Korean art in full swing in UK this fall

Korean art will be at the center of attention in the UK this fall, with a variety of exhibitions featuring established Korean artists and projects set to coincide with Frieze London, which runs Wednesday to Sunday. The Korean Cultural Center UK will host events on Thursday and Friday, bringing together artists and art enthusiasts alike for networking and a viewing of the ongoing exhibition “Digital Heritage, Now! AI With You.” The exhibition showcases the beauty and significance of K

Oct. 7, 2024

Changwon sculpture biennale tells story of city as industry mecca

Changwon, a South Korean city known as a manufacturing hub and the capital of South Gyeongsang Province, is hosting the seventh edition of the Changwon Sculpture Biennale, exploring the relationship between urban development and sculpture. As the nation’s sole sculpture biennale, the event kicked off on Sept. 27, spanning unique venues that encapsulate the city’s modern history -- Seongsan Shell Mound, Changwon Cultural Complex Center Dongnam Ground, Seongsan Art Hall and Changwon Ci

Oct. 6, 2024

[Herald Design Forum] Jean-Michel Wilmotte shares his vision for Centre Pompidou Hanwha Seoul

Space, matter and light define beautiful architecture, says renowned French architecture luminary Jean-Michel Wilmotte, who has been chosen to design the Centre Pompidou Hanwha Seoul, set to open in 2025. Celebrated for his visionary work at locations such as the Louvre Museum and the Elysee Palace, the 76-year-old architect will speak at the Herald Design Forum 2024, scheduled to take place at Sevit Island in Seoul on Tuesday under the theme of “Inspiration, Limitless?” In a written

Oct. 6, 2024

Biannual palace festival to kick off next week

The biannual festival at the four biggest Joseon-era (1392-1910) palaces in Seoul will start a five-day run Wednesday packed with performances from ballet to classical music and musicals. The K-Royal Culture Festival, held in spring and fall, will host performances at Gyeongbokgung, Changdeokgung, Changgyeonggung and Deoksugung. At Gyeongbokgung, “The Royal Concert: Ballet and Sujecheon” will be performed Oct. 10-13, showing a blend of ballet and the royal court music of Joseon. On O

Oct. 4, 2024

Define Seoul 2024 to explore simplicity in design

The second edition of Define Seoul, a design and art fair launched by Art Busan, will expand its scale with special exhibitions and more participating galleries in October in the hip Seoul neighborhood of Seongsu-dong. The design art fair was inaugurated last year as an art fair for collectors that integrates fine art and design. The second edition under the theme of “The Meaning of Simplicity: Attitude Towards life in a Rational Era" is curated by designer Yang Teo, who also curated

Oct. 2, 2024

This year’s Hangeul Week packed with events

A competition, a music festival, lectures and a forum will take place for a week from Friday, celebrating the annual Hangeul Week to raise awareness of the Korean writing system. Hours ahead of officially starting the weeklong event, a Hangeul contest will be held at Gyeongbokgung -- one of the five Josen-era (1392-1910) palaces in Seoul -- drawing 120 Koreans who survived regional finals and 130 foreign nationals selected for the competition. Open lectures by book writers will follow on Friday

Oct. 1, 2024

[Herald Design Forum] Johnny Lee, visionary engineer-cum-designer, sees future in virtual worlds

To what extent does design shape experiences in virtual worlds? For Johnny Lee, in an era where extended realities, or XR, dissolve barriers of physical space and time, design -- whether technological or virtual space design -- is “crucial.” With a background in engineering and years of entrepreneurial experience, Lee balances the roles of engineer and designer at iStaging -- a Taipei-based company specializing in virtual reality solutions he founded in 2015. Lee, who is also the c

Oct. 1, 2024

Ven. Seongpa's art is 'seon' meditation

Known as a Buddhist spiritual leader, Ven. Seongpa has combined Buddhist practice with artistic creation, with his art as both the process and the result. Seongpa has unveiled some 120 works created over the past decades at the exhibition entitled “Seongpa Seonye – COSMOS,” which opened at the Seoul Arts Center last week. While his art encompasses a wide range range of genres, from calligraphy and ceramics to painting and sculpture, the exhibition focuses on lacquer works. Lacq

Sept. 30, 2024

[Herald Design Forum] Lacaton, Vassal extend life of buildings without demolition

One may raise their eyebrows hearing the philosophy of the French architects Anne Lacaton and Jean Philippe Vassal whose practices are opposed to demolishing buildings to build new ones. The Pritzker-winning architects’ approach is particularly unusual in Korean society where the wholesale reconstruction of apartment complexes to be taller, newer and more luxurious is a common and positively regarded way to raise home and property values. “We do not think it is necessary to demolish

Sept. 30, 2024

[What to see] Gallery-hopping: From Korean abstract art pioneer to Urs Fischer

Take a stroll in downtown Seoul to check out some art amid the autumn breeze, works by emerging artists at Peres Projects near Songhyeon Yeollin Park, Korean pioneering abstract artist at PKM Gallery in Samcheong-dong and Swiss-born, US-based artist Urs Fischer at Jason Haam in Seongbuk-gu. Emerging artists at Peres Projects Peres Projects in Seoul is currently presenting exhibitions of British artist Rebecca Ackroyd and Danish artist Anton Munar. Ackroyd's “The Party Is A Woman&rdquo

Sept. 28, 2024

Kang Ik-joong's monumental 'Hangeul Wall' unveiled at Korean Cultural Center New York

A 22-meter high wall with 20,000 colorful blocks of Korean letters, or Hangeul, was unveiled Wednesday at the newly opened Korean Cultural Center New York, on E. 32nd Street in Manhattan. The monumental work was created by New York-based artist Kang Ik-joong, known for his iconic works of Hangeul blocks. Kang’s installation “Hangeul Wall: Things I Love to Talk About” was created in collaboration with participants from more than 50 countries around the world. Some 7,000 submissi

Sept. 26, 2024

Qatar Pavilion at Gwangju Biennale brings solidarity through rain

GWANGJU -- A soundscape combining rainfall with a Qatari children's folk song fills the corridor where a reflection of Qatari traditional architecture patterns surround visitors. On the wall are Qatari idioms. One reads: “Whatever comes from the sky, the earth accepts.” The National Museum of Qatar presents its national pavilion exhibition at the Gwangju Biennale, Asia’s leading art biennale, which kicked off Sept. 7 across the city of Gwangju. The title of the exhibition

Sept. 22, 2024

MMCA releases English VR tour of 'Performative Home' exhibition

The National Museum of Contemporary Art, Korea has unveiled a virtual reality exhibition tour for “Performative Home: Architecture for Alternative Living," which is currently physically on view at the museum’s Gwacheon venue. For the VR tour, the actual exhibition space was captured in 360 degrees, and architectural materials such as 3D models and sketches were used. The 360-degree VR exhibition tour, provided in English and available on the MMCA’s YouTube channel, is the

Sept. 13, 2024

Nicolas Bourriaud reinterprets Korea's pansori for audiences globally

GWANGJU -- The 15th edition of the Gwangju Bienanle, which kicked off on Saturday in Gwangju, in Korea's southwest, presents “Pansori, a soundscape of the 21st century" as its theme, featuring 72 artists. Behind this theme of reinterpreting pansori -- a traditional Korean form of musical storytelling accompanied by a drummer -- is French curator Nicolas Bourriaud. Asia’s prestigious biennale has maintained its foundation in the "Gwangju Spirit," also known as the

Sept. 10, 2024

Jeju Biennale to reveal history of 'drifting'

The fourth edition of Jeju Biennale will take place across the island from Nov. 26 to Feb. 16 under the theme “The Drift of Apagi: The Way of Water, Wind and Stars,” touching on the identity of the island. Lee Jong-hoo, artistic director of the Jeju Biennale and director of Jeju Museum of Art, drew upon the “drift” theme to explore diverse aspects of the island, encompassing its culture, environment, migration and refugee history. “Jeju Biennale is relatively less

Sept. 9, 2024

Seoul Fashion Week still has work to do

For the last 24 years, Seoul Fashion Week has been the face of the fashion landscape Korea wants to project onto the fashion world -- one that is as fresh in creative aesthetics as it is powerful in demonstrating timeless beauty. Still, local designers need to be empowered with more financial as well as administrative support to help achieve the decades-old mission, fashion experts said Monday, calling for more active support from the Seoul Metropolitan Government -- the host of Seoul Fashion We

Sept. 9, 2024

Frieze Seoul sees slower sales, yet confirms stronger art scene in Seoul

The economic slowdown has affected the third edition of Frieze Seoul, which started Wednesday at Coex with relatively slow sales. Galleries brought works at lowered prices as though they were bracing for the economic impact on the art market. Some galleries were hesitant to share sales figures, saying that collectors appeared to be taking more time to make purchases, or that sales had been similar to -- or worse than -- last year. “We know that the economy here has not been at its best, ev

Sept. 6, 2024

Perfectionism ties together Louis Vuitton, Park Seo-bo: official

A relentless pursuit of perfection is what identifies Park Seo-bo and Louis Vuitton, said Lee Yoo-jin, executive director of the Parkseobo Foundation, on Wednesday as the French luxury house launched a collaboration with the prominent Korean artist at the Louis Vuitton Maison Seoul. “We were just amazed to witness the sheer attention to detail by the fashion house,” Lee said in an interview with The Korea Herald. “That attitude isn’t far different from Park’s when h

Sept. 6, 2024

Runways show off pastel luxury, flamboyance, sustainability

Designers showcasing spring-summer 2025 collections at Seoul Fashion Week were just as diverse in their choice of materials as the messages highlighted on the runway, where 21 brands are making their pitch during the five-day fashion week ending Saturday. Cahiers, a womenswear brand led by designer Kim A-young, started Friday’s runway shows focusing on what she calls “pastel luxury” -- ready-to-wear fare inspired by ballet costumes -- a symbol of elegance and delicacy, accordin

Sept. 6, 2024

[Eye interview] 'Imagining the possibilities gets me excited'

    What if you were given carte blanche to do anything that you desire? While that may be a dream come true for most, architect Cho Min-suk said, “I refuse to do that project.” A leading Korean architect and winner of several awards including the Golden Lion at the Venice Architecture Biennale in 2014, Cho was offered just such an opportunity 10 years ago. “Someone with means said, ‘You just make a pure, beautiful place,’” recalled Cho during an int

Sept. 5, 2024