Lifestyle - The Korea Times

Family of deceased artist files suit over museum's claims

By Kwon Mee-yooThe late Chun Kyung-jaThe family of Korean artist Chun Kyung-ja (1924-2015) has filed a suit against the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art (MMCA), furthering a controversy about the authenticity of one of her works.Chun’s family said that the museum has abused the painter’s human rights through its long-held claims that the “Beautiful Woman” in the museum’s collection is one of Chun’s artworks, an assertion which was rebutted by the painter.The “Beautiful Woman” was in a confiscated collection of artworks owned by Kim Jae-gyu, the head of the then Korean Central Intelligence Agency who assassinated President Park Chung-hee in 1979.When the painting appeared in a museum catalog, Chun claimed that it was a fake, but the museum declared the piece to be authentic after a appraisal by an art expert.“Parents can recognize one’s child. That is not my painting,” Chun protested regarding the piece.The nearly forgotten art scandal surfaced again last October with the belated report of Chun’s dea

Mar 29, 2016

Family of deceased artist files suit over museum's claims

Potter exhibits Korean ceramics at Harvard

Namhi Kim WagnerBy Kwon Mee-yooNamhi Kim Wagner, 92, is holding a pottery exhibition at Gallery 224 of the Ceramics Program, Office for the Arts at Harvard in Allston, Mass.The retrospective exhibition features a wide range of pottery from Kim Wagner's career spanning from a Korean language instructor to a master potter.Nancy Selvage, former director of the Ceramics Program, Office for the Arts at Harvard, said, "For the past 40 years Namhi Kim Wagner has enhanced the rich history of Korean ceramics with her passion, creative energy, and innovative explorations."The gallery displays "delicate plates with vibrant stamped patterns, swelling jars encircled with floral carving and large bowls overflowing with big happy fish and lotuses" celebrating Kim Wagner's career."Dynamic tension and harmonic unity characterize the relationships between her refined forms and masterful surface decorations," Selvage said of Kim Wagner's works.Born in Korea in 1923, Kim Wagner grew up in Japan, graduating from Ochanomizu University in Tokyo, Japan and returning to Korea in 1952. She married Choi Byung-

Mar 28, 2016

Potter exhibits Korean ceramics at Harvard

Chung Sang-hwa seeks aesthetics of accumulation

Artist Chung Sang-hwa working in his studio / Courtesy of the artist and Gallery HyundaiBy Kwon Mee-yooThis year’s Art Basel Hong Kong, which wrapped up its three-day run Saturday, was a feast of contemporary art. A record 70,000 visitors — including directors and curators from leading international museums and institutions as well as art patrons and connoisseurs from across the globe — flocked to the fourth edition of Asia’s largest art fair.Among hundreds of works displayed at booths of 239 galleries from 35 countries, the works of Korean Dansaekhwa artist Chung Sang-hwa attracted attention. Dansaekhwa, or Korean monochrome, refers to a genre of abstract art that emerged in Korea in the 1970s and can be characterized roughly by its labor-intensive process and nearly monastic attitude toward painting.The New York-based Dominique Levy Gallery presented a few major works of Chung, which can be described as repetitious vertical and horizontal lines created by folding the canvas, peeling off the paint and filling the uncovered patches with similar tones.“Hi

Mar 27, 2016

Chung Sang-hwa seeks aesthetics of accumulation

Jang Keun-suk to rekindle hallyu fever with 'The Royal Gambler'

Jang Keun-suk shows his thumbs up during the press meeting for historical drama “The RoyalGambler” in Seoul, Thursday. / YonhapBy Park Jin-haiThe “Prince of Asia,” Jang Keun-suk, who has avoided public attention for a year following a tax evasion scandal, will return to the small screen in SBS’s new epic drama “The Royal Gambler.”Jang says he wants to become more than a pretty baby-face image with this fresh start in the 24-episode drama. His previous role in “You’re Beautiful” had earned him wide fandom throughout Asia.Set in the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910), Jang will star as Baek Dae-gil, an abandoned son born to King Suk-jong and a maid. He later clashes with the prince over the throne in the action and romance drama.“Up to now, people remember me as an actor with a pretty face. I have questioned myself as to whether I have been too complacent with that image. I think that the Dae-gil character is one that will help me overcome that fixed image and start anew as an actor,” said Jang during the press confer

Mar 25, 2016

Jang Keun-suk to rekindle hallyu fever with 'The Royal Gambler'

Around Town 2

‘Fanta-Stick’Seoul Fanta-Stick TheaterThroughout 2016 ‘Fanta-Stick’ is performed every day at Seoul Fanta-Stick Theater on an open-ended run. The performance presents representative original Korean music, utilizing traditional Korean instruments to create fusion gugak.Tickets cost 30,000 to 60,000 won. For more information, visit www.fanta-stick.co.kr or call (02)3143-5959. Musical AranggaChungmu Art HallThrough April 10 The musical “Arranga” will be staged at Chungmu Art Hall from Feb. 14 to April 10.Depicting a love story between a king and a commoner, the musical seeks to combine Western rhythms and Korean musical traditions — the musical numbers in Arrangga are a fusion of gugak. Kang Pil-suk and Yoon Hyung-ryul star as King Gaero, and Choi Joo-ri and Kim Da-haeplay Arang.Admission is 66,000 won. For more information, call (02)541-7110 or visit www.ticket.interpark.com. YOULLJeongdong TheaterApr. 1-Dec 31  ‘YOULL,’ the dance performance mixed with drama will be staged at Jeongdong Theater until th

Mar 24, 2016

Around Town 1

‘Do You Like Brahms?’Olympus Hall*Through April 21 Following the success from Olympus Lecture Concert Season 1, a second season is being performed with the music of Brahms. The Musikamia ensemble will lead all the performances until the last one on April, featuring its vocalists and piano section. The ensemble aims to express the sense of purity in their performance, which Brahms always pursued within his music.Brahms composed a number of pieces for piano, chamber ensembles, symphony orchestra, and for vocal and chorus — many of his works have become staples of modern repertoires. Though his music is firmly rooted in the structures of the Baroque and classical masters, Brahms created a new approach to harmony.The ‘Do You Like Brahms’ concert will alternate themes each week, presenting a wide variety of his works.Admission is 33,000 won. For more information, call (02) 6255-3270. ‘SAC 11am Concert’Seoul Arts Center*Through Dec. 8 On every 2nd Thursdays of each month, an “11am Concert” will be staged at Seoul Arts Cen

Mar 24, 2016

Dance performances welcome spring

Universal Ballet Company’s “Swan Lake” / Courtesy of Universal Ballet CompanyBy Kwon Mee-yooThe nation's top dance companies from ballet to contemporary dance are offering their best and new repertoires to welcome the new season. Here is a list of must-see dance performances from various genres ready to delight dance fans. Ballet The nation's two top ballet companies open the new season with major works.First is the Universal Ballet Company (UBC), which stages "Swan Lake" at the Universal Arts Center in eastern Seoul until April 3. The ballet composed by Tchaikovsky is a favorite in Korea.The UBC’s "Swan Lake" is based on the 1895 Marius Petipa-Lev Ivanov edition, which maintains the classical beauty of the piece. A ballerina dances dual roles in "Swan Lake" ― the pure ingenue Odette and the evil but enchanting Odile ― making the lead role more challenging. Still, it is a dream role for many ballet dancers and Swan Lake has become a gateway for budding talents.For this run, the UBC invited the Bolshoi Ballet's principal dancers Ek

Mar 23, 2016

Globalizing Korean history archives

A view of the Jangseogak Archives in the Academy of Korean Studies in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province. / Courtesy of Academy of Korean StudiesLee Bae-yong, president of the Academy of Korean StudiesBy Kwon Mee-yooNestled at the foot of Cheonggye Mountain in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, the Academy of Korean Studies (AKS) is a repository of Korean studies resources with over 170,000 pieces in its collection handed down from Joseon Kingdom (1392-1910).Lee Bae-yong, the 16th president of the AKS, is taking her best shot at rediscovering stories from the archive and publicizing its contents.Lee is a historian who majored in Korean history and served as president of Ewha Womans University and the Presidential Council on Nation Branding before taking the AKS post in 2013."I feel like I am at the place where I am supposed to be," Lee said during an interview with The Korea Times on March 10. Jangseogak ArchivesThe AKS consists of the Graduate School of Korean Studies, the Jangseogak Archive and various research centers centering on Korean studies. The Jangseogak Archive is a

Mar 22, 2016

Four throne halls of Deoksu Palace to open to public next week

A special program to allow the general public to see the interior of four throne halls of Deoksu Palace in central Seoul will kick off from March 29 through April 3, the Cultural Heritage Administration said Tuesday. One of Seoul's five grand palaces built during the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910), Deoksugung, meaning "Palace of Virtuous Longevity," became a palace in 1593 when King Seonjo moved in after all of Seoul's other palaces were destroyed during the Japanese invasion.Visitors taking part in the program will be able to see the inside of the royal halls -- Junghwajeon, Seogeodang, Hamnyeongjeon and Jeonggwanheon. The palace's main throne hall, Junghwajeon, was used for ceremonial occasions such as coronations, and is adorned with dragons and golden window frames.Behind it is the palace's only two-storey non-wooden structure in a grand neoclassical-style, Seogeojeon, designed by a British architect and completed in 1910. King Gojong's living quarters, Hamnyeongjeon, can also be accessed. His death in his living quarters in 1919 sparked off nationwide protests against Japanese

Mar 22, 2016

In memoriam: Lee Sang-moo, father of sports cartoons

The Korea Manhwa Museum in Bucheon, Gyeonggi Province, holds an exhibition to honor the late cartoonist Lee Sang-moo (1946-2016) until April 14. / Courtesy of Korea Manhwa MuseumPoster for retrospective exhibition of the late cartoonist Lee Sang-moo (1946-2016)By Baek Byung-yeulFor Korean cartoon fans who grew up in the 1970s and ‘80s, cartoonist Lee Sang-moo (1946-2016), who suddenly passed away of a heart attack on Jan. 3, will probably always reawaken their distant memories of childhood.With his signature character Dokgo Tak, a boy with a buzzcut who strives to realize his dreams despite many ordeals, Lee gave children hope and taught them never to give up. Though he is widely known for his sports comics, especially baseball-themed ones, Lee also made readers laugh and cry with his family-themed comics.Born in Gimcheon, North Gyeongsang Province in 1946, Lee, whose real name is Park No-cheol, took his first step as a cartoonist in 1963 while still in high school, publishing a four-part cartoon in a local newspaper.After graduating, he moved to Seoul and became an a

Mar 20, 2016

Arts & Theater

Arts & Theater

Family of deceased artist files suit over museum's claims

Potter exhibits Korean ceramics at Harvard

Chung Sang-hwa seeks aesthetics of accumulation

Jang Keun-suk to rekindle hallyu fever with 'The Royal Gambler'

Around Town 2

Around Town 1

Dance performances welcome spring

Globalizing Korean history archives

Four throne halls of Deoksu Palace to open to public next week

In memoriam: Lee Sang-moo, father of sports cartoons

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