2015By Kwon Mee-yoo

Travel & Food

Capturing the irony of divided Korea

Noh Sun-tag’s “String-pulling theory; An excellent mystery of the Container-Barricades made by 2MegaByte #89” / Courtesy of the artistThis is the ninth in a series of interviews with notable artists recommended by the Korean Artist Project, an online platform promoting Korean art. — ED.By Kwon Mee-yooA mysterious white sphere appears in a series of photos in a rural village in Korea. In the photo, it looks like the moon appearing through the trees or maybe a golf ball when placed next to a farmer swinging his pitchfork. The sphere looks down as local residents protest against the expansion of U.S. military facilities. The sphere is omnipresent over the town of Daechu-ri, Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province, and was captured through the lens of photographer Noh Sun-tag in his "The strAnge ball" series (2004-2007).Born in 1971 in Seoul, Noh studied politics at Konkuk University and participated in his school newspaper, where he raised awareness of the power of journalism and photography."As a politics major, I was interested in social issues as I was exposed to the sc

Mar 26, 2015By Kwon Mee-yoo

Korean Heritage

Preserving value of Korean culture

Sungnyemun in central Seoul during its public reopening in May 2013, after a five-year restoration effort following an arson attack in 2008./ Korea Times fileThis is the third interview in a special series on culture and sports leaders. — Ed.Cultural Heritage Administrator Rha Sun-hwa/ Courtesy of Lee Soo-jinBy Kwon Mee-yooSeven years ago, Sungnyemun Gate, one of the remaining gates in the Fortress Wall of Seoul also known as Namdaemun, was burnt down by an arsonist. Since it has the symbolic value of being the number one national treasure, the fire shocked the nation. The Cultural Heritage Administration (CHA) immediately began a restoration project that took five years, but the hasty execution of the restoration plan backfired, leaving problems such as a deterioration of the Korean traditional decorative painting "dancheong" and use of imported lumber.After an investigation by the Board of Audit and Inspection, CHA replaced its head to make a fresh resolution in late 2013. Now, Rha Sun-hwa, administrator of CHA in her second year, is at the center of the reform of the governm

Mar 23, 2015By Kwon Mee-yoo

Others

CULTURE LINE

Keimyung Univ. to host Turkish spring festivalKeimyung University in Daegu will present the Nevruz Spring Festival at its Chopin Square and Haedam Hall, Saturday.Nevruz, also known as Nowruz, is a celebration of the arrival of spring on the March equinox, which falls on the first day of the year in the Persian calendar.Keimyung University will declare March 21 as the Day of Central Asia to boost exchanges between Korea and Central Asian countries.Hosted by the university's Center for Silk Road and Central Asia, the festival features exhibits introducing the culture of Central Asia, as well as various hands-on events and performances sampling culture from Turkey, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan and other places.Abdurrahman Sen, Istanbul’s culture and social executive director, will give a lecture on the festival's tradition, which is registered on the UNESCO List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. 

Mar 20, 2015By Kwon Mee-yoo

Arts & Theater

Wind of nostalgia

Yang Hae-gue’s “An Opaque Wind” / Courtesy of Sharjah Art FoundationBy Kwon Mee-yooSHARJAH, United Arab Emirates — Korean artist Yang Hae-gue presents "An Opaque Wind," an artwork that reveals her nomadic and conceptual characteristics combined with the history of the rapidly developing Middle East at Sharjah Biennial 12 (SB12).She recently opened a major solo exhibition at Leeum, Samsung Museum of Art in Seoul in February before flying into Sharjah to put the finishing touches to her newly commissioned work for the biennial.Yang's piece "An Opaque Wind" is displayed in one of the traditional buildings in Sharjah's Heritage Area. The installation remotely resembles a rooftop of a Korean apartment with vents on brick pedestals and wire meshes. However, a blighted palm tree in the center gives exotic sentiments, reminiscent of Korean workers who headed to the Gulf to participate in construction works from 1970s to the 80s and immigrant workers' nostalgia in general.Another part of the artwork is a semi-open room with a television playing Korean dramas throu

Mar 15, 2015By Kwon Mee-yoo

Reimagining Sharjah through art

Arts & Theater

Reimagining Sharjah through art

Adrian Villar Rojas' "Planetarium" is a site-specific installation commissioned by Sharjah Biennial 12 using an abandoned ice factory in Kalba, a port city on the east coast of Sharjah, the United Arab Emirates.              / Courtesy of Sharjah Art Foundation and the artistSharjah Art Foundation president Sheikha Hoor Al QasimiBy Kwon Mee-yooSHARJAH, United Arab Emirates ― Sharjah, one of the seven emirates of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), is located north of the glistening city of Dubai. Spanning from the Persian Gulf in the west to the Gulf of Oman in the east, the less-known emirate is culturally rich in both traditional and contemporary ways and the 12th edition of Sharjah Biennial proves how Sharjah develops its identity through artistic discourse.The biennial dates back to 1993 and is now one of the major art events in the Gulf. Sheikha Hoor Al Qasimi, president and director of the Sharjah Art Foundation, commissioned more than half of the art works for the Sharjah Biennial 12 (SB12), giving the artists room to experiment."Each bienni

Mar 15, 2015By Kwon Mee-yoo

Wind of nostalgia

Travel & Food

Telling stories through pottery

Ceramic trash gains new life This is the eighth in a series of interviews with notable artists recommended by the Korean Artist Project, an online platform promoting Korean art. — ED.By Kwon Mee-yooBroken ceramic shards, once a part of fine Korean pottery, are piled on top of each other to form an organic shape. The shape is bumpy and irregular, but it has a unique balance. This is Korean artist Yee Soo-kyung's "Translated Vase."The artist, 52, breathes new life into the ceramic shards as if she were weaving memories to create a story or putting together a puzzle. She then glues them with epoxy and places gold leaf on the seam. It is a labor-intensive process. It takes months to complete a large ceramic sculpture taller than the artist herself.Two chandeliers of Yee Soo-kyung’s “When I Become You” on display at Daegu Art Museum Courtesy of the artist and Daegu Art MuseumAlso stylized as Yeesookyung, Yee majored in painting at Seoul National University. Her earlier works in the 1990s were mostly conceptual installations, video art and performances."I think

Feb 26, 2015By Kwon Mee-yoo

Kwon Mee-yoo

Read more

National Theater focuses on contemporaries

The new British invasion

Lost Yi Sun-shin book found in museum

Changgeuk meets Brecht

Capturing the irony of divided Korea

Preserving value of Korean culture

CULTURE LINE

Wind of nostalgia

Reimagining Sharjah through art

Telling stories through pottery

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