Lifestyle - The Korea Times

Photographic sculptures fuse planarity and 3D

By Kwon Mee-yoo The concept of conventional sculpture and photography is turned upside down upon within the walls of the Arario Gallery Cheongdam, in Seoul, where solo exhibition of Gwon O-sang, also styled as Osang Gwon, is taking place. Photos of a person or an animal are affixed on extruding polystyrene foam structures to create a sculpture of photographs. The subject varies from esteemed British artist David Hockney to Indian actor Amitabh Bachchan, of whose photos are torn into many small pieces to be reassembled by the creative hands of Gwon. This is Gwon’s first solo exhibition in Korea in some six years and 19 new sculptures and 15 new photo works are on display. Previously, Gwon took photos of his subjects to make photo sculptures in the acclaimed “Deodorant Type” series, but for this exhibition he used images found on the Internet. “Some of them could be better than photos taken by me, while others are poor in quality,” the artist said. “Searching on the Internet is one of the most common and fastest ways to find something, but it only gives superficial, s

May 9, 2012By Kwon Mee-yoo

Jang Hyun-seung to star in ‘Mozart‘

By Rachel Lee K-pop group member Jang Hyun-seung has been cast to play the central male character in the German musical “Mozart!” The lead vocalist of the six-member boy band B2ST makes his debut in the world of musicals with the already established show scheduled to start from July 10. In the musical, Jang and Park Eun-tae will alternate in the role of Mozart. Park played the part in the 2010 and 2011 production and will reprise his award-winning portrayal of the genius musician. Choi Sung-hee, also known as Bada, will play Constanze, the female lead. The former member of S.E.S., one of the iconic girl bands of the late 1990s, has already gained a reputation for her prominent performances in “Legally Blonde,” “Notre Dame de Paris,”and “42nd Street.” The musical is an innovative piece of work in which the prodigiously talented 18th century composer is portrayed as sort of pop star. Music genres such as smooth jazz, pop and rock replace the expected classical music. Austrian musical “Mozart!” has won tremendous popularity all over the world with its unconventional

May 8, 2012

‘Azure Day‘ captures tumult of May 18

By Kwon Mee-yoo “On an Azure Day,” dealing with the 1980 Gwangju Pro-democracy Movement, returns to Namsan Arts Center after winning the Korea Play Award. It premiered last year and revolves around Yeosan, a middle-aged monk practicing asceticism at a mountain temple in South Jeolla Province. When he hears about the marriage of his niece Un-hwa, Yeosan retraces his memory 30 years back and faces his younger self. Three decades ago, he was Oh Min-ho, an ordinary university student dating a girl called Jeong-hye and teaching at a night school in the southern city of Gwangju. His life takes an unexpected turn when he joins the civilian militia in a provincial building. Many people are shot dead, including Jeong-hye’s brother. But after water torture, Min-ho cops out to save his life. His wandering and a mental breakdown lead him to embrace Buddhism, renouncing the world and his pregnant girlfriend. It’s left to Min-ho’s brother Jin-ho to look after Jeong-hye. Their lives coincide once again at Un-hwa’s wedding. The simple black stage leaps through space and time &#821

May 7, 2012By Kwon Mee-yoo

Art embraces fashion

By Kwon Mee-yoo The boundary of fine art is being blurred and becoming ever more diversified. Incorporating fashion into art is the latest of this movement. Fashion exhibitions have become a part of major fine art museums across the globe. “Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty” at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and “Balenciaga and Spain” de Young Museum last year were big hits and “Louis Vuitton — Marc Jacobs” exhibition is ongoing on at Les Arts Decoratifs in Paris. However, fashion has not yet been integrated into the field of fine art in Korea and fashion exhibitions are scarce. There were experiments such as “Fashion into Art” last July, when Vogue Korea invited 15 designers and 15 artists to team up and create artwork. The National Museum of Contemporary Art, Korea (NMOCA) is making an attempt to bring fashion and art close together. The NMOCA’s museum shop UUL collaborated with veteran designer Moon Young-hee to present a fashion show inspired by ongoing “Dansaekhwa: Korean Monochrome Painting” exhibition and limited edition costumes at the shop. Moon launched

May 6, 2012By Kwon Mee-yoo

SeMA highlights 12 young artists

By Joon Soh In recent years, the Seoul Museum of Art (SeMA) has concentrated on putting on two kinds of shows: large, thematically ambitious group exhibitions and crowd-pleasing retrospectives of great masters. Once every two years, though, the museum turns its space over to Korea’s less established artists and gives them the opportunity to shine. Titled “12 Events in 12 Rooms,” the fifth installment of the biennial series is being held until May 17, and for the show, 12 contemporary artists working in different mediums were each given a room of his or her own. It is an effective format as it allows visitors to spend ample time with each young artist’s works and enjoy them on their own merit, something that’s not always easy to do in crowded group shows. This year’s selection is an intriguing blend of artistic styles and perspectives, expressed through paintings, drawings, found objects, installations and sound sculptures. The featured artists share the tendency to approach art from a conceptual framework, as if they were scientists working a hypothesis to its logical res

May 4, 2012

Classical concerts

Classical Concerts Academy of St. Martin in the Fields Seoul Arts Center* May 27 Led by Jonathan Cohen, the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields will perform in Seoul. Founded in 1959, the orchestra has performed in elite venues all over the world. The ensemble’s name comes from the church located near Trafalgar Square, London. Pianist Son Yeol-eum will collaborate in this concert. Tickets cost 40,000 to 160,000 won. For more information, call (02) 599-5743. Paavo Jarvi & Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra Seoul Arts Center* June 11 Germany’s traditional orchestra, the Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra (FRSO) was founded in 1929 and Paavo Jarvi has been conducting the orchestra since 2006. With a wide-ranging musical style, the orchestra is among the best in Europe and consistently earns international acclaim. The program includes symphony and orchestral pieces and Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto. U.S. violinist Hillary Hahn will collaborate in this concert. Tickets cost 50,000 to 220,000 won. For more information, call (02) 599-5743. Daniel Muller-

May 3, 2012By Do Je-hae

Clubs

Clubs The Octagon Nonhyeon-dong This club recently opened near the New Hilltop Hotel in Nonhyeon-dong. The venue offers a club stage, lounge bar and dining area in a hip and modern setting. Leave via exit 4 of Hakdong Station on subway line 7. Call (02) 516-8847 for more information. Club Volume Itaewon Located in the Crown Hotel near Noksapyeong Station, Club Volume offers the finest venue for specially themed weekly events and world-class DJs. Club Volume was listed by TIME magazine among the “10 things to do in 24 hours in Seoul.” For more information, call 1544-2635. Le Nuit Blanche Cheongdam-dong Formerly Club Answer, Le Nuit Blanche is a posh restaurant, theater and club. Located in front of the Hotel Prima in Cheongdam-dong, Le Nuit Blanche offers Cirque du Soleil-type performances. World-class DJs from all over the world perform at the club. For more information, call (02) 514-4311. W.E. Listen Samcheong-dong This cafe reinterprets traditional Korean desserts. The menu not only offers American-style coffee but also sweet potato,

May 3, 2012By Do Je-hae

Witches are here

'Wicked' ready to cast spell on Seoul By Kwon Mee-yoo Tall with a clear-cut face Jemma Rix was wearing a lacy black dress, while shorter blonde Suzie Mathers in a white dress kept smiling. It was clear who would play the good and who would the evil witch — at least in the show. Rix plays Elphaba, or the Wicked Witch of the West, in the Broadway hit “Wicked” and Mathers plays her counterpart Glinda the Good. The two first met in 2007 during an audition for the Australian production of “Wicked.” “Wicked” is one of the biggest Broadway hits and delves into the classic “The Wizard of Oz” from a different viewpoint — how the Wicked Witch and the Good Witch met and the true intentions of the Wizard. With enticing music and spectacular sets, the musical has cast a spell on more than 30 million people. Rix and Mathers began as ensemble and understudy before finally landing the roles of the two witches. After finishing a three-year run in Australia, the production flew to Singapore last December and finally comes to Korea on May 31. They didn’t know they would be

May 2, 2012By Kwon Mee-yoo

Classical music

Classical Concerts Academy of St. Martin in the Fields Seoul Arts Center* May 27 Led by Jonathan Cohen, the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields will perform in Seoul. Founded in 1959, the orchestra has performed in elite venues all over the world. The ensemble’s name comes from the church located near Trafalgar Square, London. Pianist Son Yeol-eum will collaborate in this concert. Tickets cost 40,000 to 160,000 won. For more information, call (02) 599-5743. Paavo Jarvi & Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra Seoul Arts Center* June 11 Germany’s traditional orchestra was founded in 1929 and Paavo Jarvi has been conducting the orchestra since 2006. With a wide-ranging musical style, the orchestra is among the best in Europe and consistently earns international acclaim. The program includes symphony and orchestral pieces and Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto. U.S. violinist Hillary Hahn will collaborate in this concert. Hahn has recorded the work for Sony Classical in a CD coupled with the Shostokovich concerto. Tickets cost 50,000 to 220,000 won. For more information,

Apr 26, 2012By Do Je-hae

clubs

Clubs The Octagon Nonhyeon-dong This club recently opened near the New Hilltop Hotel in Nonhyeon-dong. The venue offers a club stage, lounge bar and dining area in a hip and modern setting. Leave via exit 4 of Hakdong Station on subway line 7. Call (02) 516-8847 for more information. Underlounge Seoul Hongdae or Hongik University Area This is the local club of a well-established Japanese chain that also has a branch in Shanghai, located in the famous clubbing district of Hongdae. There are lots of artistic and creative people in the area located near the main entrance of Hongik University. For more information, call (02) 325-5715 or visit www.underlounge.kr. Club Volume Itaewon Located in the Crown Hotel near Noksapyeong Station, Club Volume offers the finest venue for specially themed weekly events and world-class DJs. Club Volume was listed by TIME magazine among the “10 things to do in 24 hours in Seoul.” For more information, call 1544-2635. Le Nuit Blanche Cheongdam-dong Formerly Club Answer, Le Nuit Blanche is a posh restaurant, theater