Lifestyle - The Korea Times

Weekender Are art centers really buying culturenomics?

Sori Arts Center endeavors to set new path for arts management By Lee Hyo-won Korea has become a cosmopolitan hub for the arts, hosting Placido Domingo’s exclusive recital in the Asian region during the 2009 season. In recent years, the country has become increasingly well-equipped with the necessary infrastructure for such culture events of the highest caliber. Concert halls and arts complexes dotting the country boast state-of-the-art facilities and star-studded lineups that are impressive by any standards. With Seoul City pushing the concept of “culturenomics,” the arts sector is now regarded as a crucial sustainable resource with immense potential for yielding economic benefits. Arts Management courses are mushrooming on university campuses and government policy is working toward the idea of cultural decentralization — bringing management know-how of arts activities to provincial regions. Yet, even the most representative centers in Seoul — the economical, political and cultural center of Korea — seem to lack that magical administrative savoir-fa

Feb 10, 2011

Intangible heritage journal helps share knowledge

By Chung Ah-young The scope of intangible cultural heritage is wide, vague and sometimes subjective. It ranges from practices, expressions and knowledge, to art associated with what communities, groups, and in some cases, individuals recognize as part of their cultural identity. Korea is one of the leading countries in enhancing regional safeguarding in the Asia-Pacific region, with experience and knowledge regarding the protection of intangible cultural heritage. The nation has a growing role in sharing and delivering the idea of better preserving intangible heritages through the International Journal of Intangible Heritage, published by the National Folk Museum of Korea under the auspices of the International Council of Museums (ICOM). “Korea has been, in my opinion, the most committed and most generous government to focus on thinking about safeguarding intangible heritages, not only in Korea but also a number of Asia-Pacific countries. Look at Mongolia and Vietnam and recently Fiji. (There are) So many countries Korea is trying to help,” Amareswar Galla, professor of

Feb 9, 2011

Romantic date ideas

Head to theaters for an evening with someone special By Chung Ah-young, Lee Hyo-won and Kwon Mee-yoo There’s nothing like sweeping instrumentals and melodramatic vocals to uplift the romantic mood. Couples looking for date ideas can choose among thematic concerts, plays, magic shows and more colorful performances in time for Valentine’s Day. Classic Valentine’s On Valentine’s Day eve, Sunday, a special concert that is not only aurally pleasing but also visually delightful will take place at Seoul Arts Center — think romantic melodies inspired by paintings befitting the occasion such as Klimt’s “The Kiss.” The first half of the “Arts Concert” will introduce musicians who defined the Romantic period with both their music and famous love affairs: Robert Schumann, his pianist wife Clara and Johannes Brahms, who was also close to Clara; and Frederic Chopin who had a stormy liaison with the feminist writer Georges Sand. Star cellist Young Song (Song Young-hoon) and Seoul National University piano professor Aviram Reichert will perform Chopin’s Nocturne No. 13 and Br

Feb 8, 2011

National museum gears up for hosting royal books

Major international masterpieces exhibitions planned By Chung Ah-young The National Museum of Korea is preparing to receive royal books from the Oegyjanggak archives, which were looted during an 1866 French incursion. The books will be returned by May. Choe Kwang-shik, director of the museum and newly appointed head of the Cultural Heritage Administration, said that it will take the next step after Korea and France signed an agreement Monday to return the old texts to Seoul on a five-year renewable lease basis. “We are going to dispatch our delegation to France next month to discuss further developments of the agreement and the return process. We will consult with the National Library of France to come up with detailed plans, including how to exhibit, store and research the relics,” said Choe in a press conference to announce its 2011 lineup of exhibitions. The director said that 297 ancient books are expected to arrive in Korea between March and May and will be exhibited to the public in July. “We don’t have exact plans for now but we will hold a grand celebratio

Feb 8, 2011

France to return looted books by May

By Lee Hyo-won France agreed Monday to return by May a set of ancient Korean royal documents it took by force in the late 19th century. Park Heung-shin, Seoul’s ambassador to Paris, and Paul Jean-Ortiz, a French foreign ministry director handling Asian affairs, signed the agreement in France, to transfer 297 volumes of the “Oegyujanggak” from the National Library of France to the National Museum of Korea by May 31. The deal follows French President Nicolas Sarkozy’s announcement to return the books on a permanent lease basis when he held talks with President Lee Myung-bak during the Group of 20 major economies in Seoul last November. The contract is to be renewed every five years. The formal agreement ends a 20-year dispute over the thorny issue. The two parties have “concluded negotiations smoothly,” foreign ministry spokesman Kim Young-sun said Monday ahead of the formal signing later that day. The Korean museum plans to send experts to Paris later this month to discuss technical details, such as when and how the books will be transported. The books are expected

Feb 7, 2011

Thai performing arts coming to Seoul

By Chung Ah-young From dance and music to a puppet show, performing artists from Thailand will transport their country’s exotic culture to the hearts of Seoulites on Feb. 12. “Thai Cultural Night in Seoul 2011” is a special event to promote friendship between Thailand and Korea, which was organized by the Embassy of Thailand and the National Theater of Korea. The event, “Luminous Thailand: Celebration of Lights, Colors and Sounds,” will display visual and auditory arts. The event will consist of two hour-long parts — the Thai Classical Prelude of Shadow Show with Mask Dance and the Puppet Show. The first half will feature the Archaeological Dance of Siam, the Thai Classical Xylophone Duet, the Candle Stick Dance and the Thai-Korean Friendship Songs, which will be staged by the Bunditpatanasilpa Institute accompanied by a traditional Thai orchestra. The Thai Classical Xylophone Duet was introduced at the Thailand Grand Festivity at the National Theater of Korea in 2009 and drew a tremendous response from the audience. The second half will include the Live Pup

Feb 6, 2011

Kiss of Spider Woman ready to lure audience

By Chung Ah-young A Korean version of “Kiss of the Spider Woman,” a theatrical adaptation of Argentine playwright Manuel Puig’s novel, will take to the stage from Feb. 11 to April 24. Set in a cell in Buenos Aires in 1976, the play revolves around two inmates _ the revolutionary Valentin and homosexual Molina. The play has sparked controversy over the relationship between the two main characters, but it has been widely produced in film and musical form. The musical version swept seven Tony Awards in 1992, receiving rave reviews both from critics and fans. Lee Ji-na directs the Korean adaptation. She has built her reputation with the play “The Vagina Monologues” and musicals “Hedwig and the Angry Inch” and “Gwanghwanmun Yeonga.” “I will create new characters suited to each actor,” said Lee. For the role of Molina, comedian-turned-actor Chung Sung-hwa, who is actively engaged in musical productions, will depict the romantic homosexual. Chung has shone in his roles in “Man of La Mancha,” “All Shook Up,” “Radio Star” and recently “Hero” with his strong baritone vocals.

Feb 1, 2011

Theater makes me feel alive

Oh Dal-soo to portray fatherhood in return to roots By Chung Ah-young When actor Oh Dal-soo played a private jail owner who detains the male protagonist in Park Chan-wook’s “Oldboy,” he left his impression on one of the film’s most memorable scenes. With his strong presence in “Oldboy,” he has received numerous offers from the local film industry as a scene stealer who makes works shine. But few know Oh started his acting career in theater in Busan, not in film. Now he is returning to the stage with “Sunset, Moon Dance.” Clad in a black jacket and pants with shoulder-length hair, Oh says the theater is like home, where he was born as an actor and makes him feel alive. “I don’t want to divide my career into film and theater. It is meaningless for me. I want to be called an actor, rather than a movie star or a thespian,” Oh said in an interview with The Korea Times. The 43-year-old made his debut in the famous play “Ogu,” directed by Lee Yun-taek, in Busan in 1990 and landed a role in “Namja Chungdong (Legend of the Man),” a hit drama directed by Cho Kwang-hwa i

Jan 31, 2011

Remembering an iconoclastic video artist

By Lee Hyo-won Classical music aficionados looked on in horror as a performer smashed a violin into pieces, and others were equally aghast when the same man who orchestrated the “heresy” held a Korean traditional “gut” — shamanist ritual — for, of all things, a piano. Five years have passed since video art pioneer Nam June Paik (1932-2006) parted from this world, but his iconoclastic spirit lives on — ceremonies, including one featuring the destruction of a guitar, were held across the country Sunday to commemorate the anniversary of Paik’s death. Bongeun Temple, southern Seoul, where Paik’s ashes were laid to rest, saw a Buddhist-style memorial on Sunday morning. The temple’s chief priest Ven. Jinhwa oversaw the event which was attended by Paik’s eldest nephew, Hakuda Ken Paik, 61, and figures from the local art scene. Kim Se-hwang, the guitarist of rock band N.E.X.T., carried out a guitar-smashing performance following the memorial service. The late artist’s death mask, a piano that was used during his funeral service, and a camera Paik used for his ar

Jan 30, 2011

Art purges prejudice for multicultural goal

By Ines Min With more than 1 million foreign residents in Korea, exactly how multicultural are locals? “The Last Letter from Huynh Mai” at KT&G Sangsangmadang Gallery, Seogyo-dong, explores the plight of immigrant brides here by taking an introspective look into the perpetrators of prejudice — natives. The group exhibition of 17 female artists takes the local audience on a journey of self-exploration to reach a goal of educated multiculturalism. From paintings to delicate embroidery, projections and video art, 16 Koreans and one Vietnamese artist purge the emotional process of understanding new cultures. Inspired by the tragic tale of Huynh Mai, a Vietnamese migrant bride murdered by her spouse in 2007, the exhibition highlights a growing concern about the abuse faced by foreign residents. The title letter refers to her last written words before her death, addressing the problems she faced with her husband and how she had tried to make the relationship work. Though the launching point was the tale of Mai, other Southeast Asian countries have risen with more case