Ha’s signature “Conjunction” series overturned the concept of painting and canvas. He made his own canvas out of hemp cloth, breaking away from the typical choices of linen and cotton. He pushed thick layers of paint from the back side of the burlap so that the paint oozed through, creating a unique texture on the front. Ha called this technique “baeapbeop,” which literally means “back-pressure t...

On the wall are drawings Kim did using chalk, chalk-paintings that show the original ideas that he worked with when creating the massive installations. “I do a lot of sketches. I did not intend to do it (wall drawings) for the biennale, but I wanted to give it a try on the wall,” he said. The 59th International Art Exhibition of Venice Biennale with the title of “The Milk of Dreams” runs through...

The art exhibition “Take Your Time” is shown at the former Shina SB Shipyard, joined by 38 artists from 13 countries. The works, from paintings, media art to digital works created by artificial intelligence, aim to give visitors a respite from life’s daily stressors. “First of all, people are very stressed and confused. There are a lot of resentment because people are very focused outside. It is...

Founded in 1938 by Jeon Hyung-pil -- a wealthy merchant who collected Korean cultural artifacts during Japan’s 1910-45 colonial rule -- the museum was a fortress that helped protect Korean heritage from being taken out from the country by Japanese colonialists. The name of the museum, Bohwagak, was changed to Kansong Art Museum, adopting the founder’s penname, after his death in 1962. Bohwagak, ...

By Park Yuna (yunapark@heraldcorp.com)

The National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea is recruiting foreigners living in South Korea to collaborate with the museum in promoting Korean art and the national museum globally, as the number of overseas visitors have plummeted during the pandemic. Under the “#helloMMCA” program, the museum will pick 10 foreign residents in Korea to work for its campaign from May 2 to July 31. Th...

The National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea will build its fifth venue in Daejeon and cement ties with internationally renowned museums to promote Korean art as part of its new plan to reach local and international audiences. The museum’s venue in Daejeon -- the country’s fifth-largest city -- will open in early 2026, occupying the building of the former South Chungcheong provincia...

Pier 1 of Busan Harbor will be among the four venues of the 65-day biennale, which will start on Sept. 3 under the theme of “We, on the Rising Wave.” The 4,093-square-meter warehouse at the harbor will be turned into an exhibition space during the biennale. The pier was built in 1912 by Japanese colonialists to ship Korea’s resources out of the country. During the Korean War, the pier was where p...

With the ongoing war in Ukraine, the gallery has launched a fundraiser to support humanitarian efforts in the country. It is selling a selection of paintings and sculptures that have been created for or selected as contributions to the fundraiser. The works are on show across the gallery’s five venues -- London, Paris Marais, Paris Pantin, Salzburg and Seoul -- and can also be seen in an online e...

Kansong Art Museum -- South Korea’s first private museum and home to some 5,000 artifacts including 10 state-designated national treasures -- will open its doors for the first time in seven years on April 16. A new exhibition at Bohwagak, the museum’s original building, coincides with the recent completion of a new storage facility on the museum grounds. The exhibition will showcase 44 artifacts...

The Korean Pavilion at the 59th Venice Biennale in April will be held under the theme of “Gyre,” as a metaphor for the confusion that the world goes through with seven installations created by artist Kim Yun-chul. “The word ‘Gyre’ connotes multiple meanings. The Korean Pavilion will become a massive work itself, organically combined with Kim’s works. We will tear off the pavilion ceiling, so tha...

Ian Cheng: Worlding Another exhibition, “Ian Cheng: Worlding” is the first solo exhibition of the American artist in Asia, who is globally renowned for works that explore virtual ecosystems built with artificial intelligence and game engines. Born in 1984, Cheng is one among a group of quickly emerging young artists pioneering the AI sphere using game engines. “We reached out to the artist to c...

Artist Heo Wook is happiest when he draws lines to connect edges in his works. He has pursued an artistic concept of his own, which he calls “Cheomcheom,” that has evolved throughout his artistic career. After graduating from Beaux-Arts de Paris with degrees in drawing, painting, architecture and multimedia, Heo has explored how relationships are created among objects or people. The concept “Che...

Architect Seung Hyo-sang, who served as the Seoul Metropolitan Government’s first city architect from 2014 to 2016, said in an interview in 2016 that the site of Cheong Wa Dae is “impure from the beginning,” as it had been used as the Japanese governor general’s official residence during the Japanese colonial era of 1910-1945. “I do have my own personal view about Cheong Wa Dae, but it is not an...

The site of Cheong Wa Dae dates back to Goryeo (918-1392) when the kingdom had royal palace halls at the site. During the Joseon era (1392-1910), the site was considered a sacred place. Located right outside Sihwamun, Gyeongbokgung’s north gate, it was a place where royal retainers pledged their loyalty to the king. According to annals from the reign of King Sukjong, the place was considered so ...