Lifestyle - The Korea Times

'Aeroport Mille Plateaux' offers tourism of absurd

“Gate 23,” above, and “He (Black)” on display as part of “Aeroport Mille Plateaux” at Plateau in downtown Seoul through Oct. 18./ Coutesy of the artists and PlateauBy Kwon Mee-yooThe summer holiday season is at its peak and the city is rather calm as many people have left on vacation. For those who are still in town, Plateau, Samsung Museum of Art, in central Seoul, has opened an airport — complete with flight information boards and a duty free store — with an artistic twist.The art museum got a new look by Elmgreen and Dragset, an artist duo composed of Michael Elmgreen from Denmark and Ingar Dragset from Norway. The two have a knack for transforming the context of a place such as “Prada Marfa,” a Prada boutique-shaped site-specific installation in the middle of the desert in Marfa, Texas.Their latest project in Seoul converts an urban museum into an airport — but not an ordinary one, including an unreachable gate and a clock that cannot tick.Elmgreen and Dragset visited Seoul two years ago to prepare the ex

Aug 3, 2015

'Aeroport Mille Plateaux' offers tourism of absurd

Exhibition reveals tastes of Korea

Pimatgol used to be a popular restaurant street in Seoul’s Jongno which was demolished in the early 2000s. / Courtesy of Korea FoundationBy Yun Suh-youngWhat would be the most representative of Korean food or dining culture?Many answers come to mind, but no one would disagree with having bap (rice), sool (alcohol), kimchi, and baedal (delivery service) to represent the everyday lives of Korean people.Although these four words don't represent the entirety of Korean culture, they "help reveal the tastes of Koreans and everyday life in modern Korea," according to the Korea Foundation which organized an exhibition called "MA:T - Korean Culture Beyond the Recipe," which will run until Oct. 3 at the Mirae Asset building in Jung-gu, central Seoul. Stainless rice bowl"MA:T" which opened on Aug.1, is a special exhibition planned by the Korea Foundation Global Center to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the organization's establishment, whose role is to nurture cultural exchange between Korea and the international community. Through "MA:T," the foundation aims to reflect on its

Aug 2, 2015

Around Town 2

 Club OctagonNonhyeon 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 VolumeItaewon 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 MoonApgujeong 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 AnswerCheongdam Club Answer, chosen

Jul 30, 2015By Kim Jae-heun

Around Town 1

  Sabine Meyer TrioLG Arts CenterSept. 22Sabine Meyer, who is considered to be one of the most accomplished soloists of today, will be holding a clarinet recital at the LG Arts Center on Sept. 22. / Courtesy of the LG Arts Center Sabine Meyer, who is considered to be one of the most accomplished soloists of today, will be holding a clarinet recital at the LG Arts Center on Sept. 22. Born in Germany, Meyer made her debut at the age of 16, and subsequently continued her career as a member of first the BayerischeRundfunk Symphony Orchestra, then with the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra as solo clarinetist. By then, however, her star had already begun to rise to previously unexplored heights, so much so that she embarked on a new career as a solo artist. Since then, she has performed numerous concerts, collaborated with other notable artists, and been in countless radio and television appearances all over the world. Ticket prices range from 40,000 to 90,000 won. For more information, call (02) 2005-0114 or visit www.lgart.com. Jo SumiSejong Center for the Performing Art

Jul 30, 2015By Kim Jae-heun

New Asian Arts Theatre explores contemporary geopolitical diversity

Frie Leysen, left, curator of the upcoming Asian Arts Theatre in Gwangju, explains the 2015-16 season program "Our Masters" at a press conference at the Foreign Press Center in central Seoul, Tuesday. On the right is Asian Arts Theatre artistic director Kim Seong-hee. / YonhapBy Kwon Mee-yooThe Asian Arts Theatre (AAT), part of the new Asia Culture Center in Gwangju, announced its 2015-16 season program which begins in September. It will highlight milestones in contemporary performing arts and current issues in Asia.The season consists of two major sections ― "Our Masters" and "Asia Window." The Our Masters program is curated by Belgian festival director Frie Leysen, who has been at the forefront of discovering new forms of theater. Asia Window is co-organized by five curators from five different Asian countries, representing the vibrancy of performing arts across Asia.Kim Seong-hee, artistic director of the theater, said the two programs complement each other, providing a better understanding of Asia from the perspective of inside and outside as well as past and prese

Jul 28, 2015By Kwon Mee-yoo

New Asian Arts Theatre explores contemporary geopolitical diversity

Museum features 'Hangeul in novels'

A visitor looks at material on display at the exhibition “Hangeul in Novels” at the National Hangeul Museum in Seoul, July 20. / Courtesy of National Hangeul MuseumBy Baek Byung-yeulEver since King Sejong of the Joseon Kingdom (1392-1910) created “Hangeul” or the Korean alphabet in 1443, the phonetic alphabet has been used by Koreans in everyday life.In the present day, writing in Hangeul is taken for granted but it wasn’t until a few decades ago that Korean people became free to use their own script because the nation was under Japan’s colonial rule (1910-1945).To celebrate Korea’s 70th anniversary of liberation and to shed light on the value of Hangeul, the National Hangeul Museum provides a glimpse into the development of the process of writing literature with a special exhibition “Hangeul in Novels.”Nestled beside the National Museum of Korea in Yongsan, Seoul, the museum opened last October with the mission of enabling Korean culture to flourish around the world.Though the means of writing a novel has evolved from using penci

Jul 28, 2015By Baek Byung-yeul

Artists celebrate Korea-Russia ties

Han Sung-pil’s “Illusionary Pagoda” / Courtesy of Wooyang Museum of Contemporary ArtBy Kwon Mee-yooGYEONGJU ― Russian contemporary art is relatively unknown in Korea, but a new exhibition at Wooyang Museum of Contemporary Art in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Province, sheds light on artistic relations between Russia and Korea, commemorating the 25th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two nations.Titled "Real in Irreal: Russia-Korea Media Art Today," the exhibition features works of six Russian artists and six Korean artists covering a wide range of media art including photography, computer graphics and video art.Kim Young-ho, the co-curator of the Moscow Biennale's special project "Reverse Point Asia, and Andrey Martynov, the Moscow Biennale Art Foundation General Director, co-organized the exhibit as art directors along with the Wooyang Museum curator Park Ji-hyang.Martynov said this is going to be a stepping stone for future cultural exchanges between the two countries. Martynov showed his interest in Korean art for years and currently serves as a judge

Jul 26, 2015

Marco Zunino razzle-dazzles in 'Chicago'

Marco Zunino performs in the musical “Chicago.” / Courtesy of Seensee Company  Marco ZuninoBy Kwon Mee-yooTwo murderesses in black, sexy costumes sing vaudeville-style music written by John Kander and Fred Ebb and dance to slick routines choreographed by Ann Reinking in the smash-hit musical "Chicago."The second-longest-running Broadway show is also a hit in Korea, enjoying sold-out runs since its premiere here in 2000. A touring production of the musical is now on at the Haeoreum Hall of the National Theater of Korea on Namsan Mountain in central Seoul.Though the two murderesses headline the show with efforts to seek publicity using their infamy, "Chicago" cannot be completed without Billy Flynn -- the "silver-tongued prince of the courtroom" who gets the showgirls acquitted -- played by Marco Zunino from Peru in this production.The show features a stellar cast from the Broadway production, including Terra C. MacLeod playing the strong-willed Velma Kelly and Dylis Croman as the murderous and ingenious Roxie Hart, along with Zunino.Zunino was the first Latin Ame

Jul 24, 2015

Marco Zunino razzle-dazzles in 'Chicago'

AROUND TOWN 2

Club OctagonNonhyeonNear 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 VolumeItaewonOffering 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 MoonApgujeongOnce 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 AnswerCheongdamClub Answer, chosen as one of the five hottest clubs in Seoul

Jul 23, 2015

AROUND TOWN 1

Jo SumiSejong Center for the Performing ArtsSept. 11Jo Sumi, Korea’s foremost soprano, will be holding a concert at the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts, Sept. 11.  / Courtesy of SMI EntertainmentJo Sumi, Korea’s foremost, Grammy Award-winning soprano, will be holding a concert at the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts on Sept. 11 to mark the release of her first popular music-based album. Through her impressively resounding and clear voice, Sumi has accrued a remarkable resume as one of the leading sopranos of today. For this particular concert, she will be accompanied by, among others: harmonica player Jeon Jae-duk, vocalist Sohyang, Korean musical actor Yoon Yeong-suk, and the Gwacheon Symphony Orchestra, led by Choi Yeong-sun. Ticket prices range from 50,000 to 150,000 won. For more information, call (02) 3461-0976 or visit smi-entertainment.com. MischaMaiskySeoul Arts Center*Sept. 2Legendary Latvian-born Israeli cellist MischaMaisky will hold a solo concert at the Seoul Arts Center, Sept. 2. / Courtesy of CrediaLegendary Latvian-born