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Arts & Theater

Delicacy of Denmarks Designs on Display

By Kwon Mee-yoo Staff Reporter The designs of Verner Panton, who is considered one of Denmark's most influential 20th century furniture and interior designers, is now on display at Hangaram Design Museum, Seoul Arts Center in southern Seoul, through March 2. ``Verner Panton: The Collected Works ― An exhibition of Vitra Design Museum, Weil am Rhein, Germany'' is the biggest exhibition ever in Korea displaying works by a single designer. It is Seoul Arts Center design department's 20th anniversary project. Panton (1926-1998) created innovative and futuristic designs in a variety of materials, especially plastic, and vibrant colors. Works displayed at this exhibition are from the Vitra Design Museum of Weil am Rhein, Germany, an internationally renowned museum devoted to design. The exhibition is divided into four sections. The furniture section shows Panton-designed furniture, including his famous chairs. The ``Panton chair'' is a furniture design classic and is the first chair to be fully made of plastic from a single mold. The red ``Heart Cone chair K3,'' ``Tr

Dec 21, 2007

Concerts, Museums & Performances

Classical Yang Sung-won Christmas Concert Kumho Art Hall Dec. 22 Cellist Yang Sung-won gives a Christmas concert featuring classic music to jazz with clarinetist Romain Guyot. Tickets are 30,000 won. Visit www.ticketlink.co.kr or call 1588-7890. Located near exit 7 of Gwanghwamun Station on subway line 5. Bambini di Praga Christmas Concert Seoul Arts Center Dec. 22 A children's choir from Prague, Bambini di Praga will sing 19 Korean carols and other songs. Tickets range from 20,000 won to 80,000 won. Visit ticket.interpark.com or call 1544-1555. Located near exits 4 and 5 of Nambu Bus Terminal Station on subway line 3. Gum Nanse and Euro-Asian Philharmonic Orchestra Seongnam Citizen Hall Dec. 23 Conducted by the renowned Gum Nanse, the Euro-Asian Philharmonic Orchestra will play timeless classics by Beethoven, Haydn and others. Tickets cost from 15,000 won to 20,000 won. Visit www.snart.or.kr or call 1588-7890. Located near exit 3 of Taepyeong Station on Bundang subway line. Flute Christmas Seoul Arts Center Dec. 25 Flute ensemble Piri wil

Dec 20, 2007

Clubs, Exhibitions, Games, For Kids

Clubs Club Garden Apgujeong-dong The Garden is an electronica hotspot, with the big draw being its line-up of guest DJs such as Laurent Garnier, Mondo Grosso, Afrika Bambatta and Goldie. Near Galleria Department Store on the so-called Rodeo Street in southern Seoul. Call (02) 518-5115 or clubgarden.co.kr. Club Evans Hongdae or Hongik University Area This place, located near Hongik University, is great for intimate live performances. The line-up of performers is generally top-notch with great acoustics are good. Located near exit 1 on Sangsu Station on subway line 6 or exit 6 on Hongdae Station on subway line 2. Call (02) 337-8361 or www.clubevans.com. Club Caliente Itaewon The patrons are so diverse, DJ Josh sometimes has a hard job appealing to everyone. But he keeps the dance floor going, playing a variety of standbys and new Latin music. The song selection is what keeps people coming back. Located near exit 4 of Itaewon Station subway line 6. Call (011) 9094 8484 Club M2 Hongdae M2 features top DJs from home and abroad. The dance floor

Dec 20, 2007

Fire Repair Cancels Art Center Shows

By Kwon Mee-yoo Staff Reporter Seoul Arts Center called off all scheduled performances of the Opera Theater until February due to a fire that broke out last week. Located in southern Seoul, Seoul Arts Center is Korea's prominent art complex with five halls and three art museums. Shows that are cancelled are the special gala concert (Jan. 19-20), the Brachetti Show (Jan. 23-Feb. 14) and the musical ``We Will Rock You'' (Feb. 19-March 9). The special gala concert is a collaboration performance of the National Opera Company of Korea, Korea National Ballet and the National Chorus of Korea. The Brachetti Show displays a quick-change performance by Arturo Brachetti, an Italian artist. Brachetti was chosen as the fastest quick-change artist in the world for the Guinness Book of Records 2006 and 2007. ``We Will Rock You'' is a jukebox musical based on the music of British rock group Queen. Both performances stopped selling tickets and the agencies are devising measures to make up for the financial loss with the Seoul Arts Center. Seoul Arts Center estimates that it'll ta

Dec 19, 2007

World-Class Stars to Perform in Seoul

By Han Sang-hee Staff Reporter To celebrate the New Year as well as to mark its 20th year, Seoul Arts Center will offer the Korean audience three renowned musicians: conductor Chung Myung-whun, soprano Sumi Jo and violinist Sarah Chang. The three artists, famous on the international musical circuit and supported by numerous maestros, will perform at the Seoul Arts Center's 20th anniversary project dubbed ``The Korean World Stars Series.'' Chung, 54, along with pianist Kim Dae-jin will be the first to perform with the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra on Feb. 17. This will be a wonderful chance for fans to experience the elegant and delicate spirit of this first class combination. Jo, 45, the world's best coloratura soprano (a soprano who can superbly perform high and difficult notes) will continue the musical feast May 23. This be an opportunity for music lovers to meet one of Korea's favorite sopranos, who was once complimented by the legendary maestro, Herbert von Karajan. Chang will finish the ultimate series June 6. The 27-year-old has proven herself as a true arti

Dec 18, 2007

Performances Cancelled Due to Technical Glitch

By Kwon Mee-yoo Staff Reporter On-stage technical problems forced producers of the Musical ``Mamma Mia!'' to cancel the show Sunday evening. The show was supposed to start at 7:30 p.m., but it was postponed for about 30 minutes and finally cancelled. An audience of approximately 1,200 protested the unexpected cancellation. Officials at the Seensee Musical company, producer of the musical, said they found a problem with the stage set during the afternoon show's curtain call. They had thought it was a minor problem and could be fixed before the evening show. They did not say what the problem was. ``Mamma Mia!,'' which premiered in Korea 2004, has been a huge hit. It recently re-opened at Charlotte Theater, succeeding the musical ``The Lion King,'' which finished its run in October.

Dec 17, 2007

Photographer Kim Jung-man: Taking the `Ultimate Road

By Lee Hyo-won Staff Reporter ``The Road Not Taken'' (1915) by Robert Frost perhaps best describes the new path Korea's celebrated photographer Kim Jung-man has embarked on. The photographer is as famous as the celebrity figures that appear in his work, but there came a moment when he arrived at a crossroads. He chose to step out of the limelight to pour his heart and soul into fine art photography ― what he calls taking ``the ultimate road as a photographer." ``I had to choose, whether to earn more money and make more social connections, or to give it all up ― which wasn't easy by the way ― and take the road of no return,'' Kim said in an exclusive interview with The Korea Times. ``It is a battle with yourself. You choose your subject matter and invest your time, money and passion, and there is no guarantee of success or failure,'' he said. It also meant ``cutting off social connections and arriving at a point where you aren't making any profit and can't even pay rent for the studio.'' But roads often take unexpected twists and turns. After exhibiting some of his wo

Dec 17, 2007

Experience African Culture in Seoul

By Cathy Rose A. Garcia Staff Reporter The African continent may seem like a mystery to most Koreans, because of its geographical distance and elusive culture. But recently African music, art and dance have been generating interest in Korea. Recent performances of South African dancer Vincent Mantsoe at the Seoul International Dance festival, and Senegalese artists Youssou N'Dour and Ismael Lo have attracted large audiences in Seoul. This week, ``Caravan to Africa'' hopes to bridge the gap between Korea and Africa by introducing African films, art, music and dance. From Dec. 19 to 22, there will be an art exhibition, a series of film screenings, and dance and musical performances at the LIG Art Hall and Korea Foundation Cultural Center. ``Although Africa is a continent of rich cultural heritage and cultural diversity, it is most often misunderstood as a territory entirely struck with poverty and disease... It is now our turn to correct the false stereotypes of Africa that may still exist in Korea and introduce African culture and artists to the general audience tha

Dec 17, 2007

Art Center Fire Cancel Shows

By Lee Hyo-won Staff Reporter Performances at Seoul Arts Center in southern Seoul have been canceled due to a fire Wednesday evening. Seoul Arts Center, which turns 20 next year, is suffering more than just a heavy monetary loss during the crucial year-end season. The fire has ignited questions about security and leaves a deep scar in its reputation as one of Korea's major culture spaces ― especially given its recently released mission to stand among the top five art centers in the world. Korea National Ballet's upcoming production of the ``The Nutcracker,'' Dec. 20-29, in addition to Thursday and Friday performances of the opera ``La Boheme,'' were called off. Pop up notices of the cancellation have been posted on the Center's Web site, www.sac.or.kr/eng (in English). Those who have made reservations can call (02) 580-1400 for a full refund. The fire affected the Opera Theater only, and performances at the Towol and Jayu theaters, and the Concert and Recital halls will go on as planned. Seoul Arts Center reported that flames were first detected around 7:38 p.m. durin

Dec 16, 2007

Expert Shares Insight on Van Gogh

By Cathy Rose A. Garcia Staff Reporter Looking at the stunning works of Vincent Van Gogh on display at the Seoul Museum of Art it is hard to realize that the Dutch artist hardly received any acclaim during his short and tragic life. Teio Meedendorp, a Van Gogh researcher and art historian, offered fresh insights into the Dutch painter's life and psyche. He was in Seoul last week, upon the invitation of the Embassy of Netherlands, to give lectures on Van Gogh to coincide with the ongoing ``Voyage Into the Myth" exhibition. In an interview with The Korea Times, Meedendorp said part of Van Gogh's enduring attraction is his tragic life story, as well as his philosophy towards art. ``Van Gogh was one of the first artists who had a certain lack of talent in the beginning, and had to struggle a long way before making his art. He worked hard. He knew he couldn't make a realistic, photographic likeness, but he didn't bother. He knew expression was more powerful," he said. Van Gogh's lack of recognition during his lifetime also adds to his mystique. Van Gogh decided to become

Dec 16, 2007
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