Lifestyle - The Korea Times

Graeme Murphy gives 'Giselle' makeover

A scene from “Giselle” / Courtesty of The Universal Ballet CompanyBy Kwon Ji-younThe Universal Ballet Company (UBC) will stage a new and completely original version of “Giselle” at the Seoul Arts Center June 13 through 17, with choreography and music that approaches the classic from a new direction.“The traditional ‘Giselle’ is probably the least changed of the many great classics, almost as if every note and step has been glued together,” choreographer Graeme Murphy said at a press conference, Wednesday. “I love the original story and I have remained fairly true to it, but I had to imagine it in another world and rediscover a new language of dance.”Murphy, former artistic director of the Sydney Dance Company, has been working with the UBC on “Graeme Murphy’s Giselle _ Love, Death, Vengeance, Salvation,” the world premiere of which will take place on June 13.“I hope the results will liberate the audience to see the classic with fresh new eyes, a new spirit and definitely a new energy,” Murphy sa

May 20, 2015

Around Town 2

 The 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, ch

May 14, 2015By Kim Jae-heun

Around Town 1

  Andrei Gavrilov Piano RecitalSeoul Arts Center*May 22 Russian pianist Andrei Gavrilov will hold a solo piano recital in southern Seoul at the Seoul Arts Center on May 22. Hailing from a multinational family of established artists, Andrei Gavrilov was propelled to superstardom in his late teens after becoming the youngest winner of the prestigious Tchaikovsky Piano Competition. His performance will include a selection of F. Chopin's "Ballades No. 2, 4," A. Scriabin's "Sonata No. 4 in F sharp Major, Op. 30" and "Etude No. 5 in C sharp Minor, Op. 42," S. Rachmaninoff's "Preludes" and "Moment Musical No. 4 in E minor, Op. 16," and S. Prokofiev's "Romeo and Juliet 10 Pieces for Piano, Op. 75." Ticket prices range from 40,000 to 120,000 won. For more information, call (02) 3463-2466 or visit www.sac.or.kr. ‘King Jumong'Seoul Arts Center*June 6-7 The Korea National Opera will hold a production of "King Jumong" at the Seoul Arts Center in southern Seoul on June 6 an 7. Written and composed by Park Young-keun and is the first piece of the New Year for the emin

May 14, 2015By Kim Jae-heun

'Red' of Mark Rothko brought to stage

A scene from play “Red” / Courtesy of Seensee CompanyBy Kwon Mee-yooAbstract Expressionist Mark Rothko (1903-1970) is known for his paintings with deep colors. At first, his paintings might look simple, but Rothko puts all kinds of emotional experience into the overlapping shapes and colors.A major exhibit of Rothko’s work is being held at the Hangaram Art Museum of the Seoul Arts Center in southern Seoul. The exhibit features 50 of Rothko’s paintings from the National Gallery of Art in Washington DC.The exhibit promotes Rothko as "the painter Steve Jobs loved" and celebrities such as Jun Hyo-sung of girl group “Secret,” actress Lee Young-ae and famed director Im Kwon-taek will attend. The approach is contrary to Rothko's emphasis on painting as purely spiritual and emotional.Despite the marketing, Rothko's paintings speak for themselves. The dimly-lit exhibition space is ideal for watching Rothko’s earlier works and his signature color field paintings, accompanied with the classical music he often listened to.In the earliest stage as an arti

May 13, 2015

Kwak, Hwang explore identity through artistic pursuit

Kwak Duck-jun, “Obama and Kwak” (2009) / Courtesy of Gallery HyundaiBy Kwon Mee-yooKorean-Japanese artist Kwak Duck-jun has an ambiguous dual identity. He was born in Kyoto, Japan in 1937 to Korean parents who moved to Japan during the Japanese colonial rule of Korea (1910-1945). He originally had Japanese citizenship, but was forced to change to Korean nationality due to the Treaty of San Francisco of 1951.Kwak was Korean, but he did not speak the Korean language at all. After suffering tuberculosis in his 20s, Kwak unraveled the meaninglessness of life through art.At an exhibition titled "TIMELESS," currently on view at Gallery Hyundai in central Seoul, the 78-year-old artist presents an array of artwork from his earliest conceptual pieces to his signature photographic work of him and presidents of the United States.Hwang Kyu-baik, “Hat in the Sky” (2014) / Courtesy of MMCA"Self-Portrait," a 1978 video piece that brought attention to Kwak as a conceptual artist, is on display on the second floor. In this 13-minute video, Kwak almost brutally rubs his face on

May 11, 2015

Kwak, Hwang explore identity through artistic pursuit

Around Town 2

The 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 b

May 7, 2015

Around Town 1

 Andrei Gavrilov Piano RecitalSeoul Arts Center*May 22 Russian pianist Andrei Gavrilov will hold a solo piano recital in southern Seoul at the Seoul Arts Center on May 22. Hailing from a multinational family of established artists, Andrei Gavrilov was propelled to superstardom in his late teens after becoming the youngest winner of the prestigious Tchaikovsky Piano Competition. His performance will include a selection of F. Chopin's "Ballades No. 2, 4," A. Scriabin's "Sonata No. 4 in F sharp Major, Op. 30" and "Etude No. 5 in C sharp Minor, Op. 42," S. Rachmaninoff's "Preludes" and "Moment Musical No. 4 in E minor, Op. 16," and S. Prokofiev's "Romeo and Juliet 10 Pieces for Piano, Op. 75." Ticket prices range from 40,000 to 120,000 won. For more information, call (02) 3463-2466 or visit www.sac.or.kr.‘King Jumong’Seoul Arts Center*June 6-7The Korea National Opera will hold a production of “King Jumong” at the Seoul Arts Center in southern Seoul on June 6 an 7. Written and composed by Park Young-keun and is the first piece of the New Year for the eminent o

May 7, 2015

Park Soo-keun revisited

Park Soo-keun’s “Two Women and a Tree” is on view at an exhibit commemorating the 50th anniversary of Park’s death at Dongdaemun Design Plaza in Seoul / Courtesy of Dongdaemun Design PlazaBy Kwon Mee-yooPark Soo-keun (1914-1965) is known for paintings portraying the life of Koreans in the mid-20th century. Though he lived in poverty, Park painted the daily life of his family and neighbors with affectionate eyes, such as his wife grinding grain in a millstone, or a fruit vendor.A special exhibit commemorating the 50th anniversary of the death of the painter opened at Dongdaemun Design Plaza’s (DDP) Yigansumun Exhibition Hall in central Seoul, Thursday.The exhibit features 50 of Park's works, including 45 oil paintings and five watercolors. Yu Hong-jun, art historian and emeritus professor at Myongji University, selected works from Park’s oeuvre for the exhibition, along with Gallery Hyundai president Park Myung-ja and Leeum deputy director Hong Ra-young.Park was born in Yanggu, Gangwon Province, and moved to Seoul in 1952, during the Korea

May 1, 2015

Exhibition features reproduced traditional shoes

Traditional shoes with embroidery on silk / Courtesy of YeolYeol Hanok, a foundation preserving Korean heritage, is holding an exhibition featuring traditional shoes reproduced by a master artisan in Gahoe-dong, northern Seoul.Titled "Wearing tradition, Storing Tradition," the exhibition is an extension of a project sponsoring traditional craftsmen. It features the works of traditional shoe maker An Hae-pyo, who was selected as Yeol's "Artisan of the Year" and textile artist Jo Ha-na, who received its "Young Craftsman Award."Interest in traditional shoes had been somewhat lesser than that in traditional clothes. The exhibition for the first time features traditional shoes, Hwahye, reproduced by An. These include a range of shoes, from those worn by kings to common people.Presented along with the shoes are Cho's bags created using traditional paper folding techniques. GRI Korea, which imports shoe brands Nine west and Steve Madden, has been sponsoring the project for five years.“What GRI Korea aims for is to bring people closer to traditional craftsmen and their art in thei

Apr 30, 2015By Kim Bo-eun

Exhibition features reproduced traditional shoes

Around Town 2

The 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 a

Apr 30, 2015By Kim Jae-heun

Arts & Theater

Arts & Theater

Graeme Murphy gives 'Giselle' makeover

Around Town 2

Around Town 1

'Red' of Mark Rothko brought to stage

Kwak, Hwang explore identity through artistic pursuit

Around Town 2

Around Town 1

Park Soo-keun revisited

Exhibition features reproduced traditional shoes

Around Town 2

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