[What to see] Galleries in Samcheong-dong in full bloom

Spring has come to Samcheongdong, where the cherry blossoms are just about to bloom. This is a perfect time to stroll around the neighborhood of galleries: Kukje Gallery, Hakgojae Gallery and Barakat Contemporary, to name but a few, which are all located within close walking distance of each other. Pioneering 89-year-old sculptor with chainsaw at Kukje Gallery Korean sculptor Kim Yun-shin has grabbed recognition at home and abroad at the age of 89. Kim has been working on "Add Two Add One,

March 30, 2024

Korea's two major art biennales in Gwangju, Busan to coincide this year

Two major South Korean cities – Gwangju and Busan – will be filled with art, with two biennales in the regions coinciding later this year. The 15th edition of the Gwangju Biennale, directed by French curator Nicolas Bourriaud, will be held from Sept. 7 to Dec. 1, titled “Pansori, a soundscape of the 21st century.” The biennale will bring together 73 artists from 30 countries; among the artists are 11 Korean artists Literally meaning “the noise from the public place,

March 29, 2024

[Herald Interview] Seoul Auction continues to show Korean art in Asia -- and beyond

When Seoul Auction held its inaugural auction in Hong Kong in 2008, there was only a “single goal” in mind -- to herald Korean art to the global art scene, introducing it to new collectors in Asia. For the past 16 years, the resolve has remained firm for Korea’s leading auction house. On Monday, at Grand Hyatt Hong Kong, the auction house kicked off a preview of its "Contemporary Art Sale” scheduled to take place in Seoul at 3 p.m., Friday. “We have put in so m

March 26, 2024

Ian Cheng's thought-provoking AI-based art on show at Gladstone Gallery

American artist Ian Cheng has returned to Seoul with his recent simulation work, “Thousand Lives,” at Gladstone Gallery, two years after his first solo museum exhibition at the Leeum Museum of Art, where he showcased the integration of art and artificial intelligence. Upon entering the gallery, visitors encounter what appears to be a video game screen showing a turtle named “Thousand” wandering around a messy room. As visitors move closer to the screen and lean down, the

March 24, 2024

[Weekender] Qatar opens up path for next generation with art

DOHA, Qatar -- As you near the National Museum of Qatar in Doha, a large-scale layered structure comes into sight. The museum, designed by French architect Jean Nouvel, is reminiscent of the “desert rose,” a crystal cluster of gypsum formed in the desert that indicates the presence of water. The museum, which opened in 2019, presents the story of Qatar from prehistoric times to the present, and also houses contemporary art collections that include some of the world’s most renow

March 23, 2024

Fashion KODE puts on show of contrasts

A spectacle of contrasts from colors to styles was what the audience was treated on the second day of the 2024 Fashion KODE, a biannual event meant to advance Korea’s fashion industry by engaging a wider public. A joint fall-winter runway show Friday by Minasong and Valoren -- the womenswear and menswear brands, respectively -- juxtaposed minimalism with deconstructed fashion, giving out a taste of the latest trends both young and old could find relatable. A distinct palette of black and c

March 22, 2024

Suh Do-ho sculpture to be installed at Smithsonian

Celebrating 100 years of operations, the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art in Washington will present Korean artist Suh Do-ho’s Public Figures sculpture in the museum's Freer Plaza, where it will be installed for five years. The commissioned work will be unveiled April 27, becoming the first new sculpture to be displayed in front of the building in over three decades, the museum has announced. Suh has created a plinth for a monument with numerous small, individualized f

March 20, 2024

Gallery Hyundai revisits three familiar female artists' early works

Sometimes one may desire to explore the type of art an artist previously pursued and examine how those past artistic practices have shaped their current art world. This notion underpins the recently unveiled “Edition R” project at Gallery Hyundai, a prestigious gallery in Seoul. “Incorporeal Landscape,” the first edition of "Edition R," invites three artists -- Kim Min-jung, Toh Yun-hee and Chung Zu-young -- who have had a relationship with the gallery spanning

March 18, 2024

Galleries Art Fair 2024 to kick off in April amid art market dry spell

More than 150 galleries based in South Korea will join the country’s oldest art fair in early April amid a slowdown in the art market. The 42-year-old art fair is the first major art fair of the year, providing a glimpse of the year ahead. The Galleries Art Fair 2024 will begin April 3 with a VIP and press opening and will run through April 7 at COEX in southern Seoul. The 153 galleries taking part encompass Korea’s leading galleries such as Gallery Hyundai, the Kukje Gallery and Hak

March 15, 2024

Philippe Parreno invites you to play at illusionary show

As you approach the Leeum Museum of Art in Hannam-dong, the venue for South Korea's first solo exhibition of French artist Philippe Parreno, you may hear an unfamiliar sound, as if aliens were speaking to visitors. The sound comes from the 14-meter-tall tower “Membrane” installed on the outdoor deck of the museum. The structure functions as a control tower that breathes life into objects inside the museum. The cybernetic character is equipped with a sensing system that collect

March 14, 2024

Latest case of Lee Ufan forgery allegedly involves politician's spouse

A new case of allegedly forged artwork credited to Korean artist Lee Ufan is reported to involve a Korean politician’s wife. Kukmin Ilbo, a local newspaper, exclusively reported late Monday that the prosecution recently began investigating a case in which the spouse of a Korean politician seeking to run in the April general election is alleged to have traded fake paintings last year. The woman allegedly traded forged Lee Ufan paintings to raise election campaign funds for her husband. The

March 12, 2024

Sculptor Hong Jung-pyo covers messy reality in pursuit of perfection

In architecture, molding is used to cover transitions between surfaces to smooth rough sections, and comes in various materials such as wood, stone or cement. Korean sculptor Hong Jung-pyo’s “Hidden Edge” series, which he began in 2003, draws inspiration from the architectural element of molding. The 48-year-old artist, who delved into sculpture after graduating from Hongik University, has unveiled new works created out of wood or steel molding at the exhibition “Differen

March 10, 2024

Making home your haven

Finding relief from the stress and anxieties of city living within the comfort of your home was the palpable trend at the annual Seoul Living Design Fair, which ended its five-day run at Coex in southern Seoul on Sunday. Massage chairs from Coway, a Korean company better known for its water purifiers, showed the kind of compromise sought by those who want to feel cocooned in a stylish chair, eschewing bulkier massage chairs that require more space to install. “A 5- or 10-minute massage onc

March 6, 2024

[Herald review] Ink wash painter Bang Ui-geol touches mind ‘thousand miles deep’

Ink wash is an art medium that young artists today mostly shun. A look at Bang Ui-geol’s ink wash paintings will make you realize why the centuries-old art form has been largely missing from today's contemporary art scene. The 86-year-old artist is presenting more than 100 recent ink wash paintings -- called “sumukhwa” in Korean -- created in his 70s and 80s at the Seoul Calligraphy Art Museum in southern Seoul in an exhibition titled “Bang Ui-geol: Link to Creation.

March 4, 2024

P21 opens new space in Itaewon with paper works by Jorinde Voigt, Xiyadie

P21, a contemporary art gallery based in Seoul, is showcasing work by German artist Jorinde Voigt and traditional Chinese paper-cut artist Xiyadie at its new space in Itaewon in Seoul. The latest exhibition marks the inaugural exhibition at P21's new space, which opened on Feb. 24 after moving from its original place that opened in 2017. “The former space had a strong character by having two separate storefront spaces but also posed limitations as they were very small. But I didn&rsqu

March 1, 2024

[What to see] Korea's emerging artists at Arario Gallery, Choi Wook-kyung at Kukje Gallery's hanok space

If you are a fan of art, you may be familiar with the neighborhood of Jongno-gu in Seoul, which is home to a cluster of galleries. The two leading galleries in the district -- the Kukje Gallery and Arario Gallery -- have opened exhibitions introducing contemporary Korean artists. Rising artists at Arario Gallery Painter Noh Sang-ho unveiled his new paintings, which he created based on images he found "floating in the online realm." Having collected, duplicated and transformed images

March 1, 2024

National Hangeul Museum eyes bigger role ahead of 10th anniversary

The National Hangeul Museum is looking to launch several exhibitions this year to boost its presence as the state-run institution prepares to mark its 10th anniversary on Hangeul Day on Oct. 9. A series of touring exhibitions will take place in cities around the country and abroad year-round, with exhibitions in Korea already underway. The exhibition “Children in a Happy World of Their Own” kicked off in January in Changwon, South Gyeongsang Province, the first of five stops in the t

Feb. 29, 2024

Design Doha shows off diversity of Arab craft, design community

DOHA, Qatar -- Craftsmanship brings together the history, geography and aesthetics of the people of a region while offering a glimpse into their philosophies and lifestyles. Arab craftsmanship has a long-standing history, playing a crucial part in the culture deeply embedded in ordinary people’s lives. Qatar Museums in Doha are presenting the heritage of Arab design at the inaugural Design Doha biennial, which kicked off Saturday, inviting some 70 contemporary artists from the Middle East

Feb. 28, 2024

Ceramic foundation seeks participants for Paris show

The Korea Ceramic Foundation, run by Gyeonggi Province, is seeking applicants to participate in the biannual Maison & Objet design fair in Paris, Sept. 5-9. The foundation is looking to select a total of 16 local craft workshops registered with the province, with the slots evenly split between firms in Yeoju and Icheon, cities known for their ceramics, to set up booths at the Gyeonggi Ceramic Pavilion during Maison & Objet. The Paris exhibition on tableware and household goods drew about

Feb. 27, 2024

[Media Art Now] Song Ye-hwan asks, 'Whose world? How wide?'

The term “World Wide Web,” simply “the web,” was first put to use in 1989, for a system of linked information accessed through the internet. Its earliest form, Web 1.0, was regarded as pages to read and end-users were just consumers. With Web 2.0, users became producers and the user-created content enabled the web to become a platform, accelerated by mobile devices and social media networks. The web has now been evolving into Web 3.0 -- decentralized, autonomous and intel

Feb. 23, 2024