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Hyper-realist painter shows latest work

Yun Da-mi’s “Neo vanitas” series of paintings will be on display at the Art Space Scalartium gallery in southern Seoul until June 10.  / Courtesy of Art Space ScalartiumBy Kim Tong-hyungThe Art Space Scalartium gallery in southern Seoul Tuesday opened an exhibition of the latest works of emerging hyper-realist painter Yun Da-mi. The 28-year-old’s paintings are frequently of status symbols such as luxury handbags, chinaware and wine glasses, which double as a commentary on society and 21st-century consumerism.Yun effectively uses the physical elements of the exhibition room to maximize the visual impact of her paintings. A handbag, tie, pearl necklace and diamond-covered earphones may seem to be hanging carelessly on one of the wall, but it’s actually one of Yun’s “Neo vanitas” series of acrylic paintings done on white canvas. The intended deception, according to the artist, was to convey what she sees as empty vanity and the lack of dignity of consumption-driven modern life.The exhibition continues through June 10. For more in

May 20, 2013

'Annual musical awards a mess'

Seol Do-yoonBy Kwon Mee-yooKorea’s performing arts industry, encouraged by a rapidly growing market for musical theater, decided a few years ago that it needed two separate annual awards to celebrate the best work in musicals. The clumsy attempts to create differences between the two have, ever since, been an endless source of nonsense and awkwardness.The Korea Musical Awards (KMA), established in 1995 and held in October every year since, continues to be the weightier event. The Musical Awards (TMA), established 12 years later, has been desperate to establish its own identity and now seems to be taking extreme measures to acquire its own character.TMA is now basically trying to be the Korean equivalent of the Tony Awards, a lavish celebration of Broadway productions and performances. It has limited this year’s entries to large productions, drawing the cut-off line at theaters with a minimum of 400 seats.This is an ill-advised decision because most creative input in the industry is done for work performed in smaller theaters. Only 23 of the 400 musicals staged in Korea la

May 20, 2013

It's a new blue world

These two untitled paintings by Kwon Nyoung-ho are among the artist’s new works to be displayed at Hanbyukwon Gallery in Jongno, central Seoul, starting Tuesday. / Courtesy of Hanbyukwon GalleryVeteran artist Kwon Nyoung-ho talks about blending Korean art with Western techniquesKwon Nyoung-hoBy Baek Byung-yeul A significant part of Korean contemporary art over the past four decades can be summarized as a struggle to bridge the division between traditional styles and Western techniques. Only a few artists have been as successful in these attempts as Kwon Nyoung-ho, whose abstract paintings convincingly convey the minimalism of Korean art. Some of Kwon’s definitive works will be on display at Hanbyukwon Gallery in Jongno, central Seoul, for nine days starting Tuesday. When asked to summarize his critically-acclaimed career that begin in the 1970s, the 58-year-old painter, who is also an established name in Paris, said that “tradition” and “imagination” were the two words he was most concerned about. He explained that the dist

May 17, 2013

Around Town 2: Clubs, Art Exhibitions, Traditional, Kids, Sports Games and Horseracing

ClubsThe 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 the Galleria department stores in the posh district of Apgujeong. For more information, call (02) 549-5490 or visit www.onceinabluemoon.co.kr. Club AnswerCheongdam 

May 17, 2013By Baek Byung-yeul

Around Town 2: Clubs, Art Exhibitions, Traditional, Kids, Sports Games and Horseracing

Around Town 1: Classical Concerts, Museums, Big Tickets, Pop & Jazz, Plays & Musicals and Dance

Classical ConcertsPhillip Herreweghe with the Orchestre des Champs-ElyseesLG Arts Center*June 1-2Belgian conductor Phillip Herreweghe and his orchestra company will perform in Korea for the first time in seven years. While Herreweghe is best known for his interpretation of Bach, he will be performing Mozart’s work thi s time, including Symphony No. 41 “Jupiter” in C Major and “Requiem” in D Minor with the Orchestre des Champs-Elysees. Soprano Im Sun-hae will also perform. Tickets cost 40,000 to 150,000 won. For more information, call (02) 2005-0114 or visit www.lgart.com.Seoul Spring Festival of Chamber Music 2013Sejong Center for the Performing Arts, Seoul Arts Center, Through May 26The 8th annual music festival will feature 50 acclaimed artists from both classical and traditional Korean music circles. Musicians will perform in each of the 13 days under 13 different themes. Garnering most attention is the Tokyo String Quartet’s performance scheduled for May 23 at the Seoul Arts Center. The quartet is planning to retire at the end of this year and

May 17, 2013By Baek Byung-yeul

'Les Mis,' 'Notre-Dame' stars plan gala concerts in Seoul

Bruno PelletierBy Kwon Mee-yooKorean fans of musical theater are falling over productions adapted from the works of Victor Hugo the way they once did for musicals written by Andrew Lloyd Webber. The commercial appeal of the work has the stars of “Les Miserables” and “Notre-Dame de Paris” jointly throwing gala concerts at Sejong Center for the Performing Arts in downtown Seoul on May 25.The concerts will feature six actors from the two musicals based on Hugo’s novels that have been immensely popular in Korea. They will sing 20 songs from the two works along with other musicals such as “Romeo & Juliette” and “Starmania.”Local fans will be delighted to see Bruno Pelletier, the Canadian singer who played Gringoire in the original run of Notre-Dame, performing in Korea for the first time.Matt Laurent, who played the role of Quasimodo more than 500 times since Notre-Dame’s premiere and who joined the musical’s Korean tour in 2006 and 2012, will also perform.Robert Marien, acclaimed for his Jean Valjean in the Les Mis per

May 15, 2013

'Les Mis,' 'Notre-Dame' stars plan gala concerts in Seoul

Fusion isn't confusion

Lee Dong-gi’s “Doggi Dog”Collaboration between dancers, musician, photographer and video artist highlights blurring boundariesBy Kwon Mee-yooContemporary art has been defined by the blurring of boundaries. This is precisely what some distinguished artists, across a range of different fields, intend to express at Seoul’s LG Arts Center Friday and Saturday.The two-day performance, titled “Replica,” is scheduled for Friday and Saturday and features ballerina Kim Joo-won, modern dancer Lee Yong-woo, musician Namgoong Yon, singer-songwriter Moollonkyen, photographer Kang Young-ho, choreographer Jung Young-doo, traditional musician Min Young-chi, media artist Ha Seok-jun and classical music group Ensemble TIMF.The first part of the show, “Cut, Copy & Paste,” will be directed by Namgoong, who aims to provide an ambitious show that crosses modern music with traditional and digital culture. Kim and Lee will dance to Moollonkyeun and Min’s live music, Kang will take their pictures and there will be a video clip on Ha taking pictures.Bal

May 13, 2013

Around Town 1

Classical ConcertsPaul Mauriat Tribute ConcertChunma Arts CenterMay 10The late French musician Paul Mauriat, who led Le Grand Orchestra de Paul Mauriat, was known for his efforts to make classical music more accessible to and better understood by the general public. His album “Love is Blue,” released in 1968, remains his most famous work, topping the Billboard classical charts for five weeks that year. He has written more than 1,100 songs and tunes that were frequently used in movies and commercials. Conductor Jean-Jacques Justanfre will perform some of Mauriat’s most notable works with his Grand Orchestra Jean Jacques Justafre. To get to the venue, take a shuttle bus from Yeungnam University at exit 2 of Banyawol Station, Daegu subway line 1. Tickets cost 60,000 to 130,000 won. For more information, call (053) 810-1527 or visit www.cmac.ac.kr.Seoul Spring Festival of Chamber Music 2013Sejong Center for the Performing Arts, Seoul Arts Center, May 14-26The 8th annual music festival will feature 50 acclaimed artists from both classical and traditional Korean music cir

May 9, 2013By Baek Byung-yeul

Around Town 2

Clubs 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 the 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 as one of t

May 9, 2013By Baek Byung-yeul

Shim Chung on pointed toes

UBC principal dancer Kang Ye-na in the first act of “Shim Chung” / Courtesy of UBCFolktale of blind man and devoted daughter told through ballet Universal Ballet Company (UBC)’s adaption of Korean folktale “Shim Chung” will be staged at the National Theater of Korea starting today through Sunday. / Courtesy of UBCBy Do Je-haeThe world of classical ballet is full of love stories between a man and a woman, but "Shim Chung" is about a different kind of love, shared between father and daughter.The moving story of Shim Chung and her blind father is a folk tale most Koreans become familiar with at an early age. The Universal Ballet Company (UBC) fused it with classical ballet and turned it into a staple at the top Korean ballet troupe.Since its creation in 1986, Shim Chung has been staged more than 200 times, including on a successful tour to Paris in September 2012. The company will stage Shim Chung at the National Theater of Korea, with five performances starting today until Sunday. There will be two performances on Saturday.``Shim Chung has been t

May 8, 2013

Arts & Theater

Arts & Theater

Hyper-realist painter shows latest work

'Annual musical awards a mess'

It's a new blue world

Around Town 2: Clubs, Art Exhibitions, Traditional, Kids, Sports Games and Horseracing

Around Town 1: Classical Concerts, Museums, Big Tickets, Pop & Jazz, Plays & Musicals and Dance

'Les Mis,' 'Notre-Dame' stars plan gala concerts in Seoul

Fusion isn't confusion

Around Town 1

Around Town 2

Shim Chung on pointed toes

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