Lifestyle - The Korea Times

Exhibition traces history of Korea's commercial photography beyond 1984

Koo Bohn-chang's photograph taken for Korean menswear brand Alexio's catalog in 1987 / Courtesy of Ilmin Museum of ArtBy Park Han-solThere's a certain raw and adventurous spirit that exists in veteran photographer Koo Bohn-chang's series of images taken for the 1987 catalog of menswear brand Alexio, which was popular at that time.Models, either suspended in mid-air or posing with a cheeky smile in front of a now-gone building in Seoul's Namyeong-dong, give off a rather jaunty vibe that is not found in other commercial photography of his time.“Back then, taking photos for fashion catalogs, especially those featuring models instead of products, hadn't been fully established in the Korean commercial photography scene. This was a product of experimentation born from the hands of Koo,” Lee Mee-hye, former features director of Vogue Korea and guest curator for the “UNCOMMERCIAL: Korean Commercial Photography, 1984 and Beyond” show, said at a recent press conference.As its title indicates, the ongoing exhibition at the Ilmin Museum of Art in central Seoul brings to t

Apr 14, 2022By Park Han-sol

Exhibition traces history of Korea's commercial photography beyond 1984

BTS drives fresh boom in Korean food

“Cafe in the City,” a pop-up restaurant at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas, serves a menu of Korean dishes specially curated with BTS' favorites in celebration of the K-pop titan's ongoing concert series, “Permission to Dance on Stage ― Las Vegas.” Courtesy of HYBEBy Park Han-solIn celebration of a string of sold-out “Permission to Dance on Stage - Las Vegas” concerts by BTS being staged at Allegiant Stadium until April 16 (local time), the entire city has been awash with shades of purple, the symbolic color for the K-pop titan.The metropolis has been turned into a “BTS-themed playground” as part of a special project called “The City.” One event that has excited the taste buds of die-hard fans there is a pop-up restaurant called “Cafe in the City.”Located in Mandalay Bay, the restaurant serves selected Korean dishes specially designed with BTS' favorites, many of which, have appeared in the group's video content and reality shows, including “BTS In the Soop,” “Bon Voyage” and “Run BTS!&rdq

Apr 11, 2022By Park Han-sol

Korean ceramic art exhibition to be held in Belgium, France

Lee Ka-jin's “Eternity” (2022) is one of 13 pieces to be shown at the “Hidden Colours: Korean Contemporary Ceramic Art” exhibition in Belgium and France from May to September. Courtesy of Korea Ceramic Foundation By Kim RahnAn exhibition of Korea's ceramics will be held in Europe starting in May to showcase the nation's contemporary ceramic art, according to the Korea Ceramic Foundation, Monday.The foundation said it will hold the traveling exhibition titled “Hidden Colours: Korean Contemporary Ceramic Art” from May 14 to June 12 in Belgium and from June 25 to Sept. 4 in France. Jeong Kwan's “What to Value” (2022) / Courtesy of Korea Ceramic Foundation Eleven artists' works with a modern interpretation of traditional ceramics and techniques will be on display.The Belgium event will be held as a part of the Ceramic Art Andenne, with Korea being select

Apr 11, 2022By Kim Rahn

Korean ceramic art exhibition to be held in Belgium, France

Overseas trips, most sought-after post-pandemic activity: survey

People wait to check in at the departure area of Incheon International Airport, Wednesday. Yonhap By Kim RahnKorean and foreign nationals alike said that they want to travel abroad once there is a sense of normalcy after the COVID-19 pandemic is over, a survey revealed, Thursday.According to the survey conducted on 203 foreign nationals and 214 Korean nationals by the Corea Image Communication Institute (CICI) from March 21 to April 4, 96 percent of the foreign respondents and 86.5 percent of Koreans picked overseas trips as the activity they want to do the most when they become free from the concerns of the virus crisis, indicating their desire for overseas travel after more than two years of strict international travel regulations.The second-most sought-after activity is “eating out freely without limits to the size of groups,” with 54.2 percent of foreign nationals and 62.2 percent of Koreans saying so, when multiple answers were allowed. Also, 54.2 percent of fo

Apr 8, 2022By Kim Rahn

Overseas trips, most sought-after post-pandemic activity: survey

Emerging Korean artist brings new perspective to MENA cultures

Kim Sin-ae's Libyan version of “Kiss” inspired by Gustav Klimt's “The Kiss” / Courtesy of Kim Sin-aeBy Kwak Yeon-sooUntil the spring of 2020, Kim Sin-ae put in long hours at work as a ground staffer at Qatar Airways. After the pandemic-related shutdowns hit, like thousands of airline workers, she found her world upended. However, the pandemic granted time and she relished it by finding a new hobby. “During the time I was at home, I did some soul searching. I realized art was something I had to start doing because it felt fulfilling,” she said in a recent interview with The Korea Times.Although she hadn't majored in arts, art had always been a passion of hers. Kim uses an Apple Pencil and iPad to draw digital illustrations. Her works feature Middle Eastern and North African (MENA) cultures because she wants people to reexamine their perceptions of the region.“Living in Qatar for seven years, I got to know the richness and diversity of Arab cultures beyond their distorted portrayals in the media. I noticed that there are very few people who loo

Apr 7, 2022By Kwak Yeon-soo

Emerging Korean artist brings new perspective to MENA cultures

'Not Seoul' photography exhibition allows audience to interpret city in own way

Street photographer Chae Kyung-wan, who goes by his penname, K. Chae / Courtesy of K. ChaePhotographer captures streets of Seoul during COVID-19 pandemic By Kwak Yeon-sooChae Kyung-wan, who goes by his penname, K. Chae, is a street photographer who travels around the world to express what he sees with photography. He takes pictures of people, cityscapes, landscapes, wildlife and anything of interest in his path.He has traveled to 85 countries to capture unrehearsed moments in life. His most recent plan to travel to Central Asia was disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, allowing him more time to capture the beauty of Seoul instead.“I always thought I would take pictures of Seoul when I grew older and found travel uncomfortable. Until the COVID-19 pandemic hit, Seoul was the place where I spent time in the off-season. But things have changed over the past two years,” he said during an interview with The Korea Times, Tuesday. Chae started roaming the streets of Seoul and capturing small moments that people often miss. However, he explained that his approach to taking pictures

Apr 7, 2022By Kwak Yeon-soo

'Not Seoul' photography exhibition allows audience to interpret city in own way

Rose sauce continues to excite Koreans' taste buds

School Food's dish, spicy carbonara pasta tteokbokki, made with rose sauce / Courtesy of School FoodBy Park Han-solRose sauce has emerged as one of Koreans' new favorite sauces.According to Woowa Brothers, the operator of the country's largest food delivery service, Baedal Minjok (Baemin), the rate of orders made for dishes served with rose sauce on its app throughout 2021 increased sevenfold compared to the previous year.While the original rose sauce is typically made for pasta by blending marinara sauce with cream and milk, “gochujang” (hot pepper paste) is an extra ingredient added in Korea to give the dish a spicy kick. It has also begun to accompany a wide range of recipes besides pasta, such as “tteokbokki” (spicy stir-fried rice cakes) and “jjimdak” (braised chicken and vegetables).One food franchise, School Food, stated that it has sold more than 6.15 million dishes of its menu item named “spicy carbonara pasta tteokbokki” as of last February. The dish was first developed in 2008 with spicy rose sauce before the term was even po

Apr 6, 2022By Park Han-sol

Rose sauce continues to excite Koreans' taste buds

More established food brands join in on global popularity of plant-based diet

The number of people who follow a plant-based diet in Korea was estimated to be 2.5 million as of last year, a whopping increase compared to 150,000 in 2008, according to the Korea Vegetarian & Vegan Association. gettyimagesbank By Park Han-solThe global trend of seeking an environmentally responsible and sustainable diet has led to the rising demand for vegan and vegetarian food products here in Korea. The number of people who follow a plant-based diet in the country was estimated to be as many as 2.5 million as of last year, a remarkable jump compared to only 150,000 in 2008, according to the Korea Vegetarian & Vegan Association. Nearly one-fifth of them are presumed to be vegan.While the major players of the domestic plant-based market used to be small startups and medium-sized enterprises specializing in food tech, more and more established brands have begun to get in on the action as well, filling the grocery store aisles with meat alternatives, as well as thei

Mar 25, 2022By Park Han-sol

More established food brands join in on global popularity of plant-based diet

Antique Louis Vuitton trunks become storytellers of modern human history

Installation of the exhibition, “Legendary Louis Vuitton Trunks the Exhibition,” at the Timewalk Myeongdong in central Seoul / Courtesy of LMPE Company Exhibition shows luxury trunks designed for unique purposes, tailored for ownersBy Park Han-solThe history of Louis Vuitton's trunks began in 1858 with the debut of its first flat-topped luggage that was lighter, waterproof, and most importantly, stackable ― a radical departure from the then-popular, heavier leather trunk with a dome top.Originally designed based on the founder's profession as a master box-maker and packer for the French aristocracy, Louis Vuitton trunks began to include a number of both functional and decorative features as time went by, including the elastic bands that can fasten paper documents, compartments and shelves, as well as the brand's signature monogram.Amid the golden age of travel throughout the 19th and 20th centuries, marked by the emergence of locomotives, automobiles, ocean liners a

Mar 21, 2022By Park Han-sol

Antique Louis Vuitton trunks become storytellers of modern human history

Russia demands early return of 75 loaned paintings amid war in Ukraine

Visitors take a look at art works on display in the “Kandinsky, Malevich & Russian Avant-Garde” exhibition at the Sejong Museum of Art in the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts, Seoul, Jan. 2. Korea Times photo by Hong In-ki By Kwak Yeon-sooRussia has called for the early return of art works that are currently on display as part of the “Kandinsky, Malevich & Russian Avant-Garde” exhibition in Seoul, as escalating tensions created by Russia's invasion of Ukraine have spilled over into the art world. Co-hosted by The Korea Times and its sister paper, the Hankook Ilbo, the exhibition is to be held until April 17 at the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts. The exhibition offers a rare view into an influential wave of early modern art through 75 paintings of 49 major Russian and Soviet artists, including Wassily Kandinsky, Kazimir Malevich, Alexander Rodchenko and Natalia Goncharova. The art works were loaned by four Russian museums ― the Yekaterinburg Museum of Fin

Mar 18, 2022By Kwak Yeon-soo

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