Namsangol Hanok Village incorporates modern artifacts inspired by Korean traditional themes

The exhibition “Hang in Hanok” at Namsangol Hanok Village shows how the traditional Korean village incorporates contemporary works of art that its artifacts have inspired. The project, co-organized by Namsangol Hanok Village and the Seoul Metropolitan Government, consists of four Korean traditional themes: hanbok (traditional Korean garments), scrolls, lamps and scenery.  The modern artifacts based on these themes were designed by four designers and two art institutes. Installat

Nov. 15, 2019

[Video] Exhibition offers unique joy of taking pictures

Karl Lagerfeld famously said, “Pictures capture a moment that is gone forever, impossible to reproduce.” Whipping out a camera and taking photos yourself helps you grab the precious memories. This is mainly because when you see yourself in pictures, you can flashback to how you laughed, posed and even smiled during that particular click. The Korea Herald’s intern reporters visited today’s trendiest photo studio exhibition, located in Garosugil, southern Seoul, and explore

Nov. 12, 2019

Korean society through the eyes of a female minjung artist

Just a few minutes ahead of the exhibition tour on Thursday, Nho Won-hee, 71, asked visitors for their names. With a pen in her hand, Nho approached her painting “People in the Square” (2018) and started to write their names on the canvas.“It’s OK,” she said of her rather unusual decision to modify a work on display on the spot. “I have already been adding the names of the people who came to see the exhibition. I have been adding any names of individuals, both

Nov. 11, 2019

J Ahn’s photographs capture daily life in urban setting

Photographer J Ahn is holding her solo exhibition at Art Space J in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province. Titled “City Colors II,” introduces photographs taken on Ahn’s travels to major urban tourist destinations, such as New York, Paris and Seoul. 　 The latest exhibition, which is the second edition of her 2009 exhibition “City Colors,” features 52 photographs. Each city has its own color, and the photographer’s aim is to capture the different colors. “I grew up

Nov. 10, 2019

Structural artist weaves a tangled web

Bolting out of his chair during a press conference at a restaurant next to Gallery Hyundai, artist Tomas Saraceno headed straight for a small maintenance closet where cleaning tools were kept. Saraceno opened the door, looked up at the corners and pointed at a spider web. “There is a work of art,” he said. This rather eccentric Argentine artist based in Berlin was at Gallery Hyundai on Oct. 30 for his solo exhibition, which features a series that has gained attention not just wi

Nov. 10, 2019

Collaboration between Nike, G-Dragon creates buzz

Sportswear brand Nike will soon release a new edition of the iconic Air Force 1 sneaker in collaboration with G-Dragon. Named AF1 (Air Force 1) Para-Nose, the sneakers mark the first project for the leader of Big Bang since being discharged from the military last month.  Air Force 1 is Nike’s signature line, touted as an icon of street fashion and beloved by sports fans around the world since its release in 1982. Trendsetter G-Dragon has been leading his fashion label Peaceminusone s

Nov. 8, 2019

[Herald Interview] Shaping crude warmth into tableware and more

For a pottery artist leading a tableware brand, the table is where the magic begins, then spreads to the whole house. Yido, launched in 1990, is a pottery ware brand led by Yi Yoon-shin. Yi has achieved a unique success with Yido. As the local upscale tableware market was ruled by foreign brands, Yido carved out its place as a handcrafted brand inspired by traditional practices.“Though we have worked on interpreting traditional pottery in a modern language, the innate characteristic of pot

Nov. 7, 2019

Where and why we move

In 1957, a dog was put on Soviet spacecraft Sputnik 2, becoming the first live animal to orbit Earth. Some five decades later, it was revealed that Laika, the dog, died a few hours after the launch, due to overheating in the payload caused by a mechanical failure. Kim Se-jin’s video work “Messenger(s)” (2019), on show at SongEun ArtSpace, pays tribute to Laika, as well as those who had to move as part of mankind’s relentless efforts to conquer alien worlds.The work i

Nov. 6, 2019

Horim Museum’s 10th anniversary show taps highlights from exhibitions held in past decade

A lotus-shape museum stands majestically holding ancient Korean artifacts among luxury brand flagship stores and hip restaurants in Gangnam’s Sinsa-dong -- one of the quickly changing areas in Seoul. Horim Museum -- one of three private museums in Korea best known for holding national treasures, along with Leeum (Samsung Museum of Art) and Gansong Art Museum -- opened the new branch in Sinsa-dong in 2009. Celebrating the 10th anniversary of the new branch, “A Decade’s Record an

Nov. 5, 2019

Local public art project rethinks urban redevelopment and sustainability

Sitting at the center of Pyeongchon Central Park in the city of Anyang, Gyeonggi Province, is Daan Roosegaarde’s giant outdoor purifier “Smog Free Tower.” Roosegaarde’s seven-meter tall outdoor air purifier is designed to filter about 30,000 cubic meters of air per hour using little electricity. The tower at the park will capture particulate matter and release clean air for the next two years.The Dutch artist’s large-scale air purifier has been installed as part of

Nov. 4, 2019

Machine Visions: Trevor Paglen’s exhibition querying how machine sees the world

The recent rise of machine and computer vision systems not just allow machines to actually see things, but also automatically and seamlessly collects and interprets images for various purposes. An upcoming Seoul exhibition will delve into such technologies and the potential they may hold in understanding today’s world.“Throughout history, images have needed somebody to look at and interpret them. But, that’s changing now. With things like computer visions, we can now build mach

Nov. 3, 2019

Frank Gehry-designed Louis Vuitton flagship store opens in Seoul

Louis Vuitton on Thursday opened its new Frank Gehry-designed flagship store in Seoul, featuring interior design by Peter Marino.The new Louis Vuitton Maison Seoul, located in Cheongdam-dong in southern Seoul, is Gehry’s first work in Korea, according to the company.The new building features Korean heritage and culture, while maintaining its architectural ties with the Louis Vuitton Foundation’s iconic building in Paris, specifically, Gehry’s large glass-and-steel sails that en

Nov. 1, 2019

[Weekender] What to wear for winter fashion

Ultra-long down parkas were the king of winter coats here in the past few years, but a warmer winter looks set to bring new styles. According to industry insiders and fashion experts, we will be seeing a lot of fleece jackets and short puffers instead. Fleece is all the rage Fleece, shearling, sherpa or pile, whatever they are called, those warm, snuggly jackets that were once ridiculed as “dad fashion” are the hottest item in the local fashion scene right now.  At Discov

Nov. 1, 2019

[Weekender] The lure of leggings

Fashionable women in Korea, like their peers elsewhere, are in love with leggings -- and they don’t just wear them to the gym. Leggings’ ascent to casual wear, as described by the dictionary-defined term athleisure, has been a global phenomenon. Seoul, never too far behind a global fad, is fast catching up. Yet, in this country, where revealing, skin-tight and outlandish clothes were once almost certain to invite stares of disapproval, the propriety of leggings as streetwear is a con

Nov. 1, 2019

Park Chan-kyong’s ‘Gathering’ explores what museum can become

Park Chan-kyong’s solo exhibition “Gathering” is an exhibition that explores what art museums can become in the contemporary world with constant man-made disasters.On Saturday, the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art kicked off a solo exhibition of Park, who has been selected as sixth artist of the MMCA Hyundai Motor Series, a 10-year series of solo exhibitions featuring prominent Korean artists, sponsored by Hyundai Motor. “What art language can be possible af

Oct. 30, 2019

[Herald Interview] YCH to start over as newbie in global fashion scene

Despite the fact that it has been only three years since he launched his own label, designer Yoon Choon-ho is an established name in the fashion scene here.Yoon, a graduate of Istituto Marangoni in Milan, is widely known for having starred in fashion-related TV shows “Project Runway Korea” and “New Sold Out.” The 37-year-old also headed fashion label Arche prior to YCH.  This September, his presence became more internationally established, following his debut at Lon

Oct. 29, 2019

Continuing the ancient royal Kim heritage in Paris, fashion-wise

Though South Korean designers have been making a splash in the global fashion scene for some time now, an extra splash of “playful elegance” was added this season.During the recent Paris Fashion Week, fashion label Kimhekim presented the “Me” collection. From the brand name, readers might guess that a Korean designer is behind the label. The designer calls himself Kiminte Kimhekim. His legal name, Kim In-te, is the first name he uses and his last name reflects his fa

Oct. 23, 2019

Seoul Fashion Week suggests fresh looks for 2020

The spring-summer 2020 Seoul Fashion Week shows were filled with fun and fresh offerings.The event took place at the Zaha Hadid-designed Dongdaemun Design Plaza in central Seoul from Monday to Saturday.This edition was the first to be run by the new director Jeon Mi-kyeong, a former editor-in-chief of Harper’s Bazaar Korea. For the past four years, veteran fashion designer Jung Ku-ho had led the biannual fashion event.As in the previous editions, this season saw 34 Seoul Collection shows a

Oct. 20, 2019

MMCA’s ‘The Square’: exhibition unthreads Korea’s modern history

The National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art in Korea is holding the exhibition “The Square: Art and Society in Korea 1900-2019” in celebration of its 50th anniversary this year. 　The exhibition takes place in the three MMCA venues, including the main branch and the Deoksugung branch in central Seoul, Gwacheon branch in Gyeonggi Province. It’s the first time for the museum to hold an exhibition at three different venues.The binding motif for the exhibitions at three separ

Oct. 17, 2019

Game changers gather for Sustainable Fashion Summit Seoul

With the 2020 Spring-Summer Seoul Fashion Week currently underway, the organizers hosted a forum to discuss sustainable fashion on Wednesday and Thursday The Seoul Design Foundation hosted Sustainable Fashion Summit Seoul at the Dongdaemun Design Plaza in central Seoul invited fashion designers who are currently participating in sustainable fashion projects from here and abroad.The event was divided into four sessions: fashion and community development; harmony of human and technology; sustainab

Oct. 17, 2019