Designer dismayed at ‘sexy’ hanbok in beauty contest

Renowned hanbok designer Park Sul-nyeo expressed disappointment at the way the country’s traditional attire was reinterpreted for a recent beauty contest.In an interview with a KBS1 radio show on Wednesday, the hanbok designer did not hide her negative feelings about the revealing, even suggestive, variations on the traditional costume. “I’m not saying we should wear only the authentic versions displayed in the museum,” Park said. “But there could have been better w

July 18, 2019

What makes an artist?

A large drawing stretches from one end of the wall to the other, depicting accidents at construction sites in the upper half and several vehicles lined up in the lower half. In the space in between, letters and numbers relay information on the accidents.The 10-meter wide drawing, “Accident,” by Byun Yoo-bin is part of “The Eyes of Astonishing Artists” running at the Seoul National University Museum of Art’s exhibition. “Byun drew the work in a month period. H

July 17, 2019

Seo Dong-joo wins 2019 LMoA Young Artist Award

Artist Seo Dong-joo has won the 2019 LMoA Young Artist Award, the Lotte Museum of Art’s annual award for an up-and-coming artist in South Korea. Seo, the winner of the inaugural award, will be given 20 million won ($16,949) toward his next projects. He will also hold a preview exhibition later this year at the Lotte Museum of Art, where he will introduce new works. Next year, Seo will have two separate exhibitions where his new and past works will be shown. Seo, 37, received a bachelor&rsq

July 16, 2019

‘Summer Love’: Artworks depict the lives of young artists

A desk with an old computer, a chair and a potted plant -- the room installation by Hwang Moon-jung does not require any sophisticated jargon to explain. You just need to sit and play the game installed on the computer: “Great Artist Maker” -- a remake of famous 1990s Japanese simulation game “Princess Maker.” “Great Artist Maker” has you arrange Hwang’s schedule and plan her activities to grow her career and get her recognized as a great artist. Hwang&r

July 15, 2019

Co-directors ramp up preparation for 2020 Gwangju Biennale

Defne Ayas and Natasha Ginwala, co-artistic directors of the 13th Gwangju Biennale, are gearing up for the event, slated to kick off in September 2020.The biennale will look into the “entire spectrum of intelligence,” the two artistic directors said during a press conference in Seoul on Thursday.  “Our curatorial focus will engage with artistic approaches and scientific methods that examine the entire spectrum of intelligence -- ranging from spiritual and shaman legacies,

July 11, 2019

Nam June Paik Art Center looks at ecosystems, up close

A tree welcomes visitors to the Nam June Paik Art Center’s latest exhibition, but it doesn’t produce any oxygen. Paik’s “Apple Tree,” made using 33 TV monitors, emits only electronic images. Exhibition “Ecological Sense” at Nam June Paik Art Center questions how we should perceive our current ecological system. The museum also noted that the exhibition aims to make the audience more sensitive to the changes in our ecological system.It features works by 1

July 9, 2019

Young artists take on human body

Our bodies are constantly changing, often in ways we are unaware of. You look at pictures of yourself taken years earlier, and you can see changes you did not notice as they were happening.Chang Seo-young and Hwang Sue-yon are two women artists in their 30s whose works, which make close observations of bodies, are on show at the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art’s Young Korean Artists 2019 exhibition.While Chang, 36, and Hwang, 38, both deal with the body, their approaches are

July 8, 2019

Why paint flowers in 2019?

The still-life painting genre may not hold much appeal for contemporary artists, since it does not leave much room for new discoveries. Flower paintings might be seen as especially outmoded. But in an art scene dominated by conceptual art, local painter Kim Sung-yoon’s focus on flowers is as bold as it is refreshing. “Many expressed worries when I said I wanted to paint flowers, but I think flower paintings are still a good means to communicate with the viewers,” Kim said durin

July 7, 2019

Ivanka Trump makes headlines by donning Korean designer’s dress

White House adviser and first daughter Ivanka Trump turned heads during her recent visit to South Korea by wearing a dress designed by a Korean designer.Trump, known as a fashion enthusiast, arrived in Korea with US President Donald Trump last Saturday. During a forum held Sunday to discuss gender role issues at Grand Hyatt Seoul, she sported an ivory coat-style dress.  The dress was designed by designer Jong Go-en who leads her namesake label Goen.J. The creation was a part of the 2019 Re

July 5, 2019

A look into nature and wildlife, beyond our reach

An ongoing Seoul exhibition highlights unique moments that internationally well-known photographers have captured to reveal the natural environments beyond our reach, through National Geographic’s photographs. The exhibition at the Hangaram Art Museum at the Seoul Arts Center, titled “Nature’s Odyssey,” presents images taken in part to bring attention to pressing environmental issues, according an exhibition organizer.British photographer Robbie Shone’s photo of a l

July 2, 2019

Ahn Eun-me turns museum space into dance stage

Ahn Eun-me is a one-of-a-kind Korean contemporary dancer. Even then, not many would expect to see her in an art museum. “It is strange to look back on my own past 30 years,” Ahn said during a press conference held Wednesday at the SeMA’s main branch in Seosomun-dong, Seoul, where a solo exhibition of her work is underwayTitled “Known Future,” the show comprises installations, video works, sounds, archive materials and performances.A statue of Ahn, painted in glitter

July 1, 2019

[Eye Plus] The streets that once led the nation’s garment industry

Dull knocking sounds and clunky noises from sewing machines resonate through the streets of Changsin-dong. Inside the sweatshops that line the streets, clothes are scattered here and there and colorful rolls of fabric are stacked on shelves. Located in Seoul’s central district of Jongno, this area has for many decades been the mecca of the country’s garment industry. Here stands Lumpium, the Sewing History Museum, a four-story building built in 2018 by the city government.On dis

June 27, 2019

Barbara Kruger’s makes her way to Seoul, with new works in Korean

The Amorepacific Museum of Art is holding a Barbara Kruger solo exhibition, featuring 44 works from the conceptual artist’s four-decade career, ranging from early paste-ups to new work produced in Korean. Titled “Barbara Kruger: Forever,” the show marks her first solo exhibition in Asia.Kruger, born in 1945, is an internationally acclaimed American artist best known for works that combine images and text to convey a feminist cultural critique. More broadly, the artist has been

June 27, 2019

Matthew Stone: Longing for something real in this digital age

People listen to digitally rendered music, but most people are not familiar with digital paintings.Choi & Larger Gallery in Seoul is holding a solo exhibition of works by London-based artist Matthew Stone, featuring some 20 digital paintings under the title “Small Awakenings.”  Stone utilizes both traditional painting tools and new technologies in his art, which usually requires twice as much time to make because of the additional processes involved.Stone first makes brushs

June 26, 2019

‘Berlin Portraits’: Kim Ok-sun spotlights Korean nurses who began new lives in Germany

Portraits are not the most favored of items for art collectors. Not many people want strangers’ photos hanging on their walls. But artist Kim Ok-sun continues to take photographs of people because she is drawn to them. Atelier Hermes in Seoul is holding a solo exhibition of Kim’s works under the title “Berlin Portraits,” featuring some 25 large portraits of Korean nurses who went to work in West Germany in the 1960s and ’70s and settled there, starting new lives. Th

June 25, 2019

Exploring apartments in Korea through art

From monodrama and contemporary dance performances to interviews and a lecture, Doosan Art Center has tied various art forms to explore apartments in South Korea.“Post APT,” a multidisciplinary show, recalls the history, issues and stories that associated with apartments to get the audience to reflect on the dominant form of housing here. “Post APT” is co-produced by choreographer Jung Young-doo, architect Chung I-sak, film director Paik Jong-kwan and composer Kayip. It i

June 23, 2019

[Eye Plus] Seoul -- an open runway where life and fashion coexist

Raised aisles stretch out under the glare of the spotlight, chic models parade up and down the catwalk, top-notch designers give brusque last-minute directions, and front-row celebrities flaunt their outfits for the cameras.This is how runways are often perceived by the general public -- sophisticated yet disconnected from everyday life.But what if fashion shows broke out of the conventional frame and models posed in the streets, under natural light and at eye level with the audience? Every part

June 21, 2019

Daegu show sheds light on painter who influenced ’80s minjung art

A relatively unknown painter, Park Saeng-kwang, is being highlighted at a Daegu museum in an attempt to reassess the artist. Although the artist’s name is not familiar to most of us, he is considered to have influenced many artists who came after him. Though he did not have any direct ties to minjung art -- a sociopolitical art movement that emerged in South Korea in the 1980s – he greatly influenced the movement, said the Daegu Art Museum’s chief curator, Lee Jin-myung.Born in

June 19, 2019

New art appraisal company enters market

A new art appraisal company has recently launched its services, filling a void created after the disbandment of a major player in the field here. Previously, local art appraisal services were offered mainly by a network consisting of the Korean Art Appraisal Board and the Korean Art Appraisal Association in cooperation with the Galleries Association of Korea. The appraisal board opened in 2001 and started to offer appraisal and authentication services in cooperation with the Korean Art Appr

June 18, 2019

Little luxuries from France

Luxury parasols and umbrellas, with elaborate embroidery and lace, precious tortoiseshell handles and silver and ivory shafts offer a glimpse into the French culture of luxury in the 17th to 20th centuries. Platform-L, a modern and contemporary art venue in Seoul, is holding “Summer Bloom,” an exhibition featuring antique French umbrellas and parasols from different periods, collected by Michel Heurtault. Born in 1966, Heurtault may be the only state-certificated master in the world

June 17, 2019