Lifestyle - The Korea Times

Painting forests of hopes, dreams

By Kwon Mee-yoo Colorful dots congregate to create forests, on display at artist Kim Soup’s 15th solo exhibition at Gallery I in Nakwon-dong, central Seoul. Not a single forest is the same — they are all from different places and time. Some paintings reflect snow-covered trees in winter, while others depict flowers blooming in springtime or autumn foliage. “It’s always a forest, but a new one,” Kim said in an interview at the gallery Tuesday. She changed her name from Kim Myung-sook to Kim Soup. “My original name was too common and there are many people with the same name. I have used the name for decades, but I thought it is time for a new start,” the painter said. Her new name “soup” is the Chinese character for learning. “The name refers to my endless pursuit of learning,” she said. It is also pronounced similarly to the Korean word for forest, reflecting her deep affection to the main object of her paintings. When observed closely, Kim’s paintings glitter softly. The sparkle comes from the rock powder she uses. It takes much endeavor

Jun 1, 2011By Kwon Mee-yoo

Wash off weariness of urban life in musical Laundry

By Kwon Mee-yoo A semi-basement apartment, a tiny mom-and-pop store and a clothesline on a rooftop make up the set of “Laundry.” The musical is currently playing at Hakchon Green Theater in Daehangno, central Seoul. Such a setting is typical of neighborhoods in the Korean capital and the musical portrays the everyday life of ordinary Seoulites. “Laundry” is a long-running musical in Daehangno, having been staged more than 1,000 times since its official debut in 2005. The story revolves around Na-yeong, a 27-year-old bookstore clerk, Solongo, an immigrant worker from Mongolia, and their neighbors’daily lives in Seoul. “It is basically based on my life in Seoul. I first lived in a semi-basement room like Na-yeong and met an immigrant worker when I went up to the rooftop to hang out my laundry,” Choo Min-joo, the writer and director of the musical, said in an interview with The Korea Times. The musical was first performed as a graduation piece by Choo at Korea National University of Arts in 2003 and later moved to the commercial stage. She thought a musical would be a goo

May 31, 2011By Kwon Mee-yoo

Artistic zeal unleashed at Rufxxx

By Agnes Yu Theater can be unforgiving as a live audience doesn’t allow for any retakes, but at Rufxxx the performances make room for the unexpected. The shows here are a bit unconventional, slightly experimental, and an evolving production well worth watching. Even more than once. Located on the incline leading up to the Grand Hyatt Seoul in an alley that runs parallel to the street commonly referred to as Gyeong-li-dan, Rufxxx is not only a hidden gem because it’s not so easy to get there, but also a secret waiting to be told because once you’ve been there you can’t stop talking about it. The project under the same name Rufxxx started in March 2010 and is described as a venture into “photography, film, music, dance and fashion that has been combined to experiment with various methods and caprice in performance art.” The theater is on the second floor of what would be considered a private residence that has been remodeled for commercial purposes. In particular the rooftop boasts some of the best nighttime views of Mt. Nam. It was originally the studio for photo

May 30, 2011

Concerts, museums & theater

Classical Concerts Bass Youn Kwang-chul in Recital Hoam Art Hall* Through May 28 Praised by The New York Times as “standing small, singing big, all sulfur and zest,” bass Youn Kwang-chul is holding two recitals. The internationally acclaimed singer performs music by Robert Schumann as well as classical Korean songs. Tickets cost 50,000 won. For more information call (02) 751-9607~10. SUJI Opera ‘La Traviata’ Seoul Arts Center* May 27-29 SUJI Opera, led by artistic director Suji Park, will stage Verdi’s opera “La Traviata.” Mariella Devia, an Italian soprano known for performing many roles in the bel canto repertoire, will play the tragic heroine Violetta. Roberto Gianola will conduct. Tickets cost 30,000 to 300,000 won. For more information call (02) 542-0350. Pianist Vladimir Ovchinikov Concert Seoul Arts Center* June 12 Russian pianist Vladimir Ovchinikov will hold a concert in time for the 200th anniversary of Franz Liszt’s birth. He will play solo pieces by Liszt for the first half of the concert while the Millennium Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Seo He

May 26, 2011

Clubs, art exhibitions & sports games

Clubs, art exhibitions & sports games Clubs 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, it’s all flashy with loud music and lights. Spacious, with a supersized crystal ball hanging over your head, DJs from near and far make music while you can hang out at the bar or classy private rooms. Located near the main entrance of Hongik Univ. Call (02) 325-5715 or visit www.underlounge.kr. Club M2 Hongdae M2 features top DJs from home and abroad. The dance floor and the DJ are in the center of the club, which attracts a trendy crowd along with models and celebrities. Packed on the weekends. Visit www.ohoo.net. Club Volume Itaewon Located in the Crown Hotel near Noksapyeong subway station Club Volume offers the finest venue for specially themed weekly events and talented international DJs for unforgetable nights of dancing and debauchery. Reborn after extensive renovations to maintain its reputation of a quality club with a superi

May 26, 2011

Weekender Diverse voices, gestures mixed in Jeonju

Intangible cultural heritage festival to feature Asian weddings By Chung Ah-young Intangible cultural heritages are best found in people’s daily lives and patterns of behavior. Weddings might well define the lifestyles and customs of people living in certain regions. The Festival of Asia Pacific Intangible Cultural Heritage 2011 in Jeonju will feature the theme “Asian Weddings” from June 10 to 12 around the Jeonju Hanok Village. The event, which began last year, will likely draw some 500 participants from five Asian countries — Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Taiwan and Korea. This year, participants from multicultural families living in the region will organize various programs that reflect their native cultures and lifestyles. Jeong Jin-kwon, director of the festival, said that the event is designed to offer a glimpse of intangible cultural heritages ranging from customs and documents to crafts in one place. The festival was originally launched to celebrate the hosting of the Asia-Pacific Intangible Cultural Heritage Center in the town which will be compl

May 26, 2011

Exhibit reveals history, culture of Moscow

By Chung Ah-young Moscow, the heart of Russia’s politics, economy, culture, education and science, is a historic city where Pushkin, Dostoevsky, Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninov, Kandinsky and Eizenshtein once lived and worked. To show the history, culture and development of Moscow from the 19th century to the present day, the Seoul Museum of History is holding a special exhibition displaying some 80 photographs. The event is part of the museum’s series of “Portraits of Cities in the World,” which began in 2010 to offer a look into other cities around the world as well as a mirror that reflects memories of Seoul. Following “Portrait of London” last year, this year’s exhibition “Portrait of Moscow” is being held in conjunction with the Moscow City Museum through July 3. The exhibition features Moscow’s history, landscapes, figures and everyday lives of Muscovites, selected from a vast photo collection of more than 70,000 pieces from the Moscow City Museum. The Seoul museum signed an agreement of exchange and cooperation with the Moscow museum last year. The special

May 25, 2011

Park portrays tragedy of Mozart

By Kwon Mee-yoo Park Eun-tae, playing the role of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart in the musical “Mozart!” which opens Tuesday, is obviously one of the hottest actors on the Korean musical scene. He is dedicated — the first thing he was concerned about with regard to the time of the interview was rehearsals, which he left for right afterwards. Park was an ordinary student studying business administration at Hanyang University before auditioning for the musical “The Lion King” in 2006. He was in a singing club and took part in MBC’s Riverside Song Festival, but didn’t think of becoming a musical actor. In his debut, he was No. 5 in the chorus, playing roles such as grass and the front legs of a rhinoceros. “It was a whole new experience for me. I found out a new world in musicals and it felt great on stage,” Park said. He played Gringoire in the musical “Notre Dame de Paris” from 2007 to 2009 and Kim Saeng in the homegrown “Pimatgol Sonata” last year. Park played the role of the prodigy in the Korean premiere of “Mozart!” in 2009. The Austrian musical, written by Michae

May 23, 2011By Kwon Mee-yoo

Forum aims to transform mining area into cultural hub

By Shim Jae-yun The Yeongwol Yonsei Forum is a historic collaborative event between the citizens of Yeongwol in Gangwon Province and Yonsei University. Yeongwol’s ambition is to transform itself into an innovative “Museum City,” and Yonsei aims to support their efforts academically by helping to organize the international forum featuring leading scholars from Korea and abroad. “For most of the 20th century, Yeongwol was well known for its coal industry, but as the major coal mines in the area gradually started to close, residents began looking for a new way to support themselves’” said Mayor Park Sun-kyu of the Yeongwol County and co-chair of the Yeongwol Yonsei Forum Organizing Committee. Following numerous outside consultations and much internal discussion from the late 20th century to early 21st century, the people of Yeongwol decided to lay their future in making Yeongwol a “Museum City,” Park explained in an interview with The Korea Times. The inaugural Yeongwol Yonsei Forum is meant to help the county realize its dreams by gathering leading international and domes

May 22, 2011By Shim Jae-yun

Yeongwol comes alive as Museum City

Experts from world converge for Yeongwol Yonsei Forum By Nho Joon-hun In late 20th century and early 21st century, the city of Yeongwol’s population was getting smaller and its industrial foundations were diminishing, which led it to require external support. To overcome this disadvantage, Yeongwol chose to become a “Museum City” to promote the region and emerge as a place where history and culture coexist, local officials said. Over the past five years, Yeongwol created specific museums befitting its title Museum City with assistance not only from city and national experts but also specialists from around the world. Initially, the concept was simply to house as many museums as Yeongwol could accommodate. “In the early stages, when the private sector created museums with support of the city, each museum inter-connected with those in nearby cities. This was not the initial idea but the inter-connectivity has proven to be very effective,” said one official. As another part of the project, Yeongwol is striving to develop major issues that can be discussed and furth

May 22, 2011

Arts & Theater

Arts & Theater

Painting forests of hopes, dreams

Wash off weariness of urban life in musical Laundry

Artistic zeal unleashed at Rufxxx

Concerts, museums & theater

Clubs, art exhibitions & sports games

Weekender Diverse voices, gestures mixed in Jeonju

Exhibit reveals history, culture of Moscow

Park portrays tragedy of Mozart

Forum aims to transform mining area into cultural hub

Yeongwol comes alive as Museum City

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