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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

Gyeonggi minyo master Lee Eun-ju passes away at 98

Lee Eun-ju, master of Gyeonggi minyo, which is designated Intangible Cultural Heritage No. 57 / Courtesy of Cultural Heritage AdministrationBy Kwon Mee-yooLee Eun-ju, a master of Gyeonggi minyo ― Korean folk music from the Gyeonggi region ― passed away Monday at the age of 98. Lee died of old age. Lee was the last living of the three first-generation-designated master singers of Gyeonggi minyo, along with Ahn Bi-chwi who passed away in 1997 and Muk Gye-wol who died in 2014.Lee was designated as a master of Intangible Cultural Heritage No. 57 for her abilities in Gyeonggi minyo in 1975 and dedicated her life to transmission and propagation of folk songs of the Gyeonggi region. Gyeonggi minyo is a modern version of "japga," which refers to vulgar songs enjoyed by commoners in the late Joseon era. Gyeonggi minyo was popular around Seoul and Gyeonggi Province in the early 20th century in a broader sense. Intangible Cultural Heritage No. 57 status refers specifically to "Gyeonggi Gin Japga" (Long Miscellaneous Songs of Gyeonggi). There are 12 songs included in "Gyeonggi Gin Japga" and the

Nov 3, 2020By Kwon Mee-yoo
Gyeonggi minyo master Lee Eun-ju passes away at 98
Arts & Theater

Kim Joo-won's 'Sagunja' explores relationships through dance

A scene from “Sagunja ― Seasons of Change” / Courtesy of Jeongdong TheaterBy Kwon Mee-yooKim Joo-won is an unparalleled dancer in Korea. She spent 15 years at the Korea National Ballet as a principal dancer and instead of settling for the top position at the troupe, she left the company in 2012 to pursue her own artistry. Encompassing a wide range of dance from classical ballet to contemporary and Korean traditional dance, Kim is open to collaboration with artists in other genres. She appeared as the woman in the yellow dress in musical "Contact," Lisa in play "L'appartment" and portrayed edgy artist Jade in multidisciplinary performance "The Picture of Dorian Gray." She also ventured out as a creative director and producer, while continuing to dance. She organized the Korean premiere of Frederick Ashton's "Marguerite and Armand" in 2013 and produced an original performance combining tango and ballet "Tango Ballet 3 Minutes: Su Tiempo” last year.The 43-year-old dancer now presents “Sagunja ― Seasons of Change,” a performance combining dance with music an

Nov 2, 2020By Kwon Mee-yoo
Kim Joo-won's 'Sagunja' explores relationships through dance
Arts & Theater

Literature meets art in Busan Biennale

Nho Won-hee presents two murals “On the Street” and “The Beginning of Words” on the walls of the former American Cultural Center building, now the Busan Modern History Museum, as part of the Busan Biennale 2020. Courtesy of Busan BiennaleBy Kwon Mee-yooBUSAN ― The 40―step stairway in Jungang-dong, Busan, is a historic landmark, having served as a meeting point during the 1950-53 Korean War when refugees flocked to the southern city, while Yeongdo Harbor is living proof of the southern port city's unique maritime culture and shipbuilding industry.The Busan Biennale 2020 provides new perspectives on the familiar city through literature, art and music, placing art throughout the streets of Jungang-dong and in an abandoned warehouse in Yeongdo Harbor. Danish curator Jacob Fabricius helmed this year's Busan Biennale as artistic director, spending months in the port city despite the pandemic. Fabricius came up with the theme for this year's biennale "Words at an Exhibition ― an exhibition in ten chapters and five poems," that interweaves literature and visual art Af

Oct 29, 2020By Kwon Mee-yoo
Literature meets art in Busan Biennale
  • Marnie Weber brings whimsical world to Busan
Trends

ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL Significance of 70

By Kwon Mee-yooThe Korea Times celebrates its 70th anniversary this year, reaching this milestone number, which was traditionally considered the benchmark age of longevity in Korea.The number has various meanings. It is a symbolic number of longevity, with big celebrations held in honor of those turning 70. In Korea, the number also relates to the 1970s, a crucial moment in the country's turbulent modern history. Being 70 years oldTraditionally a person turning 70 years old was called "gohui" in Korean, or the “Rare Age of the Olden Times,” as written in Chinese poet Du Fu's poem "Meandering River." In the poem, Du Fu wrote, "It has ever been rare for man to live to 70.""Confucius also mentioned being 70 in The Analects, saying 'At 70, I could follow what my heart desired, without transgressing the boundaries of right,'" said Lee Bae-yong, the chairperson of the Seowon Conservation and Management Foundation. "As you see being 70 is the age you get everything balanced and what you do does not overstep the line. However, it was the standard of the past and we might need som

Oct 27, 2020By Kwon Mee-yoo
[ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL] Significance of 70
Arts & Theater

Lee Kun-hee's love for art founded Leeum

Louise Bourgeois's "Maman" is installed at the Leeum, Samsung Museum of Art, founded by the late Lee Kun-hee. Korea Times fileBy Kwon Mee-yooThe late Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Kun-heeSamsung Electronics Chairman Lee Kun-hee, who passed away Sunday, not only built the global tech giant, but also collected a wide range of artwork and supported artists such as Paik Nam-june. Lee was an avid collector of fine art, especially ancient Korean art. His love for art was inherited from his late father Lee Byung-chull, the founder of Samsung, who mainly collected antique art pieces such as celadon. Lee succeeded to Lee Byung-chull's collection and grew it into a larger one including about 20 National Treasures, making him the biggest individual collector of such rare artefacts. Lee promoted a project to collect 100 National Treasures between the 1980s and '90s to heighten the value of his collection. According to the former vice director of the Ho-Am Art Museum who assisted Lee and his father in their collection of antiques, he was fond of "baekja," or white porcelain, and spared no expe

Oct 26, 2020By Kwon Mee-yoo
Lee Kun-hee's love for art founded Leeum
  • Business, political moguls mourn death of Samsung Group chief
Arts & Theater

The Russian who witnessed Empress Myeongseong's assassination

This photo shows the main gate and buildings of the Russian legation in Seoul , designed and constructed by Afanasy Seredin-Sabatin (1860-1921), after its completion in 1891. Courtesy of Cultural Heritage AdministrationBy Kwon Mee-yooAt the early dawn of Oct. 8, 1895, Empress Myeongseong, wife of King Gojong of Joseon, was assassinated by Japanese in the incident now known as "Eulmi Sabyeon." Japan at first denied involvement in this incident, but a testimony from a Russian turned the tables. Afanasy Ivanovich Seredin-Sabatin (1860-1921), who was a guard for the royal family and on sentry duty at the palace at that time, witnessed what happened and recorded what he has seen. "'Pro-Japanese' Joseon military trained by Japan occupied the Gyeongbok Palace. Japanese assassins murdered women who are assumed to be the empress and royal concubines. The triumphant 'Pro-Japanese' wing practically imprisoned Joseon's king," Seredin-Sabatin wrote in his testimony, along with a map of the palace describing where the assassination happened and background diplomatic information he believed to caus

Oct 25, 2020By Kwon Mee-yoo
The Russian who witnessed Empress Myeongseong's assassination
Arts & Theater

Architect duo transforms museum into playground

Architect duo stpmj's "The Surface" is installed at the Sculpture Garden of the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Gwacheon. Courtesy of MMCABy Kwon Mee-yooThe sloped grass field in the Sculpture Garden of the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Gwacheon, has gained a new installation, providing a refreshing experience placed between the museum's natural surroundings and visitors.The new raised and leveled plain design was created by architect duo stpmj and was selected to be part of the MMCA Gwacheon Project. Inaugurated this year, the MMCA Gwacheon Project aims to invigorate the museum's outdoor space and reinforce the Gwacheon branch's characteristics. Located in Seoul Grand Park along with the Seoul Grand Park Zoo and Seoul Land amusement park, MMCA Gwacheon focuses on family-friendly exhibitions and education programs with its outdoor Sculpture Garden. MMCA director Youn Bum-mo said the site-specific Sculpture Garden will embrace seasonal changes from autumn to winter and spring. "It will provide the experience of an artistic shelter where visitors can c

Oct 20, 2020By Kwon Mee-yoo
Architect duo transforms museum into playground
Arts & Theater

Koo Jeong-a explores possibility of luminosity

Koo Jeong-a's fluorescent skate park "Resonance" is installed at PKM Gallery in Seoul. Courtesy of the artist and PKM GalleryBy Kwon Mee-yooKoo Jeong-a's solo exhibition "2020" at the PKM Gallery presents a form of “dual existence.” With the lights on, there are yellowish white monochrome paintings. When the lights are turned off every 15 minutes, luminous stars emerge on the screens. Titled "Seven Stars," the glow-in-the-dark painting series reminds viewers of stars in the sky, taking them to an illusion of three-dimensional outer space in the dark. "The series evokes the notion of a parallel universe as it appears differently in the light and dark with its infinite presence defined by the condition and duration of the projected light," the curator of the exhibit said. This exhibit marks the second solo exhibition of the internationally renowned artist in Korea, following "ajeongkoo" at the Artsonje Center in 2017.Koo transforms familiar space into whimsical, imaginative art. "Since the late 1990s, with a belief that nothing is merely ordinary, Koo has been incorporating

Oct 19, 2020By Kwon Mee-yoo
Koo Jeong-a explores possibility of luminosity
Arts & Theater

Park Re-hyun's life as 'Triple Interpreter' - artist, wife and interpreter

Installation view of Park Re-hyun's retrospective “Triple Interpreter” at National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Deoksugung / Courtesy of MMCABy Kwon Mee-yooPark Re-hyun (1920-1976) is one of the first modern artists in Korea, having studied at the Women's Academy of Fine Arts in Tokyo in the early 1940s and holding her first solo exhibition in 1946. However, her second solo exhibition was about 30 years later in 1974, when she presented her works with her husband Kim Ki-chang.A retrospective on Park on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of her birth at the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art (MMCA), Deoksugung, sheds light on the pioneer of modern art who experimented with Korean-style printmaking and tapestry.The exhibit's title "Park Rehyun Retrospective: Triple Interpreter" comes from her wearing many hats ― an artist, wife and artistic partner of the hearing-impaired artist Kim.Park studied art in Tokyo during the Japanese occupation of Korea, but pursued modern and abstract painting and print combining Korean traditional elements. Despite her

Oct 18, 2020By Kwon Mee-yoo
Park Re-hyun's life as 'Triple Interpreter' - artist, wife and interpreter
Music

CelloGayageum bridges music of East and West

CelloGayageum's cellist Sol Daniel Kim performs during Jeongdong Theater's Korean music incubation program. Courtesy of Jeongdong TheaterBy Kwon Mee-yooThe cello and gayageum (Korean 12-stringed zither) are representative string instruments of Western and Korean music, respectively. CelloGayageum, a duet of Austrian cellist Sol Daniel Kim and Korean gayageum player Yoon Da-young, pursues an extraordinary collaboration between East and West featuring the two similar yet different instruments.Yoon, who majored in gayageum at the Korea National University of Arts, had a chance to teach the Korean zither at the Korean Cultural Center in Berlin in 2016. "Though I attended an art university, there was not much exchange between the School of Music and School of Korean Traditional Arts. It was the first time I listened to chamber music so closely in Berlin and performed with a cello," Yoon said during an interview with The Korea Times, Oct. 5."We thought the sound of the cello and gayageum went well with each other and suggested collaboration without a specific purpose. That's how our first

Oct 15, 2020By Kwon Mee-yoo
CelloGayageum bridges music of East and West
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