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Kwon Mee-yoo

Korea Times Politics & City Reporter

Often found at theaters and museums, Kwon Mee-yoo has covered a wide range of cultural fields from K-pop and dramas to theater and fine art for over a decade. Now as K-Culture Desk editor, she tries to connect Korean culture with global readers through fresh perspectives.

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Arts & Theater

Humans, machines, nature live through Paik's works

YONGIN, Gyeonggi Province — Scattered in a garden are 25 television sets in the dark and only images from the screens are reflected on the leaves of the plants. There is a path surrounding the work for visitors to walk on as they experience this digital landscape. This is a work by the late artist Paik Nam-june (1932-2006) called “TV Garden,” which encompasses his three main principles — humans, machines and nature. The avant garde media artist would have been 80 if he were still alive and the Nam June Paik (NJP) Art Center here opened an exhibition Friday reviewing Paik’s works and influence on later artists. “Nostalgia is an Extended Feedback” features about 70 pieces by Paik and 12 other artists related to his artwork. Some of the participating artists collaborated with the artist while others wanted to pay tribute to the master. The arcane title comes from a phrase Paik used in an essay written in 1992 to explain that this exhibition is not a plain retrospective but connects his acclaimed works with contemporary artists, emphasizing how his spirit continues

Jul 25, 2012By Kwon Mee-yoo
Arts & Theater

Sneak peek into future of Korean art at 'ArtSpectrum'

By Kwon Mee-yoo From a photo of a man in a ball gown to a watchtower set on the wall of a gallery, the energy and ideas of young Korean artists bursts out at the Leeum in Hannam-dong, Seoul. The exhibition is titled “ArtSpectrum 2012” featuring rising artists and opened Thursday. “ArtSpectrum” is Leeum’s special biennial event shedding light on upcoming artists. Started in 2001, the exhibition provides a gateway to the artists regardless of genre. It was briefly cancelled in 2008 due to a slush fund scandal involving Samsung. The museum is run by the Samsung Foundation of Culture. This year the series resumes and this time eight artists — Kim A-young, Kim Ji-eun, Bae Chan-hyo, Oak Jung-ho, Jang Bo-yun, Jun So-jung, Choi Ki-chang and Han Kyung-woo — were chosen. The characteristics of this year’s “Artspectrum” are clearer when compared to the permanent collection of modern art at Leeum. Reflecting this generation of artists who grew up with visual media and are used to experimenting with various methods, the exhibition has no paintings with most works being p

Jul 20, 2012By Kwon Mee-yoo
Arts & Theater

Modernity and tradition coexist in 'Kongchilpal'

By Kwon Mee-yoo The story of two women who jumped in front a moving train in April 1931 has been made into the musical “Kongchilpal Saesamryuk.” The title is an old Korean phrase meaning to talk about this and that behind people’s back. It was widely used in modern Seoul in the early 1900s. It is also the name of a children’s song by composer Hong Nan-pa, who was the uncle of the musical’s heroine Ok-im, who wrote a children’s poem by the same title. Penned by Yi Su-jin with music by Naomi Lee, the show brings an unfamiliar subject to Korean musicals — lesbian lovers. Subtitled “Love Story in Springtime Seoul,” the musical revolves around two young ladies — Ok-im (played by Choi Mi-so) and Yong-ju (Shin Eui-jung) — and their desire to be liberated in Seoul in 1930. Ok-im, a freshman at the music department of Ewha College (now Ewha Womans University), is excited about being a “modern” girl with newly-cut bobbed-hair. She is a bubbly, ahead-of-the-curve girl from a rich family and her father Hong Seok-hu is one of the first modern doctors in Korea. He

Jul 18, 2012By Kwon Mee-yoo
Arts & Theater

Calder's 'Black' world comes to Korea

By Kwon Mee-yoo Black mobile and stabile sculptures of Alexander Calder (1898-1976) grace the white cube of Kukje Gallery K3 in central Seoul at an exhibition named “Noir.” Some of them hang from the ceiling, while others rise from the floor. Black metal sheets and wires create exquisite balance in various shapes. Though there are only six works on display, they are enough to represent the quintessence of Calder’s world of art. The American artist originated the concept of the mobile sculpture and presented solids without mass in his wire works. This exhibit features works from the late 1930s to ’60s, showing how color and property of matter affected his pieces. Alexander S. C. Rower, chairman of the Calder Foundation and grandson of the artist, visited Korea last week to celebrate the opening of the exhibition and the 30th anniversary of Kukje Gallery. These works were hand-picked from Calder’s oeuvre by Rower himself. “The idea was to choose only abstracts works in black, without color,” he said. The centerpiece of the exhibit is the 1954 work “Black Mobile wi

Jul 16, 2012By Kwon Mee-yoo
Arts & Theater

National museum hosts Korean studies students

By Kwon Mee-yoo A group of 20-and 30-something foreigners visited Changdeok Palace, and Jongmyo, a UNESCO-registered royal shrine from the Joseon Kingdom, in central Seoul, Friday. They were different from other tourists, as they did not take souvenir photographs but rather showed more interest in the history and architecture. The aspiring Korean scholars were invited by the National Museum of Korea, as a part of its fellowship program that began this year. The National Museum of Korea Fellowship (NMK Fellowship) aims to raise the quality of Korean studies, nurture Korea scholars and boost networking of Korean studies experts across the globe. A total of 13 master and doctoral students majoring in Korean or Asian studies participated in the first NMK Fellowship, based on Koreanologists’ recommendation, from July 9 to 20. The fellows are from various countries — the United States, Japan, China, Chile, Germany and Australia. Some of the students have established connections to Korea, while others are new to the country. Maya Stiller, a German studying a doctoral

Jul 15, 2012By Kwon Mee-yoo
Arts & Theater

'Hedwig' fans get excited for new season

By Kwon Mee-yoo Some 100 faithful fans of musical “Hedwig and the Angry Inch,” often dubbed as “Hedheads,” gathered at the Convention Center of Chungmu Art Hall, Monday, with eager expectations for the new production beginning in August. They came to attend “All That Hedwig,” a special event for the fans that featured a screening of a “Hedwig” concert as well as a talk session with the producer and director. The event was hosted by Shownote, the production company of “Hedwig” in Korea. Silver-spangled dresses and curly blonde wigs were on display along with photos of previous productions. Fans took photos of the costumes and posed with props from the show. The musical, based on the book by John Cameron Mitchell with music and lyrics by Stephen Trask, describes the life of a transgender, through monologues and rock music. It was staged in numerous countries, and in Korea it was a big hit among them. More than 700 Korean hardcore fans saw the musical more than 10 times and a particularly dedicated 22 of them watched the show over 300 times, proving genuine affection for He

Jul 11, 2012By Kwon Mee-yoo
Arts & Theater

NMOCA wins Red Dot Award for monochrome exhibit

By Kwon Mee-yoo The National Museum of Contemporary Art, Korea (NMOCA) has won a Red Dot Award: Communication Design 2012 for its exhibition “Dansaekhwa: Korean Monochrome Painting.” It won in the Event Design category for exceptional use of space, maximizing the appreciation of visitors. “Dansaekhwa.” held at the Gwacheon building of NMOCA from March 17 to May 13, featured some 150 works by 31 artists who portrayed the spirituality of Korea through solid colors. The exhibition was designed to create different scenes with various works depending on the viewer’s stand point. The partition walls of the gallery became a medium for creating communication between the works and the viewers. The concept of looking through window openings in traditional Korean architecture was brought into the design, creating layers of space in the hall. Visitors were able to see the artworks through the walls, experiencing the two-dimensional pieces in a three-dimensional sense. “The design of the Dansaekhwa exhibition was faithful to the narrative of the structure and the winning of t

Jul 10, 2012By Kwon Mee-yoo
Arts & Theater

'Woyzeck' to get Korean spin in London

By Kwon Mee-yoo More Korean theater producers are looking to take their workld abroad. A reading of the musical "Woyzeck" at Charing Cross Theatre in London on June 29 has this aspiration. The 300-seat theater was filled with theater executives and staffers, who came to see a workshop for the show subtitled "The Ruby Necklace." It was produced by Korean theater company Acom International, led by Yun Ho-jin of "The Last Empress" and "Hero." The 40-minute reading included highlights of the musical, focusing on the love of Woyzeck and Marie with live music. "Woyzeck" is an unfinished play by Georg Buchner that premiered in 1913. The stage play revolves around German soldier Woyzeck and his lover Marie and describes how he suffers in the army and ends up killing his wife. With its simple yet contracted storyline, the work has spawned numerous adaptations from opera to movies. The company said “The Ruby Necklace” has received much attention from West End producers and the theater industry, as it beautifully portrays a philosophical messages amid in vogue retro-style movie-

Jul 9, 2012By Kwon Mee-yoo
Arts & Theater

Korean artists make their way overseas

By Kwon Mee-yoo With the local art scene thriving, more Korean artists are also being recognized overseas. In June, Korean artists Yang Hae-gue, Moon Kyung-won and Jeon Joon-ho were invited to dOCUMENTA (13) in Kassel, Germany, one of the largest contemporary art events in the world, for the first time in 20 years and more offers are coming from the other side of the globe. Artists Park Young-Sook and Yee Soo-kyung are participating in the 18th Biennale of Sydney themed “All Our Relations.” The two artists presented a collaborative work “The Moon Project” at the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia in Sydney. The project combines Yee’s “Translated Vase — the Moon” and Park’s 12 “Moon Jar” pieces. Park’s work reinterprets Korea’s traditionally round white porcelain jar while Yee’s “Translated Vase — the Moon” is a large sphere created from ceramic trash from Park’s failed works for over 10 years. The piece presents the ceramic artists’ yearn for perfection through contemporary art as well as the beauty of Korean porcelain. Queensland Art Gallery in Brisban

Jul 6, 2012By Kwon Mee-yoo
Arts & Theater

Laughter and tears in 'Brothers Were Brave'

By Kwon Mee-yoo Chang You-jeong, 35, was already a star director in 2008 with such hits as “Finding Kim Jong-wook” and “Oh While You Were Sleeping.” The two works are staged as open-ended runs in Daehangno, and Yeongdeungpo, in Seoul, respectively. But in 2008, she put forth a musical of two sons’ conflicting relationship with their father, “Brothers Were Brave.” Interestingly, she infused elements of Korea’s rituals such as a traditional funeral with a variety of music from tango to rap and matching choreography. Four years later, the musical returns with stronger characters and funnier details. It opened last week at Coex Artium in southern Seoul. In the musical, the two brothers see each other for the first time in three years while attending the funeral of their father. Going through the funeral process, the brothers get into a big fight over a winning lottery ticket and a mysterious, beautiful woman. “It took about four years to stage the musical from an idea,”Chang said in an interview with The Korea Times last week. Chang, 35, said “Brothers Were Brave” b

Jul 4, 2012By Kwon Mee-yoo
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