Classical music lovers will be treated to performances by internationally acclaimed pianists this fall, starting with Krystian Zimerman in mid-October, followed by Evgeny Kissin at the end of the month and Andras Schiff in November.Zimerman, one of the world’s finest pianists, will perform Oct. 19 at Lotte Concert Hall, together with the London-based Philharmonia Orchestra led by conductor Esa-Pekka Salonen. The concert marks Zimmerman’s second visit to Korea since 2003.  Pianist Krystian Zimerm

Performance Oct. 9, 2018

Violinist Clara-Jumi Kang will start a nationwide tour with Italian pianist Alessio Bax with a recital on Oct. 14 at Seoul Arts Center.This is Kang’s first nationwide tour since 2016 when she toured with pianist Son Yeol-eum, her close friend and the artistic director of the Pyeongchang Music Festival.Kang’s upcoming recital will feature works of French and Belgian composers, including Debussy‘s Sonata for Violin and Piano in G minor, L148, Eugene Ysaye’s “Poeme Elegiaque,” Op. 12 and Cesar Fran

Performance Oct. 7, 2018

The Seoul Fortress consists of an 18.6-kilometer-long wall that surrounds Hanyang, the former capital of the Joseon era. Though parts of it were damaged during Japan’s colonial rule and the Korean War, the wall has been standing for some 600 years and today overlooks the urbanized capital, Seoul.One of the four trail sections, which goes around Naksan, offers a scenic route where visitors can enjoy both historic sites and the massive urbanscape of the city. (Photographed by Park Hyun-koo/The Kor

Travel Oct. 4, 2018

American pop artist Kenny Scharf’s solo exhibition “Super Pop Universe,” which launched Wednesday at the Lotte Museum of Art in Seoul, opens up a whole new universe for viewers and encourages them to reflect on reality.A visual celebration of the daily lives of people and the world they inhabit, Scharf’s paintings and sculptures are colorful and witty -- for the most part. The world that the artist presents requires a bit of effort to comprehend, however.  Installation view of Kenny Scharf’s “Co

Arts & Design Oct. 4, 2018

Interpretations of minimalism by 11 Korean artists went on show at the Seoul National University Museum of Art on Monday. The works on display at “Minimal Variation” depict forms of beauty that are aesthetically simple and austere.However, the works of the participating contemporary Korean artists often run counter to the principles espoused by minimalism in the past: The artists have arrived at their own interpretations of minimalism.  Oh Wan-seok’s “Underpainting” (MoA)Minimalism, popular in t

Arts & Design Oct. 2, 2018

Korean artist Lee Bul’s retrospective exhibition kicked off Friday at Martin-Gropius-Bau in Berlin.The artist’s 2015-16 work “Willing to Be Vulnerable,” a 17-meter-long sculpture that looks like a Hindenburg airship or Zeppelin, is included in the 127 works that span over some 30 years and are on show. “Willing to Be Vulnerable” was first shown at the 20th Biennale of Sydney in 2016. “Scale of Tongue,” Lee’s latest work, is also presented at Martin-Gropius-Bauwill.The exhibition sheds light on h

Arts & Design Sept. 30, 2018

The National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea, kicked off the second edition of Asia Focus on Friday at its Seoul branch. This year’s Asia Focus -- a program launched last year to support artists in Asia -- runs through next Wednesday. Asia Focus forms part of MMCA Performing Arts, a yearlong program dedicated to interdisciplinary performances. This year, the museum co-commissioned five Asian artists -- Ho Tzu Nyen of Singapore, Meiro Koizumi of Japan, Dai Chenlian of China, Hong Kon

Arts & Design Sept. 28, 2018

The fall has arrived and so has the season for strolling. In downtown Seoul, the area near central palace Gyeongbokgung is the favorite haunt of locals and tourists alike looking to enjoy fine culture and dining alike.On either side of the massive Gwanghwamun Square in front of the palace are the National Museum of Korean Contemporary History and Sejong Center. The two large cultural institutions within close walking distance are perhaps ideal spots to start an “art walk” in Seoul. An installati

Arts & Design Sept. 27, 2018

Can dancers practice their art with etudes, like classical musicians? Artist Oh Min’s “Etude ABCD” at Atelier Hermes in Seoul is an exhibition that comprises a set of dance etudes with intricately woven choreography.The winner of the 17th Hermes Foundation Missulsang, Oh is an artist who brings the language of the stage into the realm of visual arts.  Artist Oh Min poses in front of her video installation, “Etude A,” part of an exhibition titled “Etude ABCD,” at Atelier Hermes in Seoul. (Atelier

Arts & Design Sept. 26, 2018

Architectural design is becoming increasingly important as issues related to the environment and densely populated areas grow, according to Martha Thorne, executive director of Pritzker Architecture Prize, and Korean architect Park Jin-hee.Speaking at a session titled “What Now, How Now and Who Now” on the second day of the Herald Design Forum 2018 at Dongdaemun Design Center on Saturday, Thorne talked about the changes and challenges that have been brought upon the architects, as well as the ma

Arts & Design Sept. 15, 2018

Bartomeu Mari, director of the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea, says areas of fine arts will crossover into the areas of design and architecture. During his lecture at the second day of Herald Design Forum 2018, held at Dongdaemun Design Plaza in Seoul, Saturday, Mari said design had expanded its boundaries and broken the monopoly that fine arts had occupied for a long time. cap - Bartomeu Mari, director of the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea, speaks a

Arts & Design Sept. 15, 2018

Chairs are much more than just chairs, according to Italian furniture designer Martino Gamper.“I think chairs tell a lot about us, how we live and how we make things,” said Gamper in his lecture titled “Not Just a Chair” on Friday at Herald Design Forum. He suggested that there is more to the chairs that we normally sit on every day. cap - Italian designer Martino Gamper gives a lecture titled “Not Just a Chair” at Herald Design Forum 2018 held at Dongdaemun Design Plaza in Seoul on Friday. (Par

Arts & Design Sept. 14, 2018

Herald Design Forum 2018 kicked off Friday at Dongdaemun Design Plaza. Distinguished speakers, design experts and government officials are among those participating in Asia’s leading design festival, which runs through Saturday. Jungwook Hong, chairman of Herald Corp., delivers an opening address for Herald Design Forum 2018, which kicked off at Dongdaemun Design Plaza in Seoul on Friday. (Lee Sang-sub/The Korea Herald)“The forum, which started in 2011 with our belief that design can change the

Arts & Design Sept. 14, 2018

Herald Design Forum 2018 kicks off at Dongdaemun Design Plaza in Seoul on Friday for a two-day run under the theme “Designing Future.” The eighth edition of Asia’s leading design forum, organized by Herald Corp., features 15 internationally renowned speakers sharing their unique perspectives and inspirations. The annual design festival begins with an opening address by Herald Corp. Chairman Jungwook Hong.Following the chairman’s opening address is a keynote speech by Princess Dana Firas of Jorda

Arts & Design Sept. 13, 2018

German producer Achim Freyer’s latest production of “Das Rheingold,” part of Wagner’s “Ring Cycle,” was unveiled to the media in Seoul, offering yet another interpretation of the epic music drama. ”The “Ring Cycle” is a “Gesamtkunstwerk,” in which music, drama, language, light, stage design, costumes and drawings all come into play, Freyer said Wednesday at a press conference held after a showcase performance at the Namsan Creative Center.  German opera director Achim Freyer (right) and Esther L

Performance Sept. 12, 2018