Lifestyle - The Korea Times

SeMA to turn page with major renovation, opening of two new branches

Choi Eun-ju, the newly appointed general director of the Seoul Museum of Art (SeMA), speaks at a press conference at the museum's main Seosomun branch in central Seoul, Wednesday. YonhapBy Park Han-solThe Seoul Museum of Art (SeMA), a network of museums and art-focused entities scattered across the capital and operated by the Seoul Metropolitan Government, is set to renovate and expand its main Seosomun branch in central Seoul by May 2026, the institution announced on Wednesday.The branch first opened its doors in Jongno District in 1988 and moved to its current location near Deoksu Palace in 2002. Its renovation will focus on revamping the aging building ― save for its facade, a state-registered cultural property ― and expanding the underground area by 3,000 square meters for more capacious exhibition halls and storage spaces. Exhibitions will continue to run throughout all stages of the remodeling period, it added.SeMA is also scheduled to open two new venues in the fall of next year ― Seoul Museum of Photography in Seoul's Dobong District in October and Seo-Seoul Museum of Art in

Aug 24, 2023By Park Han-sol

SeMA to turn page with major renovation, opening of two new branches

INTERVIEW Artist Park Mee-na's abstract color stripes trace roots of materialism in modern Korea

Painter Park Mee-na poses in front of her “2023-Red-TV Unit” (2023), which is on view as part of her solo exhibition, “Nine Colors & Nine Furniture,” at the Atelier Hermes in Gangnam District, southern Seoul. Courtesy of Fondation d'entreprise Hermes Painter's latest solo show, “Nine Colors & Nine Furniture,” unfolds at Atelier HermesBy Park Han-solIt all began with a phone call from out of nowhere. In the early 2000s, Park Mee-na, fresh out of graduate school, was navigating her way to become a full-time artist in Seoul when her phone rang one day. On the other side of the line was a gallerist she knew with an unusual query: Did she by any chance have any “orange paintings?”At the time, she did have one canvas work featuring a house in an abstract rectangular field of neon orange and yellow. Hearing this, the art dealer swiftly moved on to the next set of questions: Is it horizontal or vertical? If it is vertical, can it be turned sideways?“I told them the painting

Aug 21, 2023By Park Han-sol

[INTERVIEW] Artist Park Mee-na's abstract color stripes trace roots of materialism in modern Korea

Return of Frieze and Kiaf Seoul to offer 2-for-1 art fair experience

A view of Frieze Seoul 2022 at COEX in southern Seoul / YonhapBy Park Han-solFrieze Seoul and Kiaf Seoul are returning to Seoul in September to offer a distinctive two-for-one art fair experience once again. The creative momentum generated by their partnership is expected to extend well beyond the fair venues this time, with the city government launching a broader cultural initiative “Seoul Art Week” to celebrate the two art events' arrival.“In a very short period of time, I feel the two fairs together have already become a very important anchor in the city's arts and culture calendar,” said Frieze Seoul Director Patrick Lee during a joint press conference in central Seoul, Thursday.Some 330 emerging and established galleries around the globe will flock to COEX in southern Seoul for the concurrent openings of the two fairs on Sept. 6. Like last year, Frieze Seoul will be hosted for four days, while Kiaf Seoul is set to run until Sept. 10, one day more than its counterpart.Purchasing one joint ticket, sold at 250,000 won ($187) for a preview or 80,000 won ($60)

Aug 18, 2023By Park Han-sol

Return of Frieze and Kiaf Seoul to offer 2-for-1 art fair experience

Frieze Seoul to hold 2nd art fair next month alongside Kiaf Seoul

In this Sept. 2, 2022 file photo, Frieze Seoul, a new international art fair by leading art platform Frieze, is crowded with visitors. YonhapFrieze Seoul said Thursday it will feature an expanded list of Asia-based galleries and a variety of cultural programs for its upcoming international art fair next month, which will be held concurrently with Korea's leading art fair, Kiaf Seoul. The second edition of Frieze Seoul, a prestigious contemporary art fair by leading art platform Frieze, is scheduled to take place from Sept. 6-9 at the COEX convention center in southern Seoul. The 22nd edition of the annual Korean International Art Fair (Kiaf) Seoul will open on the same day at the venue and run through Sept. 10. Following its successful debut last year, Frieze Seoul will present about 120 galleries from 30 nations, with over 40 percent of them from Asia."We look forward to welcoming our participating galleries from across the globe, who will bring a wide range of solo and curated presentations featuring some of the leading artists working today. With a strong contingent of Korea- and

Aug 17, 2023

Frieze Seoul to hold 2nd art fair next month alongside Kiaf Seoul

Chang Uc-chin's missing 'Family' painting rediscovered

Chang Uc-chin's “Family” (1955) / Courtesy of MMCABy Park Han-solModern Korean art master Chang Uc-chin's (1917-90) first family portrait, “Family” (1955), thought to have been missing for six decades after its last known sale to a Japanese collector in 1964, has been rediscovered by the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea (MMCA).The work will be unveiled in the upcoming exhibition, “The Most Honest Confession: Chang Ucchin Retrospective,” which is slated to open on Sept. 14 at the national museum's Deoksugung branch.“Family” has long been known as the painting that Chang, who produced over 30 family portraits during his lifetime, adored so much that he hung it by his bedside. It was also the first piece he ever sold during his debut show held at Bando Art Gallery, Korea's first commercial gallery, in 1964.After selling it to Japanese collector Sadao Shiozawa, the artist reportedly recreated the work in 1972 and named it “Family Portrait,” which is currently in the collection of Chang Ucchin Museum of Art i

Aug 16, 2023By Park Han-sol

Chang Uc-chin's missing 'Family' painting rediscovered

'Brainwashed' rock, canvas-filling maze, screaming painter - the absurd art of Kim Beom

Kim Beom's “A Rock That Was Taught It Was a Bird” (2010) / Courtesy of Leeum Museum of ArtVeteran conceptual artist's first domestic solo exhibition in 13 years mounted at Leeum Museum of ArtBy Park Han-solIn a dimly lit room at the Leeum Museum of Art in central Seoul, a curious spectacle unfolds.In one corner, a single rock is perched on a bough. Next to it is a video of a man sternly lecturing that very stone for 87 minutes on how it should be able to fly because it “is, in fact, a bird!”Across the room sits a model ship, equally subject to a 91-minute-long videotaped lesson as the supposed instructor lists geological, meteorological and astronomical evidence to convince the waterborne object that the Earth consists only of land.The whole spectacle culminates in a pseudo-classroom, where everyday items ― a kettle, a fan and a kitchen scale, among others ― are seated in front of a blackboard to learn that they are nothing but tools built for humans and therefore “should not ever think for themselves.”Kim Beom's “Objects Being Taught They Ar

Aug 15, 2023By Park Han-sol

'Brainwashed' rock, canvas-filling maze, screaming painter - the absurd art of Kim Beom

2023 Hanbok Expo arrives

Visitors to Hanbok Expo 2023 view hanbok dresses on display at COEX in southern Seoul, Thursday. YonhapBy Park Han-solThe Hanbok Expo, an annual fair held since 2017 to promote the beauty and industry trends of traditional Korean attire, has returned to COEX in southern Seoul this week for its sixth edition.Organized by the Korea Craft and Design Foundation (KCDF) and the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the event began its four-day run on Thursday. It brings together 108 hanbok designers and manufacturers to show their wares ― from modernized garments and accessories to pet apparel ― with discounts of up to 80 percent.An array of special exhibitions and programs run throughout the venue.Helmed by fashion designer Suh Young-hee, the central exhibition presents 22 pieces of traditional dancewear under the theme of “The Wings of Dance” to embody the idea of “heung” (a burst of joy and energy.)The costumes on view are inspired by the garments once donned by dancers performing “talchum” (mask dance), “geommu” (sword dance), “s

Aug 11, 2023By Park Han-sol

Multimedia artist Park Chan-kyong to hold first solo show at Smithsonian

A scene from Park Chan-kyong's “Citizen's Forest” (2016) / Courtesy of Art Sonje Center, Kukje GalleryBy Park Han-solMultimedia artist Park Chan-kyong is set to hold his first solo exhibition at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Asian Art this fall to inaugurate the museum's new modern and contemporary galleries.“Park Chan-kyong: Gathering,” scheduled to run from Oct. 7 to Oct. 13, 2024, will be the artist's first solo presentation in a major U.S. institution.Park has been known for using the photographic medium to provide nuanced insights into modern South Korea's turbulent political history and breakneck economic growth.The upcoming exhibition will spotlight five of his recent works that weave together elements of art history, literature and folk traditions to shed light on different facets of South Korean society, including its storied relationship with the North.His panoramic multi-channel video, “Citizen's Forest,” which serves as the show's centerpiece, takes its cue from the poetry of Kim Su-yeong (1921-68), Minjung art (“people's a

Aug 10, 2023By Park Han-sol

Multimedia artist Park Chan-kyong to hold first solo show at Smithsonian

A closer look at Jung Kang-ja, female trailblazer in Korean experimental art

"Transparent Balloons and Nude" (1968), performed by Jung Kang-ja, Kang Kuk-jin and Chung Chan-seung / Courtesy of Jung Kang-ja, Arario GalleryJung's solo show at Arario Museum in Space presents her creative evolution beyond 1960s-70s experimental art through self-portraitsBy Park Han-sol“It takes 15 balloons, a semi-nude woman's body, loud, loud primitive beats and psychedelic lights to make some graduates of art schools claim that they have produced a work of art.”So begins the June 9, 1968, article in The Korea Times to describe ― in a rather dismissive tone ― what turned out to be the first known feminist, nude performance in Korea, “Transparent Balloons and Nude.”Staged at C'est Si Bon, a live music hall in downtown Seoul, in May 1968, the young artist trio ― Jung Kang-ja (1942-2017), Kang Kuk-jin (1939-92) and Chung Chan-seung (1942-94) ― invited audiences to attach balloons to Jung's semi-naked body before popping them while the deafening music of John Cage blasted in the background.This so-called “happening” immediately sent shockwaves thro

Aug 9, 2023By Park Han-sol

A closer look at Jung Kang-ja, female trailblazer in Korean experimental art

How provocateurs of Korean experimental art wrestled with rapid modernization, authoritarian state

Museum explores impact of foreign cultures on K-pop, K-dramas

The hallyu section at “The Pop Culture We Loved and Rise of the Korean Wave” exhibition at the National Museum of Korean Contemporary History in central Seoul, features figurines of K-pop boy group BTS, among others. Korea Times photo by Dong Sun-hwaNew 'hallyu' exhibition in Seoul to run until Sept. 3By Dong Sun-hwaOn the third floor of the National Museum of Korean Contemporary History in central Seoul sits a cylindrical shelf filled with diverse Korean wave or “hallyu” items ranging from the figurines of K-pop juggernaut BTS to a green tracksuit featured in 2021 hit dystopian drama, “Squid Game.” These products are attention-grabbing, but they are not the only gems of “The Pop Culture We Loved and Rise of the Korean Wave” exhibition that kicked off on July 19. What sets it apart from other shows is its wise utilization of space, which visually portrays how Korea has accepted different foreign cultures to build its own legacy. The hallyu section is placed in an open-air area in the center of the exhibition hall and is surrounded by th

Aug 8, 2023By Dong Sun-hwa

Arts & Theater