Around Town 2

The Octagon

Nonhyeon

Near the New Hilltop Hotel in Nonhyeon, this club is notable for its stylish interior and elite clientele. The venue offers a club stage, lounge bar and dining area to satisfy any night out after work or on the weekend. Near exit 4 of Hakdong Station on subway line 7. For more information, call (02) 516-8847.

Club Volume

Itaewon

Offering a venue for specially-themed weekly events and world-class DJs, Club Volume is located in the Crown Hotel near Noksapyeong Station. Club Volume was listed by Time magazine among the “10 things to do in 24 hours in Seoul.” For more information, call 1544-2635.

Once in a Blue Moon

Apgujeong

Once in a Blue Moon is one of the best known and well established jazz clubs in the city. It features live jazz sets from two different bands every night, usually starting at 7:30 p.m. It is located between the Hakdong intersection and Galleria department stores in the posh district of Apgujeong. For more information, call (02) 549-5490 or visit www.onceinabluemoon.co.kr.

Club Answer

Cheongdam

Club Answer, chosen as one of the five hottest clubs in Seoul by CNN, provides a spacious interior and brilliant lighting systems, with world renowned DJs filling the stage. Club Answer is located in the classy area of Cheongdam, a district known to lead the party culture of Seoul. Located near exit 13 of Cheongdam Station on subway line 7. For more information, call (02) 514-4311 or visit www.clubanswer.co.kr.

Club Ellui

One of the largest clubs in Asia and located under Hotel Ellui, world-class DJs such as Alex Kenji and Ferry Corsten feature in weekend lineups. Located near exit 13 of Cheongdam Station on subway line 7. For more information, call 1577-9669 or visit www.ellui.net.

Luv Superlounge

Nestled in the heart of Itaewon, Luv Superlounge offers a wide selection of drinks, and a solid sound system with resident DJ Andi Numan from New Zealand. Located near exit 1 of Itaewon Station on subway line 6. For more information, call (02) 794-8898 or visit ko-kr.facebook.com/luvsuperlounge.

Club Double Eight

Sinsa

Opened in 2010, Club Double Eight takes clubbing to a whole new level. Located in Gangnam, it provides diverse hotel promotions and features weekend lineups with global DJs. Located near exit 1 of Sinsa Station on subway line 3. For more information, call (02) 543-8803 or visit cafe.naver.com/doubleeight.

Club Mute

Club Mute is a boutique club with exquisitely designed decorations and a custom-tailored sound system. Located near exit 1 of Itaewon Station on subway line 6. For more information, call (02) 796-6853 or visit www.clubmute.com.

Dojo

Work hard, play hard and sleep later. Lying underground Noxa in the thriving Kyonggridan neighborhood, Dojo is the latest edition to the clubbing nightlife in Seoul. Popular local DJs offer nonstop tunes for energetic dancing until dawn with weekday drink specials and enthusiastic crowds of longtime expats. For more information, call (02) 790-1334.

‘Hwanhee’

Gyeonggi Arts Center

Through Aug. 22

The Gyeonggi Arts Center is currently hosting a series of traditional Korean dance and musical performances through August 22. This exciting venture, which got off to a vigorous start with a thunderous performance on March 21, centers on telling traditional Korean tales through the medium of traditional dance and music. A selection of past performances include: “Eunwolloo,” a story that hinges on the parallels of loneliness of human nature to that of the moon; “Buchaechum,” also known as the fan dance, which constitutes one of the most frequently performed Korean folk dances, usually performed by a group of female dancers in coordination; and “Nongakmoo,” a dance, typically enjoyed by farmers in the bygone years, that was performed with extra alacrity so as to invigorate them while working in the field and alleviate their exhausted spirit. Tickets cost 14,000 won. For more information, call (031) 230-3200 or visit www.ggac.or.kr.

‘All (is) Vanity’

Seoul Museum of Art

Through Aug. 9

The Seoul Museum of Art is currently holding an exhibition on the symbolism of Vanitas in the arts through August 9. Vanitas refers to a particular school of artistic symbolism, popularized in seventeenth-century Europe, particularly in Flanders. Translated from Latin as “vanity,” in its antediluvian sense of the word, Vanitas works of art sought to demonstrate the utter futility of life on Earth and the pursuits, pleasures, and aspirations of earthly life.

Consequently, the most common motifs found in early Vanitas paintings included the human skull, burning candles, and decaying flowers. While such morbid references may seem unpleasantly macabre and a distant, outdated reality, one can draw plenty of parallels to the seventeenth century’s preoccupation with man’s mortality with the twenty-first century’s consumerist and impersonal societal landscape.

To be sure, the benefits of modern existence are manifold. Yet while such advantages can only come with the adoption of a fast-paced, individualistic life, they are often enjoyed to the detriment of interpersonal connections. As such, no other time in history does the idea of fleeting value and consequence as embodied by the Vanitas genre seem more appropriate than in the hollow meaninglessness of 2015.For more information, call (02) 395-0100 or visit www.seoulmuseum.org.

‘Magnum’s First’

The Museum of Photography, Seoul

Through Aug. 15

To herald in the 130th anniversary of bilateral relations between Korea and France in 2016, a retrospective photography exhibition will be held at the Museum of Photography from April 4 to Aug. 15. Organized in part by Magnum Photos, one of the world’s most eminent photography agencies, “Magnum’s First” will feature photo-essays composed of original black and white vintage prints shot by the eight iconic photo journalists featured: Henri Cartier-Bresson, Marc Riboud, Inge Morath, Ernest Haas, Jean Marquis, Werner Bischof, Robert Capa, and Erich Lessing. Located near exit 2 of Mongchontoseong Station on subway line 8. For more information, call (02) 0418-1315 or visit www.photomuseum.or.kr.

‘The Republic of Korea: Embracing North Korean Posters’

Modern Design Museum

Through July 21

The Modern Design Museum is currently holding an exhibition titled “The Republic of Korea: Embracing North Korean Posters” through July 21. In honor of the seventieth anniversary of Korean independence from Japanese colonial rule, this exhibition will display posters that encapsulate each decade since the division of the Korean peninsula from both countries as a point of comparison. Tickets cost 3,000 won for adults, and 2,000 won for children. For more information, call (070) 7010-4346 or visit www.designmuseum.or.kr.

‘The Liminal Space’

Gallery Baton

Through Aug. 1

“Mies Van De Rohe Interior with Chair” by Eamon O’Kane will be on display at Gallery Baton through August 1. / Courtesy of Gallery Baton

Gallery Baton is currently holding an exhibition that highlights the work of three up-and-coming Irish painters through August 1. Among the featured painters: Carol Anne McGowan, a graduate from N.C.A.D. in 2006, has been featured at various prominent venues and exhibitions, such as the Kunstraum Kreuzberg/ Bethanian in Berlin and the Royal Hibernian Academy’s 178th Annual Exhibition in Dublin. In addition, David O’Kane studied in Leipzig under Professor Neo Rauch, a preeminent German artist, and has lived up to the public’s regard for his rising star with numerous awards, scholarships, and residencies. Meanwhile, Eamon O’Kane, who rounds out the Irish artistic trifecta, works mostly with themes of memory and travel, and dabbles in large-scale panoramas in his work. For more information, call (02) 597-5701 or visit www.gallerybaton.com.

‘Playmobil Art’

Seongnam Arts Center

July 25-Oct. 11

The Seongnam Arts Center will be holding an exhibition centered on Playmobil toys through July 25 to October 11. Familiar to millions of children around the world, Playmobil figurines first made their debut in 1975, and have come to rival other successful toy lines. The exhibition will incorporate a myriad of artists from Korea, France, Italy, and Austria, who will rework classic paintings and photographs, running the gamut of Monet to the Beatles’ famed Abbey Road snapshot, by using Playmobil toys to replace the subjects. Tickets cost 12,000 won for adults, 10,000 won for students, and 8,000 won for children. For more information, call (02) 3143-4360 or visit

www.iqbox.co.kr.

‘Visual Scandal’

KT&G Sangsangmadang Gallery

Through Aug. 30

A comprehensive exhibition featuring a lifetime’s worth of work by preeminent graphic artist Raymond Savignac is currently being held at the KT & G Sangsang Madang Gallery through August 30. One would be hard-pressed to find anyone who is unable to identify an original Savignac poster, for his use of explosively vivid colors, and humorous wit and simplicity are emblematic of the French illustrator’s modus operandi. Tickets cost 7,000 won. For more information, call (02) 330-6223 or visit www.sangsangmadang.com.

‘Andy Warhol Live’

DDP

Through Sept. 27

A retrospective exhibition, the very first of its kind in Korea, on the iconoclastic work of American artist Andy Warhol is currently on display at DDP through September 27. While best known as a behemoth figure in the visual art movement of the 1960s known as pop art, Andy Warhol dabbled in many forms and media of art, such as printmaking, silk screening, film, and music. He first kicked off his career in the 1950s with his whimsical drawings for commercial advertisements, a period during which he began to hone his artistic style. Among the countless cultural relics from Warhol’s collection on display will be his most prominent paintings from the 1960s, which depict objects, events, and personalities that typify the iconic culture and status of America, such as Campbell’s Soup Cans, Coca-Cola bottles, mushroom clouds, and Marilyn Monroe. Tickets cost 15,000 won for adults, 12,000 won for teenagers, and 8,000 won for children. For more information, call (02) 515-5662 or visit www.ddp.or.kr.

‘Sandro Chia: Fantasy and Myths’

Seoul Arts Center*

July 3-Oct. 4

The Seoul Arts Center will hold an exhibition of the work of the Italian artist July 3-October 4. Born a year after the bloody end of the Second World War, Sandro Chia is commonly touted as the “international reference of Italian transavantgarde art” as the leading figure in a movement that has spawned so many Italian neo-expressionist maestros. After traveling through Europe and India following his graduation from the Accademia di Belle Arti in Florence in 1969, Sandro Chia began exhibiting his work as “mythical conceptual art.” This exhibition will be making its run in Seoul after successful turns in Singapore, Hong Kong, Manila, and New York. It is divided into four sections that will each delve more deeply into the inspiration, style, and psychology of a most enigmatic yet brilliant artist. Tickets cost 13,000 won. For more information, call (02) 1666-3539 or visit www.sac.or.kr.

Fernando Botero

July 11-Nov. 4

“The Street” by Fernando Botero will be on display at the Seoul Arts Center from July 11 to November 4. / Courtesy of the Seoul Arts Center

The Seoul Arts Center will be holding an exhibition of Fernando Botero’s work from July 11 to November 4. Botero is a figurative artist and sculptor from Colombia. He is prevalently considered to be the most recognized artist alive today hailing from Latin America. Botero’s endearing artistic style, which sees him molding or painting figures in extremely rotund, corpulent form, has enchanted people from all walks of life for many decades, and will be sure to captivate Korean visitors as well. Tickets cost 13,000 won for adults, 10,000 won for adolescents and 8,000 won for children. For more information, call (02) 580-1300 or visit www.sac.or.kr.

‘World Press Photo’

Busan Cultural Center

Aug. 1-30

Denish photographer Mads Nissen’s the World Press Photo of the Year 2014 contest-winning photo will be displayed at the Busan Cultural Center from August 1 to 30. / Courtesy of World Press Photo

The Busan Cultural Center will host an exhibition of photography taken and created by World Press Photo, an independent based in Amsterdam that most famously holds the world’s largest and most prestigious press photography contest. Past entries from previous years will be on display for viewers to enjoy, including the finalists for this year’s photography contest. Tickets cost 10,000 won. For more information, call (02) 2038-2267 or visit www.wpph.co.kr.

The Children’s Museum

National Museum of Korea

Open Run

The Children’s Museum run by the National Museum of Korea provides an opportunity for children to see the lifestyles of Koreans in the past. The museum also exhibits duplicated versions of Korea’s national treasures, which visitors can touch. In the “hands-on” activity room, children can play traditional Korean music instruments. Located near exit 2 of Ichon Station, subway line 4 and Jungang Line. Admission is free. For more information, visit www.museum.go.kr.

Gwacheon National Science Museum

Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province

The museum has revamped its programs, highlighted by a wider variety of natural history items such as dinosaurs and also items on space technology. Located near exit 5 of Seoul Grand Park Station, subway line 4. Tickets cost 2,000 won for children and 4,000 won for adults. For more information, call (02) 3677-1500 or visit www.sciencecenter.go.kr.

KBO League

Friday, July 3

Kia Tigers vs. KT Wiz

Suwon KT Wiz Park at 6:30 p.m.

LG Twins vs. Samsung Lions

Daegu Baseball Stadium at 6:30 p.m.

NC Dinos vs. Hanwha Eagles

Hanwha Life Eagles Park at 6:30 p.m.

SK Wyverns vs. Lotte Giants

Sajik Baseball Stadium at 6:30 p.m.

Nexen Heroes vs. Doosan Bears

Jamsil Baseball Stadium at 6:30 p.m.

Saturday, July 4

Suwon KT Wiz Park at 6 p.m.

Daegu Baseball Stadium at 6 p.m.

Hanwha Life Eagles Park at 6 p.m.

Sajik Baseball Stadium at 6 p.m.

Jamsil Baseball Stadium at 6 p.m.

Sunday, July 5

Gwacheon Seoul Race Track

The Gwacheon Seoul Race Track holds races from 10:30 a.m. to 5:10 p.m., every Saturday and Sunday. Get off at Seoul Racecourse Park Station, subway line 4, exit 3. For more information, call (02) 509-1114 or visit www.kra.co.kr.