The Korea Times

Yang Hae-gue on nature, human and community

Yang Hae-gue’s sculpture series “Boxing Ballet” is inspired by German artist Oskar Schlemmer’s “Triadic Ballet.”Artist Yang Hae-gueBy Kwon Mee-yooArtist Yang Hae-gue has returned to Korea for her third solo exhibition at Leeun in Hannam-dong, Seoul. Known for her nomadic and conceptual works, Yang’s new exhibit features 35 works ranging from her early ones to the latest, exploring human and community in historical and social context. Title of the exhibition, "Haegue Yang: Shooting the Elephant Thinking the Elephant," took inspiration from George Orwell's essay "Shooting an Elephant" and Romain Gary's novel "The Root of Heaven." In both literary references, an elephant represents nature destroyed by human as well as the dignity of man.Based in Berlin and Seoul, the 44-year-old artist ― who took the Korean Pavilion at the 2009 Venice Biennale and participated in dOCUMENTA Kassel in 2012― referred her works as a result of “ongoing agonizing.” “I am an artist who creates new works and grows up during the process. It could t

Feb 16, 2015By Kwon Mee-yoo

Yang Hae-gue on nature, human and community

Others

Memories of cars

“Iyagi Swing” by Yang Soo-in; a 1994 Sonata.By Kwon Mee-yooCars have become an important part of people's lives. More than 20 million vehicles were registered in Korea as of December 2014 and these cars provide a lot of memories for their owners."Brilliant Memories," a new exhibit hosted by Hyundai Motor, aims to transform these memories into art. Korea's largest automaker collected car-related stories from its customers and matched them with artists, who conjured up imaginative keepsakes using cars from the junkyard.“Eight frames” by Kim Byung-ho; a Galloper.The results came in a wide range, from a car seat turned into luggage, an engine jukebox, a chandelier of headlights and a clock made from a car door.Architect Yang Soo-in worked with a 1994 Sonata 2, one of the most popular Korean sedans in the 1990s."For this project, the materials were the car as a physical object and memory as an incorporeal object. As an architect, both were unfamiliar subject matters to me," Yang said. "Personally, I have a memory on Sonata II, as my mother drove it for some 20 year

Feb 11, 2015By Kwon Mee-yoo

Korean Heritage

Pro-Japanese composer's memorial causes stir

Hong Nan-paBy Kwon Mee-yooA right-wing civic organization requested to remove a monument in commemoration of pro-Japanese composer Hong Nan-pa (1897-1941) located near the Independence Hall of Korea in Cheonan, South Chungcheong Province, Thursday.According to the Institute for Research in Collaborationist Activities (IRCA), a civic organization studying modern history of Korea, the memorial in question is set up in the "Hill of Independence," along the driveway to the Independence Hall. On the Hill of Independence, trees and memorial stones for independence activists including Yu Gwan-sun, one of the organizers of the March 1 movement later died from torture; Yun Bong-gil, who led the bombing of Japanese dignitaries in Shanghai in 1932; and Han Yong-un, a poet and national activist. The garden on the hill was created in 1987 by Cheonan municipal goverment, to celebrate the opening of the Independence Hall. Hong is a renowned composer and violinist during the Japanese colonization era. He is the author of Korean's favorite songs such as "Spring in My Hometown" and "Bongseonhwa (Garde

Feb 4, 2015By Kwon Mee-yoo

Pro-Japanese composer's memorial causes stir

Lifestyle

Seoulites in 20s enjoys culture most, but anxious

By Kwon Mee-yooSeoulites in their 20s are enthusiastically engaged in cultural activities, but feel insecure in their life, according to a survey by the Seoul Foundation for Arts and Culture (SFAC). The SFAC survey showed that Seoulites enjoy various cultural events during their 20s when they are single, center on child-rearing in their 30s and 40s and regain their cultural identity in their 50s. According to a survey conducted by 2,904 people registered to the foundation's website, young people in their 20s are most interested in culture. They go to the movies and watch a play once a month, visit art exhibitions every other month, and participate in some 39.9 cultural activities spending 694,281 won a year. However, the life satisfaction index for people in their 20s was just 70 points out of 100, which is considered low. The SFAC interpreted that these youngsters often comfort themselves through cultural interests.For those in their 30s, women who remain single are referred to as a "Gold Miss" and are able to splurge 821,262 won on culture per year. On the contrary, those who are m

Jan 30, 2015By Kwon Mee-yoo

Arts & Theater

Success formula for movie-turned-musicals

Singer-turned-actress Bada plays Scarlett O’Hara in the French musical “Gone with the Wind,” based on the film of the same name. / Courtesy of Show Media GroupBy Kwon Mee-yooPopular movies have been a good source for stage musicals in the past. However, not all hit movies guarantee success in stage adaptations. A handful of musicals are based on films ― from romance to B-list horror ― but not all of them are successful. The key in adapting a movie into a musical lies in keeping the atmosphere of the original film while rearranging the sequences to better suit a two-act stage version.Love LetterThe musical "Love Letter" is based on a 1995 Japanese film written and directed by Shunji Iwai. The film was one of the first Japanese movies to be introduced to Korea in the 1990s and the most memorable scene is when the female lead Hiroko Watanabe shouts "How are you? I'm fine," on a snowy mountain.When PAC Korea, a co-company of Japan and Korea, announced that it will adapt the popular movie into a musical, many wondered how it would re-create the famous scene. Th

Jan 20, 2015By Kwon Mee-yoo

Success formula for movie-turned-musicals

Arts & Theater

Two Korean master artists revisited

Paik Nam-june’s 1994 video installation “W3” consists of 64 monitors. It is currently on display at Hakgojae Gallery in downtown Seoul. / Courtesy of Hakgojae GalleryBy Kwon Mee-yooThe year 2015 started with art exhibitions shedding new light on the late Korean masters Paik Nam-june (1932-2006) and Lee Jung-seob (1916-1956) who blazed a trail in art history. Father of video artThe late Korean-born media artist Paik was a pioneer of video art. Some of his works are open to the public here for the first time at the "Nam June Paik Solo Exhibition: W3" at Hakgojae Gallery in downtown Seoul.The exhibit features 12 artworks displayed at Hakgojae Gallery Shanghai and SanShang Contemporary Art Museum in Hangzhou last year.The highlight will be "W3," a 1994 video installation consisting of 64 monitors. The title refers to "World Wide Web," as Paik predicted the rise of the Internet in the 1970s."W3" was first conceived in 1974 as Paik wanted to create an artwork portraying how the world communicates through technology and media. The artist referred to it as the "electro

Jan 18, 2015By Kwon Mee-yoo

Arts & Theater

Julia Moon - dancing through life

Julia Moon, director of the Universal Ballet Company, poses for a photo at the company’s home Universal Arts Center in eastern Seoul on Dec. 30./ Courtesy of Universal Ballet CompanyBy Kwon Mee-yooJulia H. Moon, president and director of the Universal Ballet Company (UBC), had a very busy year in 2014.The top private ballet company in Korea celebrated its 30th anniversary and performed in South America for the first time in Bogota, Colombia. Moon also won two awards — the Performing Arts Management Award and the Female Artist of the Year — for her outstanding leadership.The director is modest about her achievements. “The award was not just for me, but I received it on behalf of the UBC,” Moon said in an interview with The Korea Times at the Universal Arts Center in eastern Seoul. “We have great dancers and experts in each field, who supplement my weaknesses as a leader.”Before taking charge at the UBC, Moon was a professional ballet dancer and one of the first Korean ballerinas to achieve international success.Moon trained at Sun Hw

Jan 7, 2015By Kwon Mee-yoo

Lifestyle

Celebrating the Year of the Sheep

A herd of sheep, next to two horses, graze grass at Daegwallyeong Sheep Farm in Pyeongchang, Gangwon Province. / Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chulBy Kwon Mee-yooThe Year of the Blue Sheep has just arrived as the Year of the Horse fades away. The sheep symbolizes peace, harmony and tranquility in Korean society as they have a docile temperament and live in flocks.The year 2014 was tainted by a series of accidents from the Sewol ferry disaster to the “nut rage” incident provoked by a chaebol “princess,” and many people hope for a more amicable year, as represented by the sheep.The National Folk Museum (NFM) is presenting a comprehensive exhibit about the animal of 2015 entitled “A Sheep Bringing Happiness.”A stone sheep statue dating back to the 1900s. The sheep statue was installed at scared places such as tomb or temple to pray for fortune and prevent evil spirit.The year 2015 is the Year of the Sheep based on the 12-year Chinese Zodiac Cycle. In the 60-year counting system combining the 10 celestial stems and the 12 earthly branches, the ye

Dec 31, 2014By Kwon Mee-yoo

Travel & Food

Lee Lee-nam, reinventor of masterpieces

This is the sixth in a series of interviews with notable artists recommended by the Korean Artist Project, an online platform promoting Korean art. — ED.By Kwon Mee-yooThe landscape in late Joseon painter Gang Se-hwang (1713-1791)'s seven panel painting comes alive in the hands of artist Lee Lee-nam. Snow covers mountains and water falls in a cascade, while Jesus walks in the painting bearing a television instead of cross and trees are adorned with Christmas ornaments. This is Lee's latest work "Light for Each Person," an animated digital painting, currently on display at Gana Art Center in Pyeongchang-dong, Seoul. Media artist Lee is a magician who breathes new life into masterpieces with digital technology. Paintings become animated in his hands as Lee creates further depth in them. In this new solo exhibit titled "Lee Lee-nam: Reborn Light," the 45-year-old artist explores the common ground of human and media art — screen as a body for media art and light as soul.Lee was a student of sculpture at Gwangju University in southwestern city of Gwangju until he att

Dec 25, 2014By Kwon Mee-yoo

Films

Movie-going tops cultural activities

A scene from “Roaring Currents”By Kwon Mee-yooMovies are the most popular type of cultural experience among Koreans.According to the 2014 culture enjoyment survey by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (MCST), 65.8 percent of the population went to see a movie this year.The film industry enjoyed success with "Roaring Currents," an epic film based on the true story of Admiral Yi Sun-shin and his naval victory over Japan during the 16th century Joseon Kingdom, setting a box office record of over 17 million.The success of "Roaring Currents" attracted many middle-aged people to cinemas, contributing to the 1.4 percentage point increase in the rate of people visiting cultural venues compared to 64.4 percent in 2012.The second most popular experience was pop music concerts (14.4 percent), followed by stage theater productions (12.6 percent), musicals (11.5 percent) and art exhibitions (10.6 percent).Overall, 71.3 percent of the population participated in cultural events, an increase from 62.4 percent in 2003 and 69.6 percent in 2012.The rate exceeded 70 percent for the

Dec 17, 2014By Kwon Mee-yoo

Kwon Mee-yoo

Read more

Yang Hae-gue on nature, human and community

Memories of cars

Pro-Japanese composer's memorial causes stir

Seoulites in 20s enjoys culture most, but anxious

Success formula for movie-turned-musicals

Two Korean master artists revisited

Julia Moon - dancing through life

Celebrating the Year of the Sheep

Lee Lee-nam, reinventor of masterpieces

Movie-going tops cultural activities

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