Lifestyle - The Korea Times

SuperColorSuper brings art, music

By Noh Hyun-gi Platoon Kunsthalle definitely did not feel like a venue in Seoul on Saturday. The geometric structure made of shipping containers which serves as the city’s hub for alternative culture, was filled mostly with foreigners. A live band provided suitable background music while two huge analog projectors suspended from the ceiling displayed artists sketching with markers. SuperColorSuper (SCS) a small-scale agency organizes the Super Sketch events that bring indie musicians and artists from abroad to Korea. On Saturday, underground bands Wagwak, Maundrie Fox, Sssighborggg, Pika and Lobotomy created an ambient mixture of freak folk and soft electronic music. Maundrie Fox is made up of a Korea-based American expat musician with producer Eric Anderson. SCS books such artists to introduce alternative foreign music to Korean youth and vice versa. They are responsible for bringing French duo Coco Rosie and American rappers Das Racist to Seoul in the past. Last year, SCS organized 47 concerts in Seoul, Gwangju, Busan, Cheonan and Daegu. Participating artists at last

Feb 28, 2012

Inaugural cartoon festival wants serious art collectors

Gov't, illustrators seek alternative funding By Noh Hyun-gi Though more and more people are collecting artwork as an investment, only few consider cartoons an acceptable purchase. In Korea, events dedicated to presenting works of cartoonists are rare aside from the annual Seoul International Cartoon & Animation Festival. This lack of interest and endorsement led to a void of markets for cartoons and illustrations. The inaugural “33+ Collections” will showcase around 70 artists — 33 of them established, 23 rising and 12 who focus on contemporary art and illustration — to exhibit over 200 works for sale at Dongdaemun History & Culture Park from March 15 through April 14. This is the first art market to focus on cartoons. Household names such as Lee Do-ho, Kim Dong-wha and Baek Sung-min are on the list of participants. Lee, legendary creator of the Korean classic Meoteol Dosa series, will bring color illustrations. Lee published the first of the series about monks training in the deep mountains in 1984 and continued to mark the history of Korean cartoon with vo

Feb 28, 2012

Elevating brand power of Sejong Center

New CEO stresses arts troupes, collaboration with districts, education programs By Do Je-hae One of the nation’s key cultural landmarks is the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts in central Seoul, the nation’s first modern performing arts complex since its founding in 1978. But it has been undergoing an identity crisis in comparison to other establishments of similar stature, such as the Seoul Arts Center or the National Theater. In particular, the public image and brand power of the Sejong Center has suffered since the opening of the Seoul Arts Center in the 1980s, which has hosted prestigious events for Western performing arts. Bagh In-bae, the Sejong Center’s new CEO, recently announced a series of measures to improve the venue’s content and facilities, aiming to establish it as the nation’s “Lincoln Center.” “It is a priority to improve the competitiveness of our arts groups. One of the problems has been that our nine arts groups have yet to produce a work that has staying power.” Bagh told The Korea Times at his office. The groups specialize in traditiona

Feb 27, 2012By Do Je-hae

‘Nomadic Report‘ on Mongolia and Antarctica

By Noh Hyun-gi An exhibition that convened works inspired by endless mounds of sand in Mongolia and sheets of ice in Antarctica is currently under way in Seoul. Titled “Nomadic Report 2012 Part I,” the works are by some 20 artists who took part in the Nomadic Artists Residency Program in 2011. Organized by the Arts Council Korea (ARKO), the program sends seasoned artists overseas to expand their horizons in unfamiliar settings. Those who traveled to the South Pole for a fortnight captured the timelessness of the frozen continent. Cho Gwang-hee filmed the dynamic currents around icebergs. “It was challenging to create artwork out in the South Pole where there is no civilization. When we travel overseas, artists can usually focus on the clash of cultures. But we didn’t have that,” Cho said. In addition to the footage, Cho reinterprets what he saw beyond the sheets of ice into a video clip using psychedelic images. Photographer Gwang Mo said his goal was to “not get swept away” in Antarctica. “With the white nights, you can take photos without rest,” he said. His large scal

Feb 26, 2012

Recent books

The Courage to Heal: A Guide for Women Survivors of Child Sexual Abuse By Ellen Bass and Laura Davis; translated from English to Korean by Lee Kyung-mi; Dongnyok; 696pp., 25,000 won An expanded and revised version of a popular self-help book originally published in 1998 is now available in Korean. This classic volume offers help and encouragement to women who were sexually abused during childhood. Based on 20 years of workshops for victims of sexual abuse, Ellen Bass and Laura Davis provide candid accounts of facing and coping with petrifying memories. Bass was a creative writing instructor in the 1970s. She was shocked by the number of women suffering from such trauma, who she met through creative writing workshops. Together with her student Davis, Bass initiated various programs to reach out to abuse survivors. Neither author has any training in psychotherapy. They state that nothing in the book is based on psychological theories. — NOH HYUN-GI The Spirit Level: Why Equality is Better for Everyone By Richard Wilkinson and Kate Pickett; Ewho; 448

Feb 24, 2012By Do Je-hae

Classical concerts

Classical Concerts Prades Casals Festival in Korea Seoul Arts Center* March 1 The renowned Pablo Casals Festival marks its 60th anniversary this year. Participants to this music festival will perform at Seoul Arts Center on March 1. Michel Lethiec, the most famous musician in the Pablo Casals Festival in Prades will be in Korea this year. Cellist Arto Noras, violist Gerard Poulet and Hartmut Rohde, Korean musicians, including violinists Baek Ju-young, Kim So-ock, cellist Song Young and pianist Park Jong-hwa, will also join the concert. Tickets cost 11,000 to 66,000 won. For more information, call 1544-5142. London Symphony Orchestra Seoul Arts Center* Feb. 27-28 Britain’s top orchestra will visit Korea for the first time in six years with its music director Valery Gergiev from Russia. The London Symphony is one of the world’s top orchestras with an in-house recording label. Under the LSOLive, the orchestra has produced many award-winning recordings. The concert will feature Korean-American violinist Sarah Chang and Russian pianist Denis Matsuev as soloists.

Feb 23, 2012By Do Je-hae

Clubs

Clubs The Octagon Nonhyun-dong This club recently opened near the New Hilltop Hotel, Nonhyun-dong. The venue offers a club stage, lounge bar and dining area. 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 hip Japanese chain that also has a branch in Shanghai, located in the famous clubbing area Hongdae. 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. 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-

Feb 23, 2012By Do Je-hae

Ex-propaganda painter marks world debut with US show

By Noh Hyun-gi Once, he glorified the late North Korean leader Kim Jong-il as a propaganda artist in the Stalinist nation. But as a free man living in the South, Song Byeok ridicules Kim by attaching the recently deceased’s smiling head to Marilyn Monroe’s body in a white dress or on a woman’s spaghetti-strap tank top. The 42-year-old artist, originally from Hwanghae Province, North Korea, traveled a tortuous road to arrive in Seoul. His first attempt to cross the Tumen River in 2000 ended in imprisonment and torture. His second attempt two years later was successful. Now, a decade later, Song travels again, this time to Atlanta, Ga. His international debut show “Song Byeok: Departure” opened Friday at the Goat Farm in the American city. A total of 20 acrylic paintings, including six pieces not previously seen by the public, are on display there. “I’ve never been to America. I am a bit nervous about how my works will be received in a country that is said to embody democracy,” he told The Korea Times on Monday, the night before his departure. He need not have worried: mo

Feb 20, 2012

Learning from Swiss: how to support promising artists

By Noh Hyun-gi The Swiss government, known for its successful social welfare system, excels in promoting upcoming visual artists as well. SongEun Art Space is organizing a series of talks with art professionals from Switzerland in conjunction with the exhibition “Reflections from Nature: Collection Cahiers d’Artistes” which opened Friday. At the first talk on Saturday, an independent curator and three artists shared the ways their government fosters the art industry. The gallery specifically invited Swiss artists who have received support from Pro Helvetia, or Swiss Arts Council, through the program Cahier d’Artistes which translates to artists’ notebooks. Each year, the council chooses promising artists and publishes catalogues from them. Christiane Rekade, a curator at Oslo 10 and a former judge for the Cahier d’Artistes program from 2009 to 2011, explained the process: “A panel of five judges selects seven to eight artists from some 120 applicants every year.” Any visual artist can apply as long as they do not have any solo catalogue. Even non-Swiss nationals can apply as

Feb 19, 2012

Run Turtle Marathon this Sunday

Take part in the Turtle Marathon for a stroll around Mt. Nam and maybe win some prizes, too. The Hankook Ilbo, a sister paper of The Korea Times, is hosting the 415th Turtle Marathon with KESCO (Korea Electrical Safety Corporation). It will begin at 8 a.m. on Sunday in front of the National Theater's outdoor plaza. Since 1978 the monthly event has drawn more than 120,000 people. Park Cheol-gon, CEO of KESCO will lead this month’s walkathon. The winners of the 2011 Miss Korea pageant as well as KESCO goodwill ambassadors along with actresses Choi Ran and Park Min-ha will participate. After the seven-kilometer walk, popular TV presenter Lee Sang-yong will host the prize draw. This month’s prizes include tickets for the musical by the girl group T-ara, sneakers from FILA, kimchi refrigerators, cosmetics and more. For students attending Korean schools, , if they collect litter along the paths of Mt. Nam the marathon can give them a certificate for two hours of community service. Admission is free. For more information, visit turtle.hankooki.com. When: Feb. 19, me

Feb 17, 2012

Arts & Theater