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Arts & Theater

Light, color and Eliasson

By Kwon Mee-yoo Olafur Eliasson, an artist of light and color, returns to Korea with his new works at the PKM Trinity Gallery in southern Seoul. He explores the interaction between human perceptual abilities and physical laws through materials such as glass, mirrors, light, water and air. At his third solo exhibition at the PKM Trinity Gallery, following shows in 2007 and 2009, the artist questions spectators’ perception of “seeing” with relatively smaller works. Still, his works fill the gallery space with light, color and imagination. The works on display at “Your Uncertain Shadow” vary from watercolor and glass to light objects and film. However, Eliasson was not to be bound in dividing genres. “I am not interested in categorizing what is real and what is fake. For me, reality is relative. Our perception of surroundings could change reality,” he said at a press preview of the exhibition last week. “Afterimage Star” uses eight color spotlights and creates accidental colors, while “Infinite Color Double Polyhedron Lamp” is composed of color-stained glass panels in

Apr 22, 2012By Kwon Mee-yoo

Chongdong Theater updates ‘Miso‘

Traditional musical blends new music, choreography By Do Je-hae The Chongdong Theater, near Deoksu Palace in central Seoul, is the nation’s first and only theater devoted solely to traditional performances. Local business conglomerates have displayed a tendency to promote Western arts, such as classical music, ballet or opera, rather than sponsor traditional arts. So when the theater held a press conference Wednesday, some 30 reporters showed up to hear what Park Yong-maan, chairman of the Doosan Group, had to say about his new role in the theater. The Ministry of Culture, Sports & Tourism recently appointed the 57-year-old as chairman of the board of the Myeongdong Jeongdong Theaters Foundation for a three-year term. However, Park failed to appear at the press conference as scheduled to announce the new version of the theater’s hit musical “Miso 3,” causing a stir among the press. He missed the chance to address the media but arrived later for a performance of the show that took place right after the press conference. Chongdong Theater General Director Cho

Apr 20, 2012By Do Je-hae

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-Schott Ce

Apr 19, 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 following webstie, 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

Apr 19, 2012By Do Je-hae

‘Camera‘ zooms in on Syria

By Kwon Mee-yoo A Syrian play “Can You Please Look at the Camera?” brings to life the political unrest in the Middle East at Stage 111 of the Doosan Art Center in central Seoul, from today. The play centers around an amateur documentary director, who tries to document people arrested during the Syrian revolution. The Syrian uprising began as a democratization movement demanding the resignation of President Bashar al-Assad in January 2011. It turned into violent clashes as the opposition forces used armed retaliation. More than 10,000 people have been killed during the uprisings that continued for more than a year, according to the U.N. “When the revolution started in Syria, there was a difference. People started to take photos and document everything on their mobile phones. They used new technologies to upload those to YouTube and shared everything,” Omar Abu Saada, the Syrian director of the play, told The Korea Times. Abu Saada studied at the Higher Institute of Dramatic Arts in Damascus and established the Studio Theatre Company, including debut work “Insomnia” (

Apr 16, 2012By Kwon Mee-yoo

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 following webstie, 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

Apr 12, 2012By Do Je-hae

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-Schott Ce

Apr 12, 2012By Do Je-hae

Wistful stories of homeland on canvas

By Noh Hyun-gi Of late, the local art scene, exhibitions and auctions alike, is saturated with abstract works. “Contemporary Representational Paintings” at Gallery Hyundai in Jongno, Seoul offers a break with creations that reflect our national tragedy ― the Korean War (1950-1953). All three artists ¬Park Seung-hwan, Kim Sang-yoo, and Hwang Yong-yup- featured in the exhibition were born in North Korea and fled to the South during the war. Their pieces capture the inner struggles of the generation born in the 1920s and 30s and the nostalgia for the once peaceful peninsula. The gallery’s second level which displays a dozen large-size paintings by Hwang strikes the viewer in scale and unsettling consistency. He is the only surviving artist of the three, and he dissects the canvas with countless lines stemming from alien-like figures that are all his paintings. All titled a type of story ― “My Story,” “An Old Story” ― the works appear like sheets of shattered glass, heavily layered with thumb-sized brush strokes. The painter dropped out of Pyongyang Arts College (present

Apr 10, 2012

Artists seek non-gallery space

By Kwaak Je-yup Popular interest in art is booming, with lines forming outside museums and exhibitions drawing record numbers in Seoul. But a handful of artists want to bring their works even closer to the people, displaying them in unordinary places outside the walls of galleries that could intimidate ordinary citizens. American-educated Yoon Ji-woong, 34, opened his week-long solo show “Minimal Abstract,” Saturday at a small underground club in Hongdae, the paragon of youth culture in the western Seoul area around Hongik University, because he liked “unconventional spaces.” “Ten or 11 years ago, I used to come to this club three to four times a week,” said Yoon. “My sweat is seeped into these floors and walls.” Yoon is best known for another art-outside-galleries exhibition, the widely-acclaimed Haein Art Project, which showcased contemporary art works last year within the premises of Haein Temple, the depository of the Tripitaka Koreana and UNESCO World Heritage site in the Gaya Mountains, South Gyeongsang Province. At the opening at Club Gate (formerly Club V

Apr 9, 2012

Attention to detail in ‘Sleeping Beauty’

By Do Je-hae When staging a well-known work like “Sleeping Beauty,” organizers are bound to be concerned about the pitfall of a dejavu performance. One way to avoid this would be to pay the utmost attention to the details of the performance, whether it be the staging or costumes. The Universal Ballet Company (UBC) has concluded a series of performances of “Sleeping Beauty” at the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts. The company’s attention to detail was obvious in a rehearsal ahead of the first production. During a dress rehearsal last Thursday, UBC general director Julia Moon sat in the audience with a microphone, with her eyes glued to each movement on stage. A former dancer herself and one of the first Korean ballerinas to dance professionally in the U.S., it was apparent that she was completely knowledgeable of all aspects of the work. She made directions and comments about the moves of not just the lead dancers but also the dancers in the corps de ballet. She poured out suggestions for better use of space and enhancement of the body movements. It seemed

Apr 8, 2012By Do Je-hae
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