Lifestyle - The Korea Times

Clubs, Traditional, Art Exhibition, Kids, Sports games

Clubs  The OctagonNonhyeon-dongNear the New Hilltop Hotel in Nonhyeon-dong 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. DojoKyoungridan-gilWork hard, play hard, sleep later! Lying underground Noxa in the thriving Kyoungridan neighborhood, Dojo is the latest edition to the clubbing nightlife in Seoul. Popular local DJs offer nonstop tunes for energetic dancing until dawn with weekday drink specials and enthusiastic crowds of longtime expats. For more information, call (02) 790-1334. W.E. ListenSamcheong-dongThis cafe reinterprets traditional Korean dessert

Nov 15, 2012

Classical Concerts, Big Tickets, Museum, Pop and Jazz, Plays&Musicals

Classical Concerts Bolshoi Theatre Soloists ConcertSeoul Arts Center*Nov. 16-17Soloists of the Bolshoi Theatre — soprano Anna Aglatova, mezzo soprano Svetlana Shilova, tenor Oleg Dolgov, and baritone Mikhail Diyakov — will hold a concert, led by Anatoly Levin. In the first part, “Overture,” “Habanera,” and “Seguidilla” of opera “Carmen” will be performed. In the second, Koreans’ favorite opera songs such as “La Donna e Mobile“ from “Rigoletto,” “Nessun Dorma” from “Turandot,” and “The Flower Duet” from “Lakme” will be sung. Tickets cost 40,000 to 150,000 won. For more information, call (02) 2650-7481 or visit www.sacticket.co.kr. Andrei Gavrilov & St. Petersburg State SymphonySejong Center for the Performing Arts*Nov. 27St. Petersburg State Symphony and pianist Andrei Gavrilov will perform under the direction of Vladimir Lande in their Seoul concert. They will perform Glinka’s “Rouslan & Ludmilar Overture,” Tchai

Nov 15, 2012

Van Gogh revisited (3)

This is the third in a series of Vincent van Gogh’s works that will be featured as part of the works currently on display at the exhibition titled “Van Gogh in Paris: a Dialogue with Modernism” at Seoul Arts Center. ― ED.Vincent van Gogh moved to Paris in March 1886 to join his brother Theo. Soon after moving there, he started to explore his neighborhood. He lived in Montmartre, home to many artists. He painted several landscapes of Paris, including “Path in Montmartre” (1886) shown above. Changing from dark hues from his Realist paintings in the Netherlands, Van Gogh experimented with colors. Oil painted on cardboard, the painting shows a variety of colors ― foreground in beige; sky in pink and mint; and a man in blue and gray. Such contrast in color gives depth to Van Gogh’s works.Experts estimate the piece was created around April or May of 1886, inferred by apple blossoms on the left side of the painting.

Nov 14, 2012

Van Gogh revisited (2)

This is the second in a series of Vincent van Gogh’s works that will be featured as part of the works currently on display at the exhibition titled “Van Gogh in Paris: a Dialogue with Modernism” at Seoul Arts Center. ― ED.Before heading to Paris in March 1886, Vincent van Gogh was a realist painter mostly using dark colors, as seen in this "Head of a Woman" (1885) from the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam.It is one of a series of peasant paintings he produced from 1884 to 1885. Most of these portraits show rough features, such as “coarse, flat faces, low foreheads and thick lips, not sharp but full,” according to the museum.However, Van Gogh's brother Teo criticized the works as being too dark, and he realized that he needed to switch to brighter colors in order to succeed. It provided a catalyst for change for Van Gogh and he explored the potential of the use of color while he was in Paris.

Nov 13, 2012By Kwon Mee-yoo

Jeong-dong: historic hideaway where East meets West

A photo taken by Walter Hillier, then British consul-general in Seoul, is on display at the exhibition “Jeong-dong in 1900” at the Seoul Museum of History through Jan. 20. / Courtesy of Seoul Museum of HistoryBy Chung Ah-youngA trail less than a kilometer from the periphery of Seoul City Hall to Sinmun Road in the Jeong-dong area is one of few spots where one can calmly stroll amid the hustle and bustle of downtown Seoul. But its birth was as dark as the fate of the Joseon Kingdom (1392-1910).The Seoul Museum of History, located in the area, is showing the historical vicissitudes of Jeong-dong at the dawn of modern Korea through the exhibition “Jeong-dong in 1900” through Jan. 20, 2013.It is showcasing some 300 historical relics to celebrate the museum’s 10th anniversary event, including 28 that were presented to the Universal Exposition, a world fair held in Paris in 1900.This photo shows the interior of the Korean pavilion at the Universal Exposition, a world fair held in Paris in 1900Starting with the establishment of the United States&rsquo

Nov 13, 2012

Jeong-dong: historic hideaway where East meets West

Van Gogh revisited (1)

This is the first in a series of Vincent van Gogh’s works that will be featured as part of the works currently on display at the exhibition titled “Van Gogh in Paris: a Dialogue with Modernism”at Seoul Arts Center. – ED.By Kwon Mee-yooDutch painter Vincent van Gogh’s serious, self-searching gaze is evident in this “Self-Portrait with Grey Felt Hat.”(1887)This oil-on-cotton painting is one of the 60 works that are on display at “Van Gogh in Paris: a Dialogue with Modernism” exhibition at the Hangaram Design Museum in Seoul Arts Center, southern Seoul. The exhibition sheds light on the Dutch painter’s stay in Paris from March 1886 to February 1888 during which he established the style of dynamic brush strokes and vivid use of color.The painting is one of the nine self-portraits in the exhibition. Van Gogh painted 36 self-portraits throughout his life and 27 of them were created when he was in Paris, where he had to draw himself because he lacked money to pay models.

Nov 12, 2012

Rediscovering landscapes at Plateau

Kim So-ra’s “Landscape: A diffusing movement gradually distancing from a single point” is on exhibit with Rodin’s “The Burghers of Calais” at Plateau in downtown Seoul as a part of “(Im)Possible Landscape” exhibit. The exhibition reinterprets the idea of landscape painting and runs through Feb. 3, 2013./ Courtesy of PlateauBy Kwon Mee-yooLandscape paintings are considered conventional and boring among many in the cutting-edge contemporary art scene. “(Im)Possible Landscape,” a new exhibition by 13 artists at Plateau in downtown Seoul, challenges such stereotype.“This exhibit is designed to reinterpret contemporary art through landscapes. We thought it could be a way of overcoming the dilemma of contemporary art, which is caught in self-contradiction,” Ahn So-yeon, deputy director of Plateau, said. “We feature a new concept of landscapes at this exhibition.”Kim So-ra maximized the use of introductory space where Rodin’s “The Gates of Hell” and “The Burghers o

Nov 12, 2012By Kwon Mee-yoo

Trailblazing ballerino

Mariinsky Ballet soloists Olesya Novikova and Kim Ki-min rehearse the first act of “Swan Lake” during a press preview Sunday at the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts. / YonhapMariinsky’s Kim Ki-min takes lead role in ‘Swan Lake’By Do Je-haeOne of the most incredible phenomena in Korean ballet in the last 10 years has to be the 20-year-old ballerino Kim Ki-min.The young dancer is not only the first Asian male ever to join Russia’s iconic Mariinsky Ballet. He is also the first ever Asian soloist with the company that rarely admits foreign nationals.During a press preview of “Swan Lake” on Sunday at Sejong Center for the Performing Arts, the local press flocked to see Kim, who is one of the three male dancers taking the lead role in his company’s three-day tour in Seoul. Kim Ki-min, first Asian ballerino to join the iconic Mariinsky Ballet, speaks during a press conference in Seoul on Nov. 9. / YonhapKim is dancing the role of Prince Siegfried tonight, opposite fellow soloist Olesya Novikov

Nov 12, 2012By Do Je-hae

Exhibition shows shamanism of Jeju, Himalayas

The late Korean shaman Lee Jung-chun (1937-2011) designated as Jeju Intangible Cultural Property No. 13, is featured in an exhibition at the Jeju Folklore and Natural History Museum that runs through Dec. 23./ Courtesy of National Folk Museum of KoreaLegendary pianist to make Korean debutBy Chung Ah-young The National Folk Museum of Korea and the Jeju Folklore and Natural History Museum are holding a joint exhibition to feature shamanism of Jeju Island and the Himalayas.It focuses on the lives of the islanders and those in the Himalayas and their dependence on shamanism. It is displaying 225 items related to shamanism from the two areas. Video clips of folk rituals conducted by the late shaman Lee Jung-chun (1937-2011) designated as Jeju Intangible Cultural Property No. 13 and Himalayan shaman Brikha Bahadur Rai, along with their tools such as drums and bells are on show. After becoming a shaman, following his family’s tradition, Lee was recognized as a master shaman excelling in almost all kinds of rituals conducted all around the island. The Himalayan sham

Nov 11, 2012

Exhibition shows shamanism of Jeju, Himalayas

Korean 'Les Miserables' brings timeless tale

Enjolras (Kim Woo-hyung), center, and the ensemble of the firstr Korean production of “Les Miserables” sing “One Day More.” The musical runs through Nov. 25 at Poeun Art Hall in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province and will travel to Keimyung Art Center in Daegu, Sohyang Art Center in Busan and Blue Square in Seoul.  / Courtesy of Les Miserables KoreaBy Kwon Mee-yooThe curtain went up on the first all Korean production of “Les Miserables” on Nov. 3 at Poeun Art Hall in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province, some 27 years after the English production opened at London’s Barbican Centre in 1985.Based on French author Victor Hugo’s eponymous novel, the entirety of “Les Miserables” is sung.The Korean lyrics tried to put as much meaning in the constrictive medium but they sometime failed to convey the delicacy of the rhymes or maintain coherency with the music as with the original lyrics.The actors were generally good but did not surpass expectations. Instead of embodying their roles, they seemed rather consumed by the epic of the musical. Con

Nov 9, 2012By Kwon Mee-yoo

Arts & Theater