[Herald Interview] Painter Kim Byung-jong sings of life in exhibition

Looking back on the past five decades, painter Kim Byung-jong said he was “raised by nature” when he was a child, which has shaped his artistic inspiration until the present day. The energy, colors – particularly the theme of life – seen in his works come from nature. Born in Namwon, a small city located just outside South Korea’s largest set of mountains, Jirisan National Park, Kim recalled the sound of the leaves of bamboo trees behind his house brushing against e

Oct. 15, 2024

Cheyul highlights Korean craft

Korean craft is making inroads in Germany. The Berlin Craft-expansion Fair is the latest highlight for Cheyul, a Korean luxury handcraft brand invited to participate with a collection that is definitively Korean in origin but deeply universal in aesthetic appeal. The inaugural fair was held from Wednesday to Saturday. Cheyul’s 25-piece collection ranging from lacquered furniture to a black porcelain moon jar -- alongside 20 pieces from nine Korean craftspeople -- made up close to half of t

Oct. 15, 2024

Park Seo-bo's hitherto unseen final works to be shown in New York a year after his death

As this year marks the first anniversary of the death of Korean dansaekhwa master Park Seo-bo, galleries in Korea and abroad are commemorating his legacy by unveiling his last body of paintings and works that capture the artist created by Korean sculptor Gwon Osang. White Cube in New York will show Park’s “Newspaper Ecriture” for the first time, the final body of work created by the artist before his passing in 2023. The exhibition offers an opportunity to learn how the artist

Oct. 14, 2024

Forum to discuss outlook on intangible cultural heritgage

A two-day forum on promoting intangible cultural heritage will take place next week in Jeonju, North Jeolla Province, hosted jointly by the Korea Heritage Service and UNESCO’s Asia-Pacific office handling intangible cultural heritage. The Oct. 17-18 meeting, held annually and now in its eighth edition, will explore how peoples have maintained their self-identities over migration and what intangible cultural heritage could do to help advance cultural diversity. Over 30 participants from 14

Oct. 10, 2024

[Herald Design Forum] Build it better: Experts present innovations in AI, CGI, architecture

The Herald Design Forum 2024 took place Tuesday at Sebitseom in southern Seoul, in the floating cultural complex in Han river with the theme of “Inspiration, Limitless?” inviting architects, designers, visual content creators and top experts in cutting-edge technology who push their boundary in the fields. “For the past 13 years, the Herald Design Forum has brought together more than 100 design experts to discuss how design has evolved and changed our society, joined by more th

Oct. 9, 2024

[Herald Design Forum] Communication key for visual effects, motion graphics

Effective communication is crucial in the visual effects and motion graphics field, experts said Tuesday during a roundtable session held at the Herald Design Forum 2024 in the Floating Island Convention Center on the Han River, Seoul. The roundtable, hosted by YouTuber GeniusSKLee, brought together top experts in these cutting-edge fields, including Weta FX senior facial modeler Hwang Jung-rock, Weta FX CG supervisor Choi Jong-jin, and motion graphic designer Kim Gryun." Hwang, senior faci

Oct. 9, 2024

[Herald Design Forum] Lacaton and Vassal pay tribute to what already exists

Humanity lies in the architecture touched by Pritzker Prize-winning architects Anne Lacaton and Jean Philippe Vassal. They pay tribute to what is already existing, whether it is nature, humans or other buildings. “It is about transformation from the existing, and with the existing,” Vassal said at the Herald Design Forum 2024 held on Tuesday in Seoul with the theme of “Inspiration, Limitless?” The duo's renovation of a 16-story, 96-unit social housing tower block, &l

Oct. 9, 2024

[Herald Design Forum] VFX expert says creativity is key to bringing characters to life

Hwang Jung-rock, a senior facial modeler at Weta FX, one of the world's leading visual effects companies, emphasized the importance of artists' creativity in facial modeling during a lecture at the Herald Design Forum 2024, held at the Floating Island Convention Center on the Han River, Seoul, Tuesday. Hwang explained that his role involves creating a digital "puppet" of a character's face for films, designed to capture even the smallest nuances of an actor's perfor

Oct. 9, 2024

[Herald Design Forum] Weta FX CG supervisor Choi Jong-jin on creating photorealistic water in 'Avatar: The Way of Water'

Choi Jong-jin, a CG supervisor at Weta FX, the leading visual effects company in the industry, dedicated significant effort to crafting the realistic and stunning water scenes in the 2022 blockbuster "Avatar: The Way of Water." “The scale of CG work for ‘Avatar: The Way of Water’ surpassed anything I’ve encountered in previous films. Two-thirds of all shots in the movie involve water,” Choi explained. “We typically start by shooting reference clips w

Oct. 9, 2024

[Herald Design Forum] Create spaces with purpose, respect, curiosity

Three French architects -- Anne Lacaton, Jean Philippe Vassal and Jean-Michel Wilmotte -- shared their core philosophies that have guided their decades-long careers during an architecture roundtable and Q&A following their presentations at the Herald Design Forum 2024, held in Seoul, on Tuesday. “The most important thing will be for whom we are doing this work,” said Lacaton, the Pritzker Prize-winning architect who received the award with Vassal in 2021. “Architecture is a

Oct. 9, 2024

[Herald Design Forum] Wilmotte highlights natural light for Centre Pompidou Seoul

“The 63 Building is a major landmark in Seoul. It will soon become an icon that promotes the Centre Pompidou Seoul," said Jean-Michel Wilmotte, the celebrated French architect, during a session at the Herald Design Forum 2024. The 76-year-old architect -- with three offices in Paris, one in Nice, two in Italy, one in London and one in Seoul -- has been chosen to refurbish 15,000 square meters of the Yeouido skyscraper, from the underground level to the fourth floor above ground, for t

Oct. 9, 2024

[Herald Design Forum] Visual content creators on popular art forms, sources of inspiration

What does it mean to be a visual content creator, such as a webtoon creator, emoji designer or cartoonist? How do these artists, whose work is part of our daily lives, draw their inspiration? A trio of visual artists -- Koo Ji-min, known by her alias, Koohie, Hong In-hye, also known as Lunapark, and Kim Ha-na -- explored the meaning of being a visual content creator at the Herald Design Forum 2024, held Tuesday at the Floating Island Convention Center on the Han River in Seoul. During the spec

Oct. 9, 2024

[Herald Design Forum] Human guides essential to AI development, says Johnny Lee

"Design is not only artwork, but also an experience that integrates technology, creativity and content," Johnny Lee, founder of iStaging, a Taipei-based tech firm specializing in virtual reality solutions, said during his speech at The Herald Design Forum 2024, held at the Floating Island Convention Center on the Han River, Seoul, Tuesday. In his special lecture, "Designing a Journey to See Imagination through XR," Lee outlined the guiding principles behind his approach to

Oct. 9, 2024

[Herald Design Forum] AI composer enhances human creativity, says creator of Korea’s 1st AI composer EvoM

“AI is not a Genie of the Lamp -- it’s more like Jarvis, the intelligent assistant from Iron Man,” Ahn Chang-wook said during his keynote speech at the Herald Design Forum in Seoul on Tuesday. Ahn, a professor at the Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology and the creator of South Korea’s first AI composer, EvoM, highlighted the supportive role AI can play in the creative process. EvoM, trained to write music at a level comparable to human composers, is one of the wor

Oct. 9, 2024

Buddhist festival reaches old and young through culture

An annual festival run by the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism will officially host performances by Jogye Buddhist followers for the first time in the festival’s history. Now in its fifth year, the Buddhist Culture Festival, running Oct. 17-24, includes a series of performances -- singing and dancing -- delivered by nine teams of 60 Jogye followers on Oct. 19 at the Historic Cultural Memorial Center of Korea Buddhism at the Jogyesa complex in Seoul, the headquarters of the nation’s lar

Oct. 7, 2024

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