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[Classical Concerts]‘SAC 11am Concert’Seoul Arts Center*Until Dec. 8On every second Thursday of each month, an “11am Concert” will be performed at the Seoul Arts Center. Chong Park will host the shows with commentary, and coffee will be provided for free. With distinct soloists for each concert, the Korean Symphony Orchestra will perform at all of the concerts.Tickets cost 20,000 to 25,000 won. For more information, visit sac.or.kr or call (02) 580-1300. ‘La Traviata’Sejong Center for Performing ArtsNov. 8-13“La Traviata” directed by Henning Brockhaus and conducted by Sebastiano De Filippi is performed at Sejong Center for Performing Arts Nov. 8 to 13. “La Traviata” is an opera in three acts by Giuseppe Verdi set to an Italian libretto by Francesco Maria Piave, and is known as one of opera’s greatest romances. The November performances will feature baritone Carlo Guelfi as Giorgio Germont, tenor Luciano Ganci as Alfredo Germont and soprano Gladys Rossi as Violetta Valery.Tickets cost 30,000 to 280,000 won. Fo

Sep 22, 2016

Lights spotlighted at Maison et Objet

Visitors take photos inside the “Forest of Resonating Lamps” at the Maison & Objet exhibition in Paris, Sept. 5. / Korea Times photos by Yun Suh-young16 Korean brands participate this yearBy Yun Suh-young PARIS -- Entering a dark room full of glowing mushroom-shaped lights, visitors marveled at the scene. And they "Instagrammed" it.This light exhibition "Forest of Resonating Lamps -- One Stroke" by teamLab was the highlight among those attending the  annual Maison et Objet exhibition, the main event part of the Paris Design Week held Sept. 3 to 10. Maison & Objet took place Sept. 2 to 6 in Nord Villepinte, a convention center an hour outside of Paris. Other events were held in four other locations around the city.Although unintended, the protagonist this year of the annual interior and design exhibition seemed to be the "Forest of Resonating Lamps." Light was just one of the five themes exhibited in the seven halls of the convention center, yet received the most public attention, much attributed to the resonating lamps exhibition.Visitors browse the Henr

Sep 21, 2016

Changwon biennale reaches out to art lovers

An opening performance of Changwon Sculpture Biennale 2016 directed by Kim Baek-ki / Courtesy of Changwon Cultural FoundationBy Park Jae-hyukAs modern art tends toward the abstract, it becomes less approachable to the general public, and most contemporary art exhibitions have often been considered as festivals for a handful of artists, disregarding the experience of visitors.Changwon Sculpture Biennale 2016 challenges this handicap and tries to interact with more art appreciators.“Sculptures to be displayed in the Changwon biennale are much easier to understand than those of other exhibitions,” the biennale’s artistic director Yoon Jin-sup told The Korea Times last week. “Visitors will feel comfortable with comprehensible art pieces depicting human bodies and animals.”The biennale will be held at one outdoor and two indoor venues in Changwon, South Gyeongsang Province, Sept. 22 to Oct. 30. Titled “We create things, things create us,” the festival carries the message that everyday objects can have aesthetic value through interaction with artis

Sep 19, 2016By Park Jae-hyuk

Changwon biennale reaches out to art lovers

Forgotten abstract painter Choi Wook-kyung revisited

Choi Wook-kyung’s “Reject” (1974) / Courtesy of Kukje GalleryArtist Choi Wook-kyung / Korea Times fileBy Kwon Mee-yooArtist Choi Wook-kyung (1940-1985) was a person with rare intelligence in the Korean art scene of the 1970s.She was an outsider in the Korean art community, while the Dansaekhwa (Korean monochrome painting) and the sociopolitical Minjung art prevailed. Her position was unrivaled then as well as now since she was responsible for expanding the scope of Korean abstract art, especially Abstract Expressionism.An exhibition titled "American Years 1960s-1970s" at Kukje Gallery K2 in downtown Seoul sheds light on the highly gifted artist who died young. The exhibit features 70 paintings and collage works solely from the period when Choi resided in the United States between 1963 and 1978.Kim Sung-won, artistic director of Asia Culture Center in Gwangju, organized the exhibit as a guest curator."Choi achieved her own style in the States, but her works were unappreciated in the Korean art scene which was split between the avant-garde artists of Dansaekhwa and pe

Sep 12, 2016

Forgotten abstract painter Choi Wook-kyung revisited

Taipei Biennial explores locality of Asia

 An installation view of Taipei Bieenial 2016 at the Taipei Fine Arts Museum  / Courtesy of Taipei Biennial  By Kwon Mee-yoo TAIPEI ― The 10th edition of the Taipei Biennial shedding light on a pan-Asian vision in the international contemporary art scene opened Saturday at the Taipei Fine Arts Museum (TFAM) in Taipei, Taiwan.The history of the Taipei Biennial goes back to 1998, making it one of the oldest ones in Asia, following Korea's Gwangju Biennale.Ping Lin, director of TFAM, emphasized that the Taipei Biennial is organized by an art museum, not an independent body for a biennial."We asked the question of what a biennial is and the role of museum as an organizer. It is not just a breakthrough, but an extension," Lin said. "This is the 10th edition of Taipei Biennial and in Chinese culture, 10 is an important number symbolizing roundness."Ham Kyung-ah’s “Needling Whisper, Needle Country,” “Big Smile” and “SMS Series in Camouflage”Among some 150 biennials across the globe, the Taipei Biennial seeks to position itse

Sep 11, 2016

Taipei Biennial explores locality of Asia

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[Traditional] ‘Fanta-Stick’Seoul Fanta-Stick TheaterThroughout 2016 “Fanta-Stick” is performed daily at Seoul Fanta-Stick Theater on an open-ended run. The performance presents original representative Korean music, using traditional Korean instruments to create fusion gugak. Park Ji-hoon, Lee Seok-jae, Kwon Hyun-soo and Na Jung-suk play the main roles of Jangdan and Saemachi. The show also features Yang Ye-rim, Kim Jee, Kim Sae-jin, Yoon Sung-hwan, Kim Byung-soo and Shin Kwang-hee.Tickets cost 30,000 to 60,000 won. For more information, visit fanta-stick.co.kr or call (02) 3143-5959. ‘YOULL’Jeongdong TheaterUntil Dec. 31 “YOULL,” a dance performance mixed with drama, will be staged at Jeongdong Theater until the end of 2016.The performance will bring a wide range of traditional modes of expression together, including Korean dance, theater, music and martial arts. By applying the heroic fantasy genre to this production, Jeongdong Theater hopes to broaden its popular appeal. Actors Jeon Jin-hong, Lee Hyuk, Park Ji-yeon

Sep 8, 2016

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[Classical Concerts] ‘SAC 11am Concert’Seoul Arts Center*Until Dec. 8On every second Thursday of each month, an “11am Concert” will be performed at the Seoul Arts Center. Chong Park will host the shows with commentary, and coffee will be provided for free. With distinct soloists for each concert, the Korean Symphony Orchestra will perform at all of the concerts.Tickets cost 20,000 to 25,000 won. For more information, visit sac.or.kr or call (02) 580-1300. ‘La Traviata’Sejong Center for Performing ArtsNovember 8-13“La Traviata” will be performed at the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts from November 8 to 13. / Courtesy of Sejong Center for Performing Art “La Traviata” directed by Henning Brockhaus and conducted by Sebastiano De Filippi is performed at Sejong Center for Performing Arts Nov. 8 to 13.“La Traviata” is an opera in three acts by Giuseppe Verdi set to an Italian libretto by Francesco Maria Piave, and is known as one of opera’s greatest romances. The November performances will fea

Sep 8, 2016

Expanding scope of art

“Window” by mixriceBy Kwon Mee-yooThere has been an age-long controversy over whether art can be graded and rated, but prestigious art awards across the globe hint at what is going on in contemporary art and what artists are doing. In Korea, the Korea Artist Prize (KAP), currently ongoing at the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art (MMCA) Seoul, plays this role.This year, Kim Eull, 64, Back Seung-woo, 43, Ham Kyung-ah, 50, and mixrice, an artist duo consisting of Cho Ji-eun, 41, and Yang Chul-mo, 39, were selected in February to take part in the KAP 2016 exhibition.  The four candidates came up with new works with funding from the SBS Foundation, which co-hosts the annual art awards with MMCA. Though each employs a distinctive approach, they all provide a slice of the vibrant contemporary Korean arts scene simmering with a wide range of experiments. The winner among the four will be announced on Oct. 13 and awarded with 10 million won in prize money.“Galaxy” by Kim Eull / Courtesy of MMCA Kim constructed "Twilight Zone Studio," a two-story

Sep 5, 2016

2016 Gwangju Biennale not spectacular but thoughtful

Celine Condorelli’s “On the Right and on the Left (Without Glasses)” is on display at the 2016 Gwangju Biennale. Courtesy of Gwangju BiennaleMaria Lind, 2016 Gwangju Biennale artistic directorBy Kwon Mee-yooGWANGJU ― People might expect large installations and visual spectacles at contemporary art biennales, but some of organizers take the opposite approach, and the 11th Gwangju Biennale (GB11) has fresh food for thought instead of eye-catching attractions.Titled "The Eighth Climate (What does art do?)," GB11 employs emptiness and imagination instead of spectacle to unleash contemplation on contemporary art.GB11's artistic director Maria Lind from Sweden re-imagined Asia's largest contemporary art festival based on a kaleidoscopic nature.Dora Garcia’s reconstruction of “Nokdu Bookstore” / Courtesy of Gwangju Biennale"I am not particularly interested in spectacle for the sake of spectacle," Lind said during the press conference for GB11, Thursday. "If I engage with it, it has to be smarter than a normal spectacle."The spectacle Lind prepar

Sep 4, 2016

2016 Gwangju Biennale not spectacular but thoughtful

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[Traditional] ‘Fanta-Stick’Seoul Fanta-Stick TheaterThroughout 2016“Fanta-Stick” is performed daily at Seoul Fanta-Stick Theater on an open-ended run. The performance presents original representative Korean music, using traditional Korean instruments to create fusion gugak. Park Ji-hoon, Lee Seok-jae, Kwon Hyun-soo and Na Jung-suk play the main roles of Jangdan and Saemachi. The show also features Yang Ye-rim, Kim Jee, Kim Sae-jin, Yoon Sung-hwan, Kim Byung-soo and Shin Kwang-hee.Tickets cost 30,000 to 60,000 won. For more information, visit fanta-stick.co.kr or call (02) 3143-5959. ‘YOULL’Jeongdong TheaterUntil Dec. 31“YOULL,” a dance performance mixed with drama, will be staged at Jeongdong Theater until the end of 2016.The performance will bring a wide range of traditional modes of expression together, including Korean dance, theater, music and martial arts. By applying the heroic fantasy genre to this production, Jeongdong Theater hopes to broaden its popular appeal. Actors Jeon Jin-hong, Lee Hyuk, Park Ji-yeon and Cho Han

Sep 1, 2016

Arts & Theater

Arts & Theater

AROUND TOWN 1

Lights spotlighted at Maison et Objet

Changwon biennale reaches out to art lovers

Forgotten abstract painter Choi Wook-kyung revisited

Taipei Biennial explores locality of Asia

AROUND TOWN 2

AROUND TOWN 1

Expanding scope of art

2016 Gwangju Biennale not spectacular but thoughtful

AROUND TOWN 2

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