Lifestyle

DAILY FORTUNE - MARCH 09, 2022

AI, video game engines become philosophical tools for Ian Cheng

A still from Ian Cheng's “Emissary in the Squat of Gods” (2015) / Courtesy of the artist, Gladstone Gallery, Pilar Corrias, London, and Standard (Oslo), OsloBy Park Han-solArtificial intelligence (AI) and video game engines meet philosophy in the art of Ian Cheng.While armed with a pop-culture-inspired visual language from the likes of video game “SimCity,” Cheng's live simulations of virtual ecosystems teeming with AI-based characters and wildlife also make a complex theoretical inquiry into the nature of human consciousness.The Leeum Museum of Art exhibition, “Ian Cheng: Worlding” ― Asia's first comprehensive survey of the artist's simulated worlds created over the past seven years ― serves as a fascinating portal into such innovation, which merges cutting-edge technology with cognitive psychology to visualize in real time certain mechanisms fueling the human mind and behavior.Artist Ian Cheng / Courtesy of the Leeum Museum of Art“I've always been a big fan of art that feels and is alive,” the artist said at the recent press conferenc

DAILY FORTUNE - MARCH 08, 2022

Younger generation plays big role in new type of art investment

"Dialogue" by Lee Ufan is seen in this image provided by Seoul Auction Blue. Yonhap Four out of 10 investors who buy small shares of iconic artworks through online platforms in South Korea are from the younger generation, a local auction house said Monday.Among customers who have purchased a share of a single piece of art worth at least 10 million won ($8,100) at a time, 40 percent were in their 20s and 30s, according to Sotwo, an online art investment platform run by Seoul Auction Blue.Sotwo allows individuals to buy shares of specific artworks from 1,000 won and lets them gain proceeds when the artwork is resold.The company said their young buyers have invested in some acclaimed paintings by big-name Korean artists, including Lee Ufan, Kim Whan-ki and Park Seo-bo.For example, the portion of investors in their 20s and 30s who participated in the collective purchase of a piece by Lee Ufan reached 50 percent. The number of 30-somethings, in particular, accounted for

DAILY FORTUNE - MARCH 07, 2022

Books on art collecting gain traction amid booming art market

The Korea International Art Fair (KIAF) Seoul held at COEX in southern Seoul last October was one of many local art events that saw record turnouts and sales last year amid surging public interest in art as an investment. Courtesy of KIAF Seoul By Park Han-solKorean art fairs last year, both big and small, claimed a continuous streak of success. The 2021 edition of major art fairs ― including the Galleries Art Fair, KIAF Seoul, Busan Annual Market of Art (BAMA) and Art Busan ― all saw record turnouts and sales. According to the Korea Arts Management Service, the local art market tripled in size last year compared to the previous year, reaching more than 915 billion won ($751.5 million).This notable surge in public interest in art sales and collecting, fueled partially by the hype surrounding non-fungible tokens (NFTs) and the news of the late Samsung Group Chairman Lee Kun-hee's vast art trove being donated to state-run museums, has been witnessed lately in the book

Local religious groups stand with Ukraine

A group of demonstrators takes to the street near the Embassy of Russia in central Seoul to protest against Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Tuesday. Yonhap By Park Han-solIn the aftermath of Russia's invasion of Ukraine last week, many of the religious bodies in Korea have come forward to unite against the aggressor and stand with the war-stricken country.The Korean Conference of Religions for Peace (KCRP) ― an umbrella organization made up of religious organizations for Protestantism, Catholicism, Buddhism, Won Buddhism, Confucianism, Chondogyo and the Association for Korean Native Religions ― released a statement on Monday, saying that no crisis can be resolved by brute, barbaric force.“We are sure that this war, although triggered as a result of a multitude of historical and political factors, can be overcome through dialogue alone,” the organization said, calling for solidarity from all those in support of lasting peace.The same day, Cardinal Andrew Yeom Soo-jung

REVIEW 'Notre Dame de Paris' captures quintessence of French musical

A scene from the musical, “Notre Dame de Paris,” featuring dancers swinging from bells / Courtesy of Mast EntertainmentBy Dong Sun-hwaA Wednesday afternoon is obviously not the most ideal time for people to watch a musical, but yesterday, the Blue Square hall in central Seoul was brimming with theatergoers, who were eager to see the original French production of the musical, “Notre Dame de Paris.”Premiered in France in 1998, “Notre Dame de Paris,” which is based on the 1831 novel by Victor Hugo, is one of the most sought-after productions in Korea from overseas that has attracted more than 15 million theatregoers across the globe. Composed by Riccardo Cocciante and written by Luc Plamondon, “Notre Dame de Paris” wrapped up early in January 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but it recently returned to Korea for encore performances, beginning its run on Feb. 25. Set in 1482 Paris, the musical revolves around Quasimodo, a hunchback bell-ringer of Notre Dame Cathedral, and his unreciprocated love for a beautiful gypsy girl named Esmeralda,

DAILY FORTUNE - MARCH 04, 2022

Translated book gives adoptees access to post-war Korea

Retired pediatrician Cho Byung-guk / Korea Times photo by Kang Hyun-kyungDr. Cho's memoir about Korean War orphans, abandoned children will be published in English in May, shedding light on why they were sent overseas to new families By Kang Hyun-kyungThe cover for “Before Adoption… There Was Dr. Cho”Retired pediatrician Cho Byung-guk, 89, came to understand why some ethnic Korean adoptees search tirelessly for their birth parents and strive to figure out why they were sent overseas to new families, while interacting with numerous adoptees during her five decades of work.“Every year at Holt Ilsan, we had groups of visitors from overseas. They were adopted by parents mostly in the United States and Europe when they were babies, so most of them don't speak or read Korean,” Cho told The Korea Times. Once their stays ― which could be for days or weeks ― end, there is one thing many of these adoptees do: they buy Cho's 2009 memoir, which is written in Korean. “Although they don't understand Korean, they purchased the book and took it home with the hope