MMCA highlights humans’ playful side

An exhibition at the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea, reminds people to be playful instead of getting obsessed with the results of their actions in this efficiency-oriented society. The exhibition, “Switch Things Up,” was inspired by Dutch historian and cultural theorist Johan Huizinga’s (1872-1945) philosophy of “homo ludens,” which suggests that the desire for play is a defining characteristic of humanity and urges a return to “playf

June 11, 2021

Seoul Auction to hold biggest art auction since 2008

Seoul Auction announced Friday that it would hold its 161st major art auction June 22. Works by famous Korean and international artists will be up for sale, for a total of 204 pieces both modern and antique, with a combined estimated value of 23 billion won ($20.68 million). This is the highest amount for any single auction in South Korea since the 2008 financial crisis, according to Seoul Auction. The works by renowned Korean modern artists will include Lee Jung-seop’s oil painting &

June 11, 2021

[Herald Interview] Digital artist Cody Choi questions nature of ‘digital art’

When PKM Gallery showed Cody Choi’s “Database Painting Series 1 - Stolen Data, Tiger #00” at the Art Basel Hong Kong 2021 in March, it was a long-awaited moment for the artist who began “database painting” in 1997. He had to wait a long time for people to pay attention to digital art, he said. “Not many people were interested in digital art until recently when NFT seems to have inspired interest in digital art,” Choi said during an interview with The

June 9, 2021

[Feature] NFT art shakes up Korean art market

When it was recently announced that NFT-based artworks by Korean modern art masters -- Kim Whan-ki, Park Soo-keun and Lee Jung-seop -- would go on the block at an online auction, the Korean art industry was bewildered. The families and foundations raised copyright issues, claiming that they owned the original works and had never given the rights for those works to be minted as nonfungible token artworks. Minting refers to the process of tokenizing an asset and once an artwork is minted, it bec

June 9, 2021

Coex Urban Park festival to send message of hope amid pandemic

Public art festival Coex Urban Park will kick off Wednesday for a four-day run, aiming to send a message of hope to people suffering from the COVID-19 pandemic. Under the theme of “Blossom the Hope,” the event was organized by the Gangnam-gu Office and members of the Coex Mice Cluster, a group consisting of Coex, the Korea International Trade Association and 14 companies. Public works or art, exhibitions and other activities will be held at multiple locations near the World Trade

June 8, 2021

Architecture biennale to explore impact of pandemic

The third Seoul Biennale of Architecture and Urbanism will run Sept. 16 to Oct. 31. The theme is “Crossroads, Building the Resilient City,” a reference to the COVID-19 pandemic. The 46-day event will take place at various locations around Seoul, including Dongdaemun Design Plaza, the Seoul Hall of Urbanism and Architecture, and Sewoon Plaza in Jongno, central Seoul. Exhibitions and other activities will take place at each location. Works by internationally renowned architects, suc

June 7, 2021

[#WeFace] [Herald Interview] Architect Kim Won’s goal is buildings that conform to nature

Although the prevailing notion is that architecture is about art, the environment has always been at the heart of architect Kim Won’s designs. Kim, 78, pursues environment-friendly values when designing buildings, paying homage to nature and to traditional Korean values. “The concept of environment-friendly tends to be used indiscriminately. But my value lies in conforming to nature. We should make the most of nature, and it is foolish to ignore such a gift. But many architects a

June 5, 2021

New media art venue opens at Lotte Avenuel

A new space dedicated to immersive media art opened its doors Friday at luxury department store Lotte Avenuel in Myeong-dong, Seoul. The venue, Groundseesaw Myeongdong, is an 800-square-meter exhibition hall with 6-meter, ceiling-to-floor screens covering the walls. The hall features more than 70 high performance projectors and multiplex cinema sound systems, according to Media & Art, a display agency.　 “Blue Room,” the opening exhibition, is designed to offer an experience no

June 4, 2021

Gwangju Biennale seeks to stay course despite controversy surrounding outgoing president

The Gwangju Biennale is pushing for the 14th Gwangju Biennale to be held in September 2022 as scheduled and the appointment of a new president for the foundation after Kim Sun-jung, the current president, was accused of misconduct as leader of the organization. The Gwangju Biennale, the largest art biennale in South Korea, typically takes place in September. The most recent biennale was delayed twice to April, however, due to the pandemic. The 13th Gwangju Biennale ran for 39 days directed b

June 2, 2021

What’s next for hanbok?

Korean traditional attire, hanbok, does not have to be limited to young people and travelers wearing them around royal palaces. Hanbok-inspired clothing can be worn at work as well. That is the premise of a long-term project by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Hanbok Advancement Center launched earlier this year which aims to promote hanbok as everyday wear and books the demand for hanbok. At an exhibition showcasing business casual attire at Culture Station Seoul 284 in Jun

June 1, 2021

Fortunetelling meets art at Ilmin Museum of Art

When uncertainty looms, some resort to fortunetelling or shamanism to uncover clues about their future. The desire to know what fate has in store has escalated during the pandemic times. The exhibition “Fortune Telling” at the Ilmin Museum of Art in Seoul explores this desire through artworks and interactive performances, offering comfort and fun to people who are exhausted after the prolonged pandemic. A special audio guide recorded by a Korean shaman is offered throughout the fir

May 31, 2021

[#WeFACE] Dutch architect says local architectural projects reusing old materials should go global

Dutch architect Jos de Krieger, who has been a partner at architecture firm Superuse Studios since 2013, stressed the importance of going global with local architectural projects that reuse old and used materials. “The building industry is one of the biggest polluters and the reuse of building material can help to bring down the ecological footprint on the environment,” De Krieger said in a recent email interview with The Korea Herald. He explained how projects that reuse old and

May 29, 2021

Paik Nam-june’s first NFT-based artwork offered by Christie’s

Video art pioneer Paik Nam-june’s well-known video work, “Global Groove” was turned into an NFT-based artwork for the first time and put up for auction online at Christie’s, the global art auction house, Tuesday. The online auction, “Proof of Sovereignty,” runs through June 3 in collaboration with Lady PheOnix, a curator of contemporary digital art. NFTs, or nonfungible tokens, are a unique form of cryptocurrency that is becoming popular when selling digita

May 28, 2021

[Newsmaker] Local governments reject Seoul as site of proposed museum for Lee Kun-hee collection

As cities around the country battle over a proposed museum to house the late Samsung Group Chairman Lee Kun-hee’s art collection, the government said it would reveal details about the plan by mid-June. “The minister is likely to hold a press briefing in Seoul in mid-June to share the progress made so far regarding a new museum or storage place,” an official from the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism told The Korea Herald. “We have formed a task force committee and

May 26, 2021

[Feature] Korea rises as Asian art hub on back of purchasing power, favorable biz climate

Korea has recently emerged as an attractive art market on the back of purchasing power of younger collectors, grabbing increasing attention from the world. Globally renowned galleries are opening galleries in Seoul or expanding their presence in the city. Frieze, a major international art fair, recently announced it will hold the first Frieze Seoul next fall, putting the city on the global market map. Seoul will be the first Asian city to host the fair. Pace Gallery, the US-headquartered co

May 25, 2021

Govt. to announce new museum plan for late Samsung chief's artworks in June

The government plans to make a decision by next month on the construction of a new museum to house donations from the late Samsung Chairman Lee Kun-hee's vast art collection, officials at the culture ministry said Monday. Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Hwang Hee plans to announce details of a new art museum for around 23,000 artworks and artifacts donated by Lee's family, in June, the officials said. The planned announcement will come as at least a dozen cities around the country have

May 24, 2021

MMCA celebrates Chung Sang-hwa’s 60-year art career

A retrospective of Chung Sang-hwa, a renowned Korean contemporary artist who has explored the concept of infinity through his paintings, was unveiled at the Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea. The exhibition “Chung Sang Hwa” at MMCA Seoul is a comprehensive exploration of the artist, including recent signature works that feature grid compositions, demonstrating Chung’s own method of “peeling off and filling in.”  “‘To reveal is to value

May 24, 2021

Hyundai Card Storage turns into magazine museum

The golden age of the world’s five most influential magazines has unfolded at the Hyundai Card Storage in Seoul. Walking through the exhibition hall, you may find some interesting facts about the magazines Life, Playboy, Domus, Rolling Stone and the National Geographic. The exhibition “The Issue: Hyundai Card Library Magazine Collection through the Ages” focuses on the five leading magazines, showcasing the inaugural editions along with some 300 notable issues of each publica

May 19, 2021

Frieze art fair to launch in Seoul next fall

Frieze art fair, one of the world‘s largest global art fairs, will head to Seoul in September 2022 for the first time, to coincide with Korea’s annual art fair, KIAF Art Seoul. The two art fairs will be held concurrently on Sept. 2, 2022, taking up four exhibition halls at COEX in southern Seoul. Although the fairs will take place at the same time, they will be operated independently, according to the Galleries Association of Korea. Seoul will be the first Asian city to host the 2

May 18, 2021

[Herald Interview] Barakat Contemporary’s director pushes Seoul as art hub of Asia

Every day at 8:21 p.m., David Hockney’s animated sunrise video -- “Remember you cannot look at the sun or death for very long” -- starts playing on the country’s largest digital billboard, located at Coex K-Pop Square. The art dispay is part of Circa’s project to showcase artworks around the world in the pandemic times. Circa’s project, which is taking place in London, New York, Los Angeles, Tokyo and Seoul, will show the same work throughout this month, ev

May 18, 2021