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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

Oswaldo Guayasamin captures passion of Latin America

Installation view of Ecuadorian artist Oswaldo Guayasamin's first solo exhibition in Korea at the Savina Museum of Contemporary Art / Courtesy of Savina Museum of Contemporary ArtBy Kwon Mee-yoo"Self-Portrait" (1950) by Oswaldo Guayasamin / Courtesy of Savina Museum of Contemporary ArtOswaldo Guayasamin (1919-99) is an artist who represents Ecuador. Dubbed as “the Picasso of Latin America,” he is best known for his Cubist-styled depictions of Latin American people fighting injustice.Despite his reputation across Latin America, Guayasamin is lesser-known in Korea. A few of his works have been featured in Latin American art exhibitions, but his fierce artistic practice has not had a chance to be introduced to Korea yet. The "National Painter of Ecuador: Oswaldo Guayasamin" exhibition at the Savina Museum of Contemporary Art in northwestern Seoul sheds light on the oeuvre of this Latin American artist. The exhibition features some 89 works of Guayasamin, taken out of Ecuador under the permission of the Ecuadorian government as his works are considered cultural heritage there

Dec 22, 2020By Kwon Mee-yoo
Oswaldo Guayasamin captures passion of Latin America
Arts & Theater

2020 top news in art: COVID-19 deals blow to auction sales

Busan Biennale, held from September to November, was one of the few international art events that opened despite the COVID-19 pandemic. Courtesy of Busan Biennale.By Kwon Mee-yoo1 Public museums closed for half yearThe National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea (MMCA) is currently on hiatus upon guidelines from the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism that have forced the shutdown of state-run museums as a precautionary measure against COVID-19. In fact, the museum's Seoul and Deoksu Palace branches have been closed for over 170 days this year, repeatedly opening and closing doors in accordance with the spikes and declines of the number of COVID-19 cases. Other public museums also face a similar situation and many long prepared, highly anticipated exhibitions cannot be seen by visitors.2 Exhibitions go onlineAs museums were advised to shut down to prevent spread of coronavirus, they tried to reach art lovers via various online platforms. "Our major concern was how to present art in a contact-less way while the museum is physically closed. We tried to devise ways to exhi

Dec 21, 2020By Kwon Mee-yoo
2020 top news in art: COVID-19 deals blow to auction sales
Arts & Theater

Korean artists receive attention in Turkey

A view of virtual edition of Contemporary Istanbul / Courtesy of Contemporary IstanbulChun Kwang-young featured as Contemporary Istanbul's headlinerBy Kwon Mee-yooContemporary Istanbul (CI), Turkey's leading art fair, will open a virtual edition Dec. 21, featuring works of renowned Korean artists, including Chun Kwang-young.The event, which was scheduled to take place this week at the Istanbul Convention and Exhibition Center, saw a change in plan after the COVID-19 pandemic failed to subside. The organizers decided to go two-track, hosting a virtual edition of the event from Dec. 19 to Jan. 6 and pushing back the physical event to April 2021.The fair's director Melih I?smail I?nan said the virtual edition will try to reproduce the same experience as visiting a physical fair. "The virtual fair provides the chance for galleries to get in contact with collectors and artists within the platform. They can use chats to ask about artwork and even invite art advisors or friends to join and talk about the artwork together. This is something that has never been done before in online art fairs

Dec 18, 2020By Kwon Mee-yoo
Korean artists receive attention in Turkey
Arts & Theater

Korea's lantern festival becomes UNESCO intangible cultural heritage

A baby Buddha statue and lanterns of the four heavenly guardians of Buddhism lead a Yeondeunghoe, or Lotus Lantern Festival parade in 2018. Courtesy of Cultural Heritage AdministrationBy Kwon Mee-yooYeondeunghoe, the Lotus Lantern Festival, held every year to celebrate Buddha's Birthday, was listed by UNESCO as an Intangible Cultural Heritage, Wednesday, becoming Korea's 21st intangible cultural heritage recognized by UNESCO.According to the Cultural Heritage Administration (CHA), the lantern festival was included on the list during the 15th session of the Intergovernmental Committee of the Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Heritage, the same day. The event was held at UNESCO headquarters in Paris as well as online due to the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic."It is with great pleasure that the evaluation body highly commends Yeondeunghoe for its function in encouraging dialogue among communities and cultures, which lead sto enhancing the visibility of intangible cultural heritages in general," Chung Jae-suk, an administrator of the CHA, said. "I do anticipate that the spirit o

Dec 16, 2020By Kwon Mee-yoo
Korea's lantern festival becomes UNESCO intangible cultural heritage
Arts & Theater

Korean cultural heritage that traveled overseas the most on exhibit

"Tile with Landscape Design" from Baekje era is on display at Buyeo National Museum. Courtesy of Buyeo National Museum By Kwon Mee-yoo"Tile with Landscape Design" from the BC 18―660 AD Baekje Kingdom portrays an idyllic landscape with waves, mountain, trees and clouds with a hermit and his house. It is a major relic from the Baekje era and a frequent feature in overseas Korea-themed exhibitions. According to research by the Cultural Heritage Administration (CHA) and the National Museum of Korea (NMK), the Baekje tile, designated as Treasure no. 343 along with other decorative tiles discovered together, topped the list of the most frequently sent out of the country, spending 6,408 days abroad during its 22 trips from 1960 to 2019. The "Horse Rider-shaped Vessels" from Silla era, National Treasure no. 91, came in second, traveling eight times for 2,650 days, followed by the National Treasure no. 83, "Pensive Bodhisattva."Ahn Hwi-joon, professor emeritus of the Departm

Dec 15, 2020By Kwon Mee-yoo
Korean cultural heritage that traveled overseas the most on exhibit
Arts & Theater

National Ballet to appeal against unfair dismissal of dancer for breaking quarantine

Former Korean National Ballet member Na Dae-han. By Kwon Mee-yooLabor authorities have ruled that Na Dae-han, a former dancer of the Korean National Ballet (KNB) fired for violating self-quarantine rules in February, was wrongfully dismissed. The National Labor Relations Commission (NLRC) reconvened and concluded that he was unfairly dismissed in October, taking the dancer's side.The NLRC said Na's violation of self-isolation and traveling to Japan during the period violated the duties of obedience and dignity maintenance in public service regulations and thus provided grounds for disciplinary action. But, the commission reached the conclusion that his act wasn't a cause for dismissal under the company's collective agreement and the troupe's discharge of Na was an abuse of its discretion on dismissal. The NLRC took into consideration that the ballet company did not warn members about the significance of self-quarantine regulations and other members who also violated

Dec 14, 2020By Kwon Mee-yoo
National Ballet to appeal against unfair dismissal of dancer for breaking quarantine
Books

How bestsellers have changed during COVID-19 pandemic

The top five bestselling books of 2020 from online bookshop Interpark include from left: “The Having,” “John Lee's Habits to Build Wealth,” “The Property of Money,” “Almond and The Cakewalk Series” and “Stock Market Investing.” Courtesy of InterparkBy Kwon Mee-yooAs people spend more time at home amid the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic, they are turning to books, which brought some changes to this year's book sales trends. The unprecedented situation impacted how readers choose what book to read. Three major Korean booksellers interpreted the interest readers took in education and investment as a response to difficult times as they try to navigate a path towards an uncertain future caused by the pandemic. Kyobo Book Centre, the largest bookstore chain in Korea, identified five key themes related to the popular books of 2020: Pandemic, Aloneness, Contactless, Stock Market and Education. Online bookstore Yes24's summarized the year in five hashtags: #WithCorona, #Homeschooling, #AgeofInvestmentTechnique, #HybridCulture and #Media

Dec 13, 2020By Kwon Mee-yoo
How bestsellers have changed during COVID-19 pandemic
Arts & Theater

Cultural heritage institute launches English magazine

By Kwon Mee-yoo Cover of the first issue of "NRICH.” Courtesy of NRICH The National Research Institute of Cultural Heritage (NRICH) released the first issue of NRICH, an English magazine on Korean cultural heritage research projects, on Nov. 30. Founded 51 years ago, the institute is an affiliate of the Cultural Heritage Administration, which focuses on comprehensive research related to Korea's cultural heritage. It has collaborated with various domestic and international organizations as well. The launch of the new English magazine comes from the institute's efforts to publicize its work to preserve and utilize Korean cultural properties abroad. "Compared to these domestic and overseas activities, there is a lack of media promoting cultural heritage research achievements to people around the world. NRICH magazine was published in the form of an English-language magazine so that people around the world can access the news more quickly and easily," it said in the state

Dec 11, 2020By Kwon Mee-yoo
Cultural heritage institute launches English magazine
Arts & Theater

Lee Hun-chung takes ceramic furniture beyond practicality

Installation view of Lee Hun-chung's exhibition "Born Without Making" at Park Ryu Sook Gallery in Seoul / Courtesy of Park Ryu Sook Gallery By Kwon Mee-yooArtist Lee Hun-chung is difficult to define with one word. He is a ceramist, sculptor and architect whose work ranges from ceramic art furniture to large-scale installations on the faraway Portuguese archipelago of the Azores. In his new exhibition "Born Without Making" at Park Ryu Sook Gallery on Mt. Nam, Lee explores the themes of solitude and relationships in his ceramic sculptures created around the theme “island.” On the wall is the text of poet Chong Hyon-jong's poem "Island." It reads, "There is an island between people. I want to visit that island."Lee's ceramic stools, benches and tables are scattered around the gallery space, like islands floating on the sea."These ceramic objects have functions as chairs or tables. But I think of them as bridges," Lee told The Korea Times. "I liked how Chong's poem saw

Dec 11, 2020By Kwon Mee-yoo
Lee Hun-chung takes ceramic furniture beyond practicality
Arts & Theater

Performing arts industry takes blow from strengthened social distancing in peak season

Social distancing seating at Jayu Theater, Seoul Arts Center / Courtesy of Seoul Arts Center By Kwon Mee-yooThe year's end is typically a big season for the theater industry, but the COVID-19 pandemic has marred this year's mood as the resurgence of infections has seen the tightening of social distancing rules, delivering a blow to theaters. With COVID-19 infections spiking, and the Seoul Metropolitan Government and the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency raising the alert level in early December, the Korea Performing Arts Box Office Information System (KOPIS) announced that the number of theatrical tickets sold so far this year was 66,000, approximately one fourth of the corresponding period last year of 1.1 million.The number is likely to drop further as most shows have been halted for three weeks to comply with the government's effort to control the spike in COVID-19 infections. According to the newly imposed five-tier social distancing scheme, starting f

Dec 10, 2020By Kwon Mee-yoo
Performing arts industry takes blow from strengthened social distancing in peak season
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