The Korea Times

Not-to-miss art exhibitions in 2021

Park Soo-keun's "Grandfather and Grandson" (1960) will be shown at the artist's retrospective at MMCA Deoksugung scheduled in November. Courtesy of MMCAHealing becomes major topic this yearBy Kwon Mee-yooMost creative industries are suffering unprecedented consequences caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and the art world is no exception. Major thematic exhibitions this year will center on thoughts about the post-COVID-19 era or are designed to provide consolation for people suffering from the pandemic.Hakgojae Gallery in central Seoul kicked off the year with new exhibition "38˚C," which refers to the temperature at which someone will be restricted from public spaces in the COVID-19 era. It features works from its collection including Anish Kapoor, Tim Eitel and Lee Woo-sung. The National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea (MMCA) is also preparing for a thematic exhibit on the pandemic. Titled "Pandemic ― Catastrophes and Cure," the international exhibition aims to look at the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on individual and social levels and provide contemplation on the post

Jan 19, 2021By Kwon Mee-yoo

Music

Lee Hee-moon unveils 4 new music videos

Lee Hee-moon's "Bangmulga" from “Not Alone” project / Courtesy of Lee Hee Moon CompanyBy Kwon Mee-yooGenre-bending musician Lee Hee-moon unveils four new music videos in "Not Alone" project in collaboration with E-Won Art Factory.A classically trained singer of pansori (a Korean narrative musical traditional), Lee is renowned for his eccentric performances combining Korean folk music, jazz and rock.The "Not Alone" project visualizes four of Lee's songs reinterpreting Gyeonggi Minyo, or folk songs originated from Gyeonggi Province.The project began as Lee's attempt to reach audiences in a contact-free way as live performances have been canceled one after another amid the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic. Under the theme of collaboration and communication, Lee joined hands with experts to convey his songs with kitschy imagery.The first video unveiled on Jan. 5 was "Heosongsewol Maleola" by OBSG, Lee's a project group with folk duo NomNom and band Heosongsewol. It uses chroma a key technique to visualize each performer separated due to social distancing, but connected through mus

Jan 18, 2021By Kwon Mee-yoo

Books

Poet Choi Jeong-rye passes away at 66

By Kwon Mee-yoo Poet Choi Jeong-ryePoet Choi Jeong-rye passed away Saturday at the age of 66. Known as one of Korea's most exacting and innovative poets, Choi wrote prose poems drawing strange qualities out of everyday experiences.The poet was diagnosed with a rare blood disease last summer and died from cerebral hemorrhage while fighting the disease.Born in 1955 in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province, Choi studied Korean poetry at Korea University and earned her doctoral degree there. She made her literary debut through "Hyeondae-sihak" (Contemporary Poetics) magazine in 1990 and published poetry collections such as "A Forest of Bamboo in My Ear" (1994), "Tigers in the Sunlight" (2001), "Crimson Field" (2001), "Lebanese Emotion" (2006), "Kangaroo is Kangaroo I am I" (2011) and "Ditch is Dragon's Hometown" (2015)."Light Net" (translated title), published last November commemorating the 30th anniversary of her literary career, became her final publication before death.She received a handful of awards including the Modern Literature Prize in 2007 and the Midang Literary Award in 2015."Instance

Jan 17, 2021By Kwon Mee-yoo

In memory of Choi Jeong-rye (1955-2021)

Travel & Food

Korean cultural heritage gets new brand identity overseas

A sample of a promotional booklet promoting Korea's overseas cultural heritage properties using the “Heritage of Korea” brand identity / Courtesy of Cultural Heritage AdministrationBy Kwon Mee-yooObjects of Korean cultural heritage located overseas received a new integrated brand identity, which will help increase their recognition. The Cultural Heritage Administration (CHA) announced the new brand for overseas cultural heritage, Thursday. According to the Cultural Heritage Protection Act, "overseas cultural heritage" means any objects of cultural heritage taken out of Korea and currently located outside the territory of Korea.The brand identity was inspired by the trigrams ― geon, gon, gam, ri ― used in the Korean national flag. In the logo, the four trigrams are connected like a Mobius strip, symbolizing the historical and cultural exchange that connects the past and the future between Korea and its location. The brand identity's English trademark name is "Heritage of Korea," emphasizing Korea's history that has been handed down to the present.The integrated brand ident

Jan 17, 2021By Kwon Mee-yoo

Arts & Theater

Chang Uc-chin's love for family, nature revisited

Installation view of "House, Family, Nature and Chang Ucchin" at Gallery Hyundai in central Seoul / Courtesy of Gallery HyundaiBy Kwon Mee-yooArtist Chang Uc-chin (1917-90) is one of the most popular Korean modern painters, best known for pursuing childlike innocence throughout his career. Gallery Hyundai is presenting an exhibition commemorating the 30th anniversary of Chang's passing titled "House, Family, Nature and Chang Ucchin.”The exhibit, held in cooperation with the Chang Ucchin Museum of Art in Yangju, Gyeonggi Province, and the Chang Ucchin Foundation, features about 50 works centering on Chang's lifetime themes of family and nature. Chang Uc-chin during his Myeongnyun-dong era (1975-80) / Courtesy of the artist and Gallery HyundaiBorn in Yeongi, South Chungcheong Province, when Korea was under Japanese colonial rule, Chang studied at the Imperial Art Institute in Tokyo, Japan. After learning Western art styles there, Chang established the Neo-Realist Group, a modernist art group, in Korea in 1947. He worked as an art professor at Seoul National University after the 1

Jan 15, 2021By Kwon Mee-yoo

Chang Uc-chin's love for family, nature revisited

Arts & Theater

Musical 'Marie Curie' wins big at Korea Musical Awards

Kang Byung-won, president of Live, speaks after receiving the grand prize for the musical "Marie Curie" at the fifth Korea Musical Awards held at Blue Square in central Seoul, Monday. / Courtesy of Korea Musical AwardsBy Kwon Mee-yoo"Marie Curie," a musical focusing on the female scientist's achievements and her solidarity with her friend Anne, bagged five trophies at the fifth Korea Musical Awards held at Blue Square in central Seoul, Monday."Marie Curie" won the grand prize, awarded to the best Korean musical performed in a theater with more than 400 seats, as well as best director, best script, and best music prizes. The musical's producer Kang Byung-won of Live Corp. received the best producer award. “Marie Curie” centers on the scientist's discovery of the new elements polonium and radium and their benefits in the form of cancer treatment, as well as the side effects of radioactive poisoning. The big win scored by the Korean musical reflects the increasing popularity of stories about women.Director Kim Tae-hyung said Marie Curie was a great scientist who was a two-ti

Jan 13, 2021By Kwon Mee-yoo

Musical 'Marie Curie' wins big at Korea Musical Awards

Arts & Theater

5 plays reflecting contemporary issues staged as ARKO Selection

Play "The Mission of Egg" is staged at ARKO Arts Theater through Sunday as part of the ARKO Selection program. Courtesy of ARKOBy Kwon Mee-yooThe Arts Council Korea (ARKO) presents five new plays as part of its ARKO Selection, a program supporting noteworthy new and revived performing arts productions.ARKO Selection, launched in 2008, aims to discover and nurture new performing arts works. It has supported premieres of 206 shows as of last year. In 2020, 21 shows ― play, dance, traditional art, musical and opera ― were chosen for ARKO Selection. The selected shows won a contest held back in 2019 and were developed for about a year before premiering. "A total of 194 shows applied for the contest and about half of the entries were plays. The five chosen plays will premiere in January after a closed showcase," Hwang Geum-sil of ARKO explained. "ARKO Selection, which enters its 13th year, began as a support program for new plays and then expanded to other genres, such as dance and musical. We are trying our best to establish the selected works and find new markets by selling copyright an

Jan 12, 2021By Kwon Mee-yoo

5 plays reflecting contemporary issues staged as ARKO Selection

Arts & Theater

Museum comes alive through media art

"Jong Jung Dong ? Dong Jung Dong" by Lee Ye-seung shown on the media screens of the COEX Artium. Courtesy of Seoul Foundation for Arts and CultureBy Kwon Mee-yooTraditional Korean objects such as ceramics, clay dolls and small wooden tables come alive through vivid media art displayed on the media screens of the COEX Artium in southern Seoul.The display is artist Lee Ye-seung's "Jong Jung Dong ? Dong Jung Dong," and is part of the Seoul Foundation for Arts and Culture's Seoul Media Art Project.The Seoul Media Art Project is a public project organized in cooperation with Amorepacific's signature luxury brand Sulwhasoo. Sulwhasoo holds the Sulwha Cultural Exhibition every year, reinterpreting Korean traditional culture from a modern perspective as part of the company's social contribution efforts. The Sulwha Cultural Exhibition 2020 is themed "Screen, the overlap of traditions and modern society," providing a glimpse of tradition juxtaposed against urban scenery through digital technology."Jong Jung Dong ? Dong Jung Dong" was the winner of the project along with Pivotal Lab's "Pivotal

Jan 10, 2021By Kwon Mee-yoo

Arts & Theater

How 1988 Olympics shaped Korea's architecture and design

Installation view of "Olympic Effect: Korean Architecture and Design from 1980s to 1990s" at the MMCA Gwacheon / Courtesy of MMCABy Kwon Mee-yooThough held over 30 years ago, the 1988 Seoul Olympics left many legacies in the city from the Seoul Olympic Stadium and the Olympic rings adorning walls of the riverside expressways of Seoul to the downtown skyline on the Olympic marathon course and the industrialization of the design and architectural process."Olympic Effect: Korean Architecture and Design from 1980s to 1990s," a new exhibition at the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Gwacheon (MMCA), examines Korea's modern architecture and design before and after the country's first major international sporting event.MMCA director Youn Bum-mo said the exhibition provides an opportunity to revisit the legacy of international events. "The exhibit expands the visual culture discourse in Korea that have been transformed after the 1980s, centering on architecture and design," Youn said, adding that the museum will continue to seek balance among genres including architecture, desi

Jan 9, 2021By Kwon Mee-yoo

How 1988 Olympics shaped Korea's architecture and design

Trends

Korean studies diversify, expand, thanks to hallyu

By Kwon Mee-yooGlobal superstar boy band BTS not only captivated fans in Korea and abroad, but also brought about fresh attention to Korean studies around the world. It is not difficult to find academic papers on the boy band as seen in papers like "'You Can't Help But Love Them': BTS, Transcultural Fandom, and Affective Identities" by Courtney McLaren and Jin Dal-yong and "Performed intermediality and beyond in the BTS music video 'Idol': K-Pop idol identities in contemporary Hallyu" by Yeogeun Yonsue Kim.As hallyu or the Korean wave breaks through more than ever before with the dual success of K-pop and Korean cinema abroad, the number of schools offering courses on Korea is on the rise. Scholars' research fields have expanded and diversified into various other aspects of the country. The Korea Foundation provides financial support for Korean studies scholars and departments around the world. As of December 2020, 1,411 universities in 107 countries offer Korean studies courses. The number has grown substant

Jan 8, 2021By Kwon Mee-yoo

Kwon Mee-yoo

Read more

Not-to-miss art exhibitions in 2021

Lee Hee-moon unveils 4 new music videos

Poet Choi Jeong-rye passes away at 66

Korean cultural heritage gets new brand identity overseas

Chang Uc-chin's love for family, nature revisited

Musical 'Marie Curie' wins big at Korea Musical Awards

5 plays reflecting contemporary issues staged as ARKO Selection

Museum comes alive through media art

How 1988 Olympics shaped Korea's architecture and design

Korean studies diversify, expand, thanks to hallyu

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