Lifestyle - The Korea Times

INTERVIEW From 'dansaekhwa' to future: Kukje Gallery founder reflects on decade of change, road ahead

“It blew my mind that a 90-year-old artist was still wielding a chainsaw to carve wooden sculptures. And her use of color — it was unlike anything I had seen in Korea.” That was the reaction of Lee Hyun-sook, founder and chairperson of Kukje Gallery in Seoul, upon first encountering nonagenarian artist Kim Yun-shin’s work in 2023 — a series of freestanding wooden assemblages with organic forms reminiscent of sprouting plants or sacred totem poles. For decades, much of the sculptor’s creative labor remained in the shadows of the international art scene, even escaping the eyes of a seasoned gallerist like Lee. Why? Because Kim had been a “missing” figure, quite literally, since her spontaneous relocation to Buenos Aires in 1984 in search of an ideal material. That all changed last year when Kukje Gallery, along with Lehmann Maupin, announced their joint representation of the artist — her first-ever partnership with commercial dealers. Just months later, eight of Kim’s wooden and onyx sculptures were featured in the 60th International Art Exhibition of the Venice Bienna

Mar 25, 2025By Park Han-sol

[INTERVIEW] From 'dansaekhwa' to future: Kukje Gallery founder reflects on decade of change, road ahead

Young artists from Korea, Canada join hands to create historical musical 'R:LINK'

GAPYEONG — Young artists from Korea and Canada are joining hands to create the historical musical "R:LINK,” based on the Battle of Kapyong, now known as Gapyeong, during the 1950-53 Korean War. Celebrating the 2024-2025 Korea-Canada Year of Cultural Exchanges, students and professors from Korea’s Hanyang University and Canada’s University of Saskatchewan, Capilano University and First Nations University of Canada are co-writing and producing the musical to commemorate the battle. During the Battle of Kapyong, fought in April 1951, the vastly outnumbered United Nations forces — primarily Canadian, Australian and New Zealand — checked the Chinese advance on Korea’s capital, Seoul. “This year is the 80th anniversary of Korea’s liberation, the 75th year since the Korean War started and marks 62 years of relations between Korea and Canada. When I visited Canada last year … what really surprised me was that so many Canadians remember Gapyeong; they know the name and about the battle. They haven't forgotten,” Culture Minister Yu In-chon said during the event launching the

Mar 21, 2025By Lee Gyu-lee

Young artists from Korea, Canada join hands to create historical musical 'R:LINK'

Artist Park Soo-keun's 1962 memorabilia return to Korea, gifted to museum

Important archival materials related to renowned Korean modern painter Park Soo-keun (1914-65) have been donated to the Park Soo Keun Museum in Yanggu, Gangwon Province. The three items — a New Year’s card and its original envelope, sent by Park in 1962, and a leaflet from his solo exhibition that same year — were originally owned by the U.S.-based collectors Robert and Sandra Mattielli. Having formed a personal bond with the artist, the couple gifted these pieces to the Overseas Korean Cultural Heritage Foundation (OKCHF), which later transferred them to the museum’s collection. The seasonal greeting card, addressed to Sandra Mattielli, features the handwritten message “Seasons Greetings” along with Park’s signature “Soo Keun Park” on the front. Inside, it showcases a print by the artist depicting two kite flyers. Similar cards with the same print were sent to fellow painter Lee Ung-no (1904-89), but the Mattielli card is particularly noteworthy as it retains the original postmarked envelope, providing a precise date of December 1962, according to the OKCHF. Meanwhile,

Mar 20, 2025By Park Han-sol

Artist Park Soo-keun's 1962 memorabilia return to Korea, gifted to museum

Little toad, big milestone: Korean Pavilion to trace 30-year journey at Venice Architecture Biennale

“Little toad, little toad / I’ll give you an old home / Give me a new one.” This timeless folk song — long cherished by generations of Korean children as they built tiny homes from soil — inspires the Korean Pavilion exhibition at the upcoming Venice Architecture Biennale. “The song’s lyrics reflect a cycle of architectural renewal through the alternating words ‘old home’ and ‘new home.’ We’ve adopted this theme to represent the past and future of the pavilion as it marks its 30th anniversary,” said Chung Da-young during a Monday conference. Chung is one of three curators from Curating Architecture Collective (CAC), alongside Kim Hee-jung and Jung Sung-kyu, who will oversee this year’s show. The Venice Biennale, which alternates annually between art and architecture, is a dual-format event, composed of its flagship International Exhibition and an array of national pavilion showcases, each organized by the respective home country. Only 29 nations have permanent pavilions in the Giardini — the biennale’s main site, set within a sprawling parkland — while t

Mar 19, 2025

Little toad, big milestone: Korean Pavilion to trace 30-year journey at Venice Architecture Biennale

18th-century moon jar fetches $2.8 mil. at New York auction

An 18th-century Korean moon jar from the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910) has sold for $2.83 million (4.1 billion won) at Christie’s New York auction Tuesday, surpassing its pre-auction estimate of $1.8 to $2.5 million.

Mar 19, 2025By Kwon Mee-yoo

18th-century moon jar fetches $2.8 mil. at New York auction

Galleries Art Fair set for largest edition yet amid market slowdown

As Korea's longest-running homegrown art event, the Galleries Art Fair is gearing up for its biggest edition ever this April, even as the art market continues to face sluggish sales.

Mar 18, 2025By Park Han-sol

Galleries Art Fair set for largest edition yet amid market slowdown

From supermarkets to state funerals: How Wael Shawky reframes history, religion

In his 2005 video series “The Cave,” Egyptian artist Wael Shawky strides through bustling supermarkets in Istanbul, Amsterdam and Hamburg, vigorously reciting a chapter from the Quran from memory — his voice echoing through the aisles as puzzled locals look on.

Mar 13, 2025By Park Han-sol

Arts & Theater

Arts & Theater

INTERVIEW From 'dansaekhwa' to future: Kukje Gallery founder reflects on decade of change, road ahead

Young artists from Korea, Canada join hands to create historical musical 'R:LINK'

Artist Park Soo-keun's 1962 memorabilia return to Korea, gifted to museum

Little toad, big milestone: Korean Pavilion to trace 30-year journey at Venice Architecture Biennale

18th-century moon jar fetches $2.8 mil. at New York auction

Galleries Art Fair set for largest edition yet amid market slowdown

From supermarkets to state funerals: How Wael Shawky reframes history, religion

Top ballerino demands unpaid holiday wage, exposing poor conditions for dancers

Hole-ridden folding screen, bridal robe regain their splendor after restoration

Artists reimagine nature's earthly grandeur

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