Lifestyle - The Korea Times

89-year-old knitting artist proves age is just number

Knitting artist Seo Yoon-nam poses with her BTS dolls after the interview with The Korea Times at Naury Art Center in Seoul, Wednesday. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chulLate-bloomer Seo Yoon-nam holds 10th exhibition with clothes for BTS dollsBy Kwak Yeon-sooKnitting artist Seo Yoon-nam is living proof that it is never too late to follow one's dreams. Most people in their 80s would consider it a blessing if they don't suffer from serious illnesses. At the age of 89, however, Seo spends hours knitting clothes for dolls. She also has a better vision than many people half her age. Seo has had an interest in art since she was a high school student. She dreamed of studying art in college. However, change came suddenly. The 1950-53 Korean War put a stop to her dreams. Instead of going to college, she ended up taking classes at a knitting school.“It was a really tough time for everybody. I felt like I needed to learn practical skills. Women struggled to find work and they were not left with many options. So I learned knitting and crocheting like many girls of my age did,” Seo

Nov 17, 2022By Kwak Yeon-soo

89-year-old knitting artist proves age is just number

INTERVIEW Smithsonian's National Museum of Asian Art ready to turn page to its 2nd century

American painter James McNeill Whistler's “Harmony in Blue and Gold: The Peacock Room” (1876-77), has long been a showstopper for the Freer Gallery of Art at the National Museum of Asian Art in Washington, D.C. The room, which has undergone months of restoration work this year, showcases American interior design in conversation with Asian objects and aesthetics on view. Courtesy of Freer Gallery of ArtSmithsonian museum reflects on its collection, past exhibitions of Korean artBy Park Han-solThe Freer Gallery of Art opened its doors to the public in the iconic National Mall in Washington, D.C., in 1923 as the first national museum of art in the United States ― with a founding collection of close to 10,000 pieces hailing from East and South Asia, the ancient Near East and the Islamic world in addition to 19th-century America.As part of the Smithsonian Institution, the world's largest museum and research complex, the gallery was later joined by the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery in 1987.Together over the last century, the two galleries, referred to as the “Freer/Sackler,&r

Nov 13, 2022By Park Han-sol

[INTERVIEW] Smithsonian's National Museum of Asian Art ready to turn page to its 2nd century

Gucci to sponsor preservation of Gyeongbok Palace

Gyeongbok Palace in Jongno District, central Seoul / NewsisBy Park Han-solItalian luxury fashion house Gucci has announced a three-year sponsorship agreement with the Cultural Heritage Administration (CHA) of Korea designed to preserve and safeguard Gyeongbok Palace. Gucci President and CEO Marco Bizzarri signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Choi Eung-chon, head of the CHA, Nov. 1, promising cooperation on future restoration projects of the historic Joseon-era royal palace, the company said, Wednesday.“Beauty serves as a continuous source of inspiration for Gucci, but it also requires constant care and effort,” Bizzarri said. “The brand's cooperation with the CHA will help safeguard the rich artistic heritage of this historical site.”The global brand announced previously its plan to host a fashion show at the palace on the first day of November to showcase its “Gucci Cosmogonie Collection Seoul.” The celestial-themed event was to mark Alessandro Michele's debut show in Korea to present the collection unveiled earlier at Castel Del Monte

Nov 9, 2022By Park Han-sol

Gucci to sponsor preservation of Gyeongbok Palace

Italian Egyptologist views future museums as 3-pronged: physical, digital, metaverse

Christian Greco, Italian Egyptologist and director of Museo Egizio in Turin, the second-largest museum in the world dedicated to Egyptian antiquities after Cairo, speaks during a talk entitled “Writing History in the Digital Age” at the Expo Centre Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates, Nov. 4. The session was held as part of the ongoing 41st edition of the Sharjah International Book Fair. Courtesy of Sharjah Book Authority Christian Greco discusses horizons for museums faced with challenges of 21st century at SIBFBy Park Han-solSHARJAH, United Arab Emirates ― How will a museum survive in the era of digitization and that new buzzword we can't seem to escape ― metaverse? Will the brick-and-mortar repositories of humanity's collective history give way to their virtual counterparts?Egyptologist Christian Greco doesn't believe in that idea of a zero-sum game between the physical and the virtual.In fact, the historian, who also serves as the director of Museo Egizio in Ita

Nov 7, 2022By Park Han-sol

Italian Egyptologist views future museums as 3-pronged: physical, digital, metaverse

Park Seo-bo becomes first Korean artist to join Louis Vuitton's ArtyCapucines collection

The 2022 ArtyCapucines collection from Louis Vuitton, born from the luxury brand's collaboration with six leading contemporary artists / Courtesy of Louis VuittonBy Park Han-solLouis Vuitton has unveiled this week its 2022 ArtyCapucines bag collection, born from the French luxury house's collaboration with six renowned contemporary artists.Among them is “Dansaekhwa” (monochrome painting) master Park Seo-bo, who became the first Korean creator to be part of the project.Launched in 2019, the ArtyCapucines collection aims to marry fashion and art by transforming the brand's iconic Capucines handbags ― named after Rue Neuve-des-Capucines in Paris, where the maison's first store opened in 1854 ― into a blank canvas for leading international artists.Six creators have been invited each year to bring their creative vision to life, including Jean-Michel Othoniel, Henry Taylor, Beatriz Milhhazes and Zeng Fanzhi.The Capucines handbag featuring Dansaekhwa master Park Seo-bo's 2016 painting from his signature “Ecriture” series / Courtesy of Louis VuittonThe design of Park'

Oct 20, 2022By Park Han-sol

Park Seo-bo becomes first Korean artist to join Louis Vuitton's ArtyCapucines collection

Korean language education expands in Hong Kong

Mu Kuang English School students attend a Korean language class, a regular foreign language subject at the school, Wednesday, Hong Kong. Korea Times photo by Park Ji-wonBy Park Ji-wonHONG KONG - Learning a foreign language is difficult and it takes a lot of time and energy to see certain visible outcomes. But a growing number of people in Hong Kong are learning Korean nowadays. Once a hobby restricted to K-pop fans, learning Korean is now more common, being included in the foreign language category for the university entrance exam as well as among regular school language subjects.At Mu Kuang English School, a local secondary school in Hong Kong, it is pretty common to see Korean letters in classes or in the library. It was the first secondary school in Hong Kong to introduce the Korean language as a regular course from the 1st grade last year, providing Korean classes once a week.Up to 12 first graders gathered for a 40-minute class on Wednesday. They learned the pronunciations for the Korean letters, ㄴ, ㄷ, ㄹ and vowels, while answering questions from Canny Lai, the Korean teacher an

Oct 9, 2022By Park Ji-won

Korean language education expands in Hong Kong

Belated Hangeul learners find life blossoms after literacy

Loan period extended for US-captured Joseon-era flag

In the left photo, Joseon General Eo Jae-yeon's “sujagi” flag is captured by the U.S. Navy during the U.S.' 1871 military engagement in Joseon, called “Sinmiyangyo.” In the right photo, the flag is on display at the National Palace Museum of Korea in 2007 after it was repatriated on loan from the U.S. / Courtesy of Cultural Heritage AdministrationBy Kwak Yeon-sooThe loan period for a rare Joseon-era flag, which had been captured by U.S. naval forces during the 1871 military action against the Joseon Kingdom and was returned to Korea on a lease, has been extended for another year.The Ganghwa War Museum confirmed, Wednesday, that it has recently signed an agreement with the U.S. Naval Academy Museum in Annapolis, Maryland, for a one-year extension on borrowing the military flag named “sujagi” for display. The loan period had been scheduled to expire at the end of September.“The U.S. Naval Academy Museum agreed recently to extend the loan period until Oct. 1, 2023, after months of negotiations,” a museum official told The Korea Times, Wedn

Sep 29, 2022By Kwak Yeon-soo

Loan period extended for US-captured Joseon-era flag

INTERVIEW 'Digital transformation requires managerial skills'

Leaders should learn new skills, celebrate small wins for digital transformation in legacy newsrooms By Kim Yoo-chulOver the last few decades, media organizations have been pursuing a so-called “red ocean strategy,” a business plan involving competition in an existing industry. The primary goal of this strategy is to beat the competition and exploit present demand. Food and media industries, for example, are considered to be the active followers of this strategy as there are a lot of smaller companies also competing for market share.In fact, media organizations are being increasingly threatened due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which has forced legacy and old media to thoroughly rethink the way they do business. Legacy newsrooms, for example, are feeling pressured to defend their bottom lines amid the continued fall in newspaper circulation and flattening advertising sales. This situation makes it pretty obvious to them that change is needed if they intend to evolve or simply stay afloat.But the pandemic itself hasn't led to a sharp fall in readership numbers. In fact, exactl

Sep 29, 2022By Kim Yoo-chul

[INTERVIEW] 'Digital transformation requires managerial skills'

Korean choreographer's work called 'Chinese dance' by Hong Kong troupe as 'kimchi wars' extend to the stage

A scene from “Myth of the Dancing Durumi,” performed by Hong Kong Dance Company Courtesy of Hong Kong Dance CompanyBy Park Ji-wonHONG KONG ― The Hong Kong Dance Company (HKDC) has discovered to its cost that the “kimchi wars” can extend to dance, as it defends its latest program against South Korean claims of Chinese cultural imperialism.On Wednesday, one of the choreographers behind the company's “Myth of the Dancing Durumi” program, which runs until Sept. 18, demanded that the troupe remove the Chinese term “chaoxian” from the description of her work “The Moon,” a new commission rooted in Korean traditional dance, Korean shamanism and folklore.Korean choreographer Han Hyo-lim, based in Seoul, told the Post she was surprised that the program notes claimed her work embodies “Chaoxian sentiments,” which to her is a specific reference to ethnic Korean culture in China and not a description that applies to her work.Descriptions of the troupe's outreach programs also use chaoxian dance and #ChineseDance to introduce

Sep 21, 2022By Park Ji-won

Korean choreographer's work called 'Chinese dance' by Hong Kong troupe as 'kimchi wars' extend to the stage

Korea's largest-ever art market opens in Seoul

This photo shows the Korean International Art Fair (KIAF), annual art fair in Seoul. NewsisTwo big international art fairs will kick off in Seoul on Friday, bringing together a combined 350 galleries from around the world.The 21st edition of the annual Korean International Art Fair (KIAF) Seoul and the inaugural Frieze Seoul, a prestigious international contemporary art fair hosted by leading art platform Frieze, will simultaneously open at COEX in southern Seoul at 2 p.m.Frieze Seoul will take place until Monday on the third floor, while KIAF Seoul will last till Tuesday on the first floor. But only VIP ticket holders can visit the events on the first day while general viewing begins Saturday.At Frieze Seoul, 110 galleries from 21 countries, including prominent galleries, like Gagosian Gallery, Perrotin Gallery and Hauser Wirth, will take part in the first Frieze event to take place in Asia. Frieze is considered one of the world's leading art fairs and takes place in several cities around the world, like London, Los Angeles and New York.This photo shows the Korean International Art

Sep 2, 2022

Korea's largest-ever art market opens in Seoul

Shows to look out for during Frieze and Kiaf Seoul

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