The Korea Times

Show goes on at LG Arts Center

Head of LG Arts Center espouses no entry barrier to culture By Kwon Mee-yoo When Yun Yuh-soon, 57, was appointed CEO of LG Arts Center in Yeoksam-dong, Seoul in January 2011, the news came as a shock. She had been the first female to become an executive at LG Group but she had no experience in the culture-related industry. A year and half later, she has proven herself by making the theater known for its high-quality programs that offer special and different entertainment. “When I took this office, I refused requests for interviews. It is not my style to talk about my ambition without any achievements ... It’s been about a year and a half and I have sorted out my thoughts — now I know where my organization is and what I want to do,” Yun said during a recent interview with The Korea Times. Yun appears elegant but determined and decisive at the same time. She is coping well as CEO of one of Korea’s most prestigious theaters but this is her first role in the cultural community. Yun graduated from Yonsei University and earned her master’s degree in English Educat

Sep 10, 2012By Kwon Mee-yoo

Arts & Theater

Gwangju Biennale shows diversity of contemporary art

By Kwon Mee-yoo To fully appreciate the works of 92 artists from 40 countries at the 2012 Gwangju Biennale, art fans will need stamina. The largest contemporary art exposition in Asia opened Friday at various venues with an extensive amount of pieces to see, hear, touch and experience. Under the theme “Round Table,” this year’s Gwangju Biennale is overseen by six acclaimed Asian female curators — Kim Sun-jung of Korea, Nancy Adajania of India, Wassan Al-Khudhairi of Iraq, Mami Kataoka of Japan, Carol Yinghua Lu of China and Alia Swastika of Indonesia. “It was difficult to understand each other at first but we tried to show the diversity of contemporary art through six sub-themes. We found the differences￢ and similarities of each other and this biennale is not an end, but a new start of future cooperation,” Kim said during a press conference for the biennale, Thursday. Chinese artist Ai Weiwei’s “Word Projection” is on exhibit at the Biennale Square in front of the exhibit hall. He is one of the most significant contemporary artists and currently banned from tr

Sep 9, 2012By Kwon Mee-yoo

Arts & Theater

Rix, Blake shine in green magic of ‘Wicked’

By Kwon Mee-yoo The magic of “Wicked” again proved its power, breaking the Korean theater box office record in late August, with more than 200,000 watching the show in just three months. Since the curtain went up in Seoul on May 31, the Broadway blockbuster has become a phenomenon on the theater scene here, attracting men and women of all ages and nationalities. It is the shortest period for a musical to draw that many people in Korea, surpassing “The Phantom of the Opera,” which drew 180,000, in three months. Wicked also marked a record-breaking attendance rate of 95.3 percent. The musical tells the back story of Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of the West, and Glinda, the Good Witch of the North, in the classic “The Wizard of Oz,” with captivating music and an extravagant set and costumes. Jemma Rix, playing the green witch Elphaba, and Richard H. Blake, the “scandalacious” Winkie Prince, sat down for an interview with The Korea Times, about a month after the latter joined the Asian tour. Blake finished his run as Fiyero in the Broadway production of Wicked on July 29 and

Sep 7, 2012By Kwon Mee-yoo

Arts & Theater

Four colors of Korean contemporary art

By Kwon Mee-yoo From shards of ceramics glued together and a big teddy bear made from garbage bags to a video describing a detective pursuing the role of art and a fake news studio, five Korean artists over the age of 40 explore the meaning of contemporary art at the “2012 Korea Artist Prize” exhibition at the National Museum of Contemporary Art, Korea (NMOCA) in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province. The four selections for the 2012 Korea Artist Prize (KAP) — Gim Hong-sok, Moon Kyung-won and Jeon Joon-ho as a team, Yee Soo-kyung and Lim Min-ouk — are all active domestically and internationally. Their works are distinct but have one thing in common — they delve into the meaning of art. The KAP is the NMOCA’s revamped version of the former Artist of the Year system to focus on contemporary Korean artists. Co-hosted by the SBS Foundation, KAP received recommendations from 10 art experts and five international juries reviewed them and selected four. The finalists were urged to present new works, which they imagined but had not yet realized with support from the SBS

Sep 5, 2012By Kwon Mee-yoo

Arts & Theater

Sung Min matures in ‘Jack the Ripper’

By Kwon Mee-yoo Sung Min of Super Junior hastransformed into Daniel, a young doctor who is passionate in his love and job, in the musical “Jack the Ripper.” The show closed curtains in Seoul on Aug. 25 but the Tokyo production opens on Sept. 16. On the musical stage, the powerful performance as Super Junior member is replaced by his portrayal of subtle feelings of the young and innocent Daniel to underscore his deepest and darkest desires. Sung Min was one of the first members of Korea’s top boy band to step into the world of musicals by starring in a homegrown show “Akilla” in 2009 and then continued with “Hong Gil-dong” in 2010. The beginning of his affection for musical theater dates back to his early years. “I remember my mom taking me to ‘The Sound of Music’ and I bought the soundtrack and listened to it again and again until I memorized all the songs,” he told The Korea Times. He also attends the Musical Department of Myongji University in Seoul, reflecting his true interest in musical theater. “Jack the Ripper” is a Czech musical written by Ivan Hejna and

Sep 4, 2012By Kwon Mee-yoo

Others

Two sons to lead Unification empire

Church founder Rev. Moon dies at 92 By Kwon Mee-yoo The death of the 92-year-old Rev. Moon Sun-myung, the founder of the Unification Church, Monday, is leaving two sons in charge of his religious and business empire. Since the death of three of his sons including the two eldest, the late Moon handed over control to the two — the youngest Hyung-jin, 33, as international president of the church; and fourth-son, Kook-jin, 42, to look over the business arm, the Tongil Group. Moon, who founded the church in 1954, controversially claimed 3 million believers worldwide with 100,000 in the United States. He actively sent out missionaries but also expanded broadly into diverse business operations. But despite its influence, sibling tension between the seven sons and six daughters he had with his second wife, Han Hak-ja, has put a question over the church’s future. The U.S-born and Harvard-educated Hyung-jin has been serving at the helm of the church since 2008 as the only minister in the family. While at Harvard, he pursued an interest in Buddhism and was well known

Sep 3, 2012By Kwon Mee-yoo

Arts & Theater

Jeon tells stories on water lilies

By Kwon Mee-yoo Korean-American artist Kyung Jeon portrays her personal history through water lilies at a dual exhibition currently at Kukje Gallery in Sagan-dong, central Seoul. At first, Jeon’s works look sweet and bright with pastel hues. When examined closely, boys and girls on lily pads have many stories, some of them are dark or violent. Jeon was born in New Jersey in 1975 and she explores her experience of growing up as a Korean-American in her works. Her new series is inspired by Claude Monet’s “Water Lilies” paintings and she portrayed her family history on water lilies. “I use fantasy and fairy tales to bring dark, difficult themes to art so it can be easier to digest,” Jeon said. Even her business card bears one of her characters, shedding tears and wearing pink underwear and a hairpin. “Another inspiration was the passing of my two grandfathers within a month of each other. My grandfather on my father’s side had one last wish to find his family in North Korea if Korea’s ever united,” she said. Her paternal grandparents married in North Korea and later move

Aug 29, 2012By Kwon Mee-yoo

Arts & Theater

Fair to feature Latin American art

Meet Botero, Cruz-Deiz, Soto next month By Kwon Mee-yoo The Korea International Art Fair (KIAF) 2012, the largest of its kind in Korea, will offer a variety of artwork and related events at COEX in Samseong-dong, southern Seoul, from Sept. 13 to 17. Organized by the Galleries Association of Korea, KIAF aims to become the hub of the Asian art market. In 2012, 181 galleries from 20 countries will offer a variety of works. Out of the 181, 120 are Korean galleries and 11 are from Germany while 10 are from Japan. Galerie Emmanuel Perrotin from France is set to take part in KIAF for the first time this year. Latin American art KIAF 2012's guest countries are from Latin America, celebrating the 50th anniversary of diplomatic ties with 12 countries among 16 in the region. Galleries from seven — Argentina, Mexico, Chile, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Uruguay and Venezuela — and U.S. galleries specializing in Latin American art will present works of 84 artists from the early 1900s to contemporary art. The selection, featuring painting, photography, sculpt

Aug 28, 2012By Kwon Mee-yoo

Arts & Theater

‘Pillowman’ unravels truth about storyteller

By Kwon Mee-yoo “The Pillowman,” currently on stage at Space 111 of the Doosan Art Center, central Seoul, is a play about a writer of short stories. Playwright and movie director Martin McDonagh is a natural-born storyteller and he unravels a riveting story of writer Katurian and his brother Michal in the 160-minute play with an intermission. The play premiered in Korea in 2007 at the LG Arts Center, starring top actor Choi Min-sik as the protagonist Katurian. This year’s production is denser and more solid at the 100-seat theater. The 2012 production of “The Pillowman” begins with Katurian (played by Kim Jun-won), with his eyes covered, being interrogated by two police detectives Tupolski (Son Jong-hak) and Ariel (Jo Un). He does not know why he is being questioned at first, but later realizes that he is suspected of murdering three children

Aug 26, 2012By Kwon Mee-yoo

Arts & Theater

‘Les Miserables’ comes to Korea, at last

Chung Sung-hwa to play Valjean By Kwon Mee-yoo With plans to raise the curtain in November, “Les Miserables” unveiled its Korean cast Monday. There have been a few productions before, but it is the first-ever licensed Korean version of the legendary musical. Chung Myung-kun, president of KCMI, said he has been preparing for the Korean production since he organized a touring production of “Les Miserables” in Korea in 2002. The musical revolves around the well-known story of Jean Valjean, who was imprisoned for stealing a loaf of bread, and how he changed through the kindness and generosity he experienced amid the French Revolution. The Korean rendition of the show will be directed as the 25th Anniversary touring production, which began in 2010. Director Laurence Connor, set designer Matt Kinley and lighting designer Paule Constable will visit Korea to head the production. KCMI emphasized the seven-month-long auditioning process taken to find the right actors for the musical. The company said the original producer Cameron Mackintosh reviewed video clips of each ca

Aug 21, 2012By Kwon Mee-yoo

Kwon Mee-yoo

Read more

Show goes on at LG Arts Center

Gwangju Biennale shows diversity of contemporary art

Rix, Blake shine in green magic of ‘Wicked’

Four colors of Korean contemporary art

Sung Min matures in ‘Jack the Ripper’

Two sons to lead Unification empire

Jeon tells stories on water lilies

Fair to feature Latin American art

‘Pillowman’ unravels truth about storyteller

‘Les Miserables’ comes to Korea, at last

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