Arko Art Center brings together artists who envision future world

The Arko Art Center, a museum in central Seoul, kicked off “Nothing Makes Itself” to explore interaction and interconnection with nonhuman entities and pose the question of how humans can mingle with technology and nature. The installation work “Impulse” hangs from the ceiling as if it were a chandelier. It ceaselessly transmits clear liquid and bubbles into the transparent cylinders to its 27 branches. Some may see it as an upside down tree whose pure sap flows to its

Sept. 30, 2021

[Herald Design Forum 2021] Mitch Paone expands design realm driven by love for music

DIA Studio, a creative agency based in New York and Geneva, has evolved over the past decade as a company that helps create brand identities, cooperating with globally influential entities such as Squarespace, Spotify, Adidas, Facebook, Nike, Balenciaga and more. “Our studio created the term ‘kinetic identity’ around 2016. We made a major discovery when creating works for A-Trak and Nike that completely shifted our entire creative process which were inspired by a lot of my in

Sept. 30, 2021

2021 Korea Art Week to open Oct. 7

Korea Art Week 2021, organized by the Culture Ministry’s Korea Arts Management Service, will take place Oct. 7-17 and feature local art exhibitions and events. A total of 17 art tours prepared by different institutions will be available this year, allowing groups of up to 10 people to enjoy guided tours of art galleries as well as public and private art museums with curators. Some 21 art institutions selected through an open competition will present “Beyond Exhibition,” a

Sept. 29, 2021

[Herald Design Forum 2021] Ray Winkler takes on challenges of pandemic, inspires as entertainment architect

When the COVID-19 pandemic swept the globe last year, the entertainment industry was hit badly with performances and concert tours canceled or postponed one after another. Ray Winkler, CEO and design director of STUFISH Entertainment Architects, took the crisis as an opportunity to rethink where his team and company stood and how they could overcome the challenge. “Change is constant. If you can’t adapt to the change, you are done. Stufish is still here because we have been able

Sept. 28, 2021

Leeum Museum of Art starts afresh

The Leeum Museum of Art is set to reopen on Oct. 8 after undergoing an “exceptionally large-scale” renewal, according to the Samsung Foundation of Culture on Monday. The museum will reopen with “Human, 7 Questions” as its first thematic exhibition since Hong Ra-hee, wife of the late Samsung Chairman Lee Kun-hee, stepped down as director in March 2017 after 13 years. Her resignation came as her only son, Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong, was embroiled in

Sept. 27, 2021

Symposium talks about museums’ expanding role in post-pandemic world

A real-time discussion, “What Do Museums Connect?: Museums in a Post-Pandemic World,” between art experts across the globe and the general public, will be livestreamed on Thursday by the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea. The discussion is part of an MMCA symposium that started earlier this month to explore the changing environment for museums and their expanding role in post-pandemic times. The symposium offers 10 talks by art experts consisting of two section

Sept. 26, 2021

[Herald Design Forum 2021] British architect Amanda Levete fills need for public spaces

British architect Amanda Levete, who founded the architecture studio AL_A in London, has emphasized community values as an architect, bringing public spaces into buildings and architectural spaces. In the pandemic times, she believes, such public spaces have become crucial. “Public spaces are more important now than ever before. We need to make opportunities to connect people because when you do, relationships are formed and ideas exchanged -- and that creates progress,” Levete tol

Sept. 25, 2021

Culture Minister hints at expansion of Korean gallery at the Met

The Korean government will push for the expansion of the exhibition hall for Korean art at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. Culture Minister Hwang Hee on Thursday said the government will look into expanding the Arts of Korea Gallery at the renowned museum at a press event held with New York correspondents. “The director and CEO of the Metropolitan Museum of Art suggested moving the Arts of Korea Gallery,” Hwang said at the meeting, following the visit to the museum wit

Sept. 23, 2021

Seoul Fashion Week to be staged virtually, again

The 2022 spring-summer Seoul Fashion Week will take place virtually starting Oct. 7, with top Korean designers presenting their collections at historic landmarks across Seoul. A total of 37 fashion brands -- 26 established designer brands for the Seoul Collection shows and 11 rookie designer brands for the Generation Next shows -- will be showcasing their new lineup in the upcoming fashion week. Participating brands include LIE and BMUET(TE) whose collections were showcased during the recent

Sept. 22, 2021

Avant-garde artist Kim Ku-lim shows Yin and Yang series at Gana Art Center

Kim Ku-lim, Korea’s first generation avant-garde artist, has been expanding the boundaries of Korean experimental art since the 1960s. His Yin and Yang series that includes 20 of his new works are being shown at the Gana Art Center in Jongno-gu, central Seoul. Kim’s solo exhibition “Yin and Yang” shows a series of artworks that he has worked on since the late 1980s with the theme of “opposition and unison of things.” After realizing that the harmony of di

Sept. 21, 2021

Houses recreated as installations pose questions about happiness

When installation artist Chen Dai-goang traveled to various Asian countries, the buildings there seemed to show how politics, economics and culture of the industrial era had been imprinted on them. Chen collected and took photographs of the architecture and reproduced them as installation works which are on display at the outdoor space at the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea in Cheongju in North Chungcheong Province, the museum’s fourth venue in the country. The i

Sept. 21, 2021

Seoul Biennale of Architecture and Urbanism kicks off across Seoul

The Seoul Biennale of Architecture and Urbanism began Thursday under the theme of “Crossroads, Building the Resilient City,” exploring how the pandemic has transformed and impacted living spaces. 　The third edition of the biennale encompasses five conflicting themes -- “Above/Below,” “Heritage/Modern,” “Craft/Digital,” “Natural/Artificial” and “Safe/Risk” -- focusing on how cities can become more resilient. The 2021 event

Sept. 17, 2021

Park Seo-bo holds second solo exhibition at Kukje Gallery

Korea’s contemporary art master Park Seo-bo is showcasing 16 paintings of his recent Ecriture series inspired by nature at his solo exhibition at Kukje Gallery. Titled “PARK SEO-BO,“ the exhibition which runs through Oct. 31, shows how nature has become the artist’s core value and his belief that art should serve to heal people. The 91-year-old artist is a pioneer of Korea’s contemporary art, leading the dansaekhwa movement since the late 1960s. Translated as &ld

Sept. 15, 2021

Hair designer Cha Hong looks back on 10-year career

Different hairstyles give different impressions. Some people express their moods through hairstyles and refresh their mind with a bold chop or perm. While fashion is easily thought of as a way to express one’s persona, so do hairstyles as it represents one’s identity, mood, tastes. Korea’s leading hair designer Cha Hong showcased 80 hairstyles she has presented over the past decade at the exhibition “Narratives in Style” at Beacon Studio in Seongsu-dong, Seoul.

Sept. 13, 2021

Garden at Deoksugung vitalized with contemporary art

Gardens were a source of inspiration to the literati in the late Joseon dynasty, where a culture of paintings and writings on “uiwon” flourished. Uiwon is defined as the garden of one’s mind. Inspired by the culture of uiwon, the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea, and the Cultural Heritage Administration are showcasing “Deoksugung Project 2021: Garden of Imagination” at Deoksugung, one of five royal palaces in central Seoul. The project is

Sept. 13, 2021

Concept Korea to roll out fashion film during New York Fashion Week

Concept Korea NYFW S/S 2022 will be held online as part of programs scheduled for New York Fashion Week, introducing three Korean fashion brands to help promote their brand names. The three fashion brands -- EENK, Ul:kin and NOHANT -- will showcase their 2022 spring/summer collection through a digital fashion film which will be unveiled on the New York Fashion Week’s official website at 8:30 p.m. Eastern Standard Time, Thursday, according to the Korea Creative Content Agency. The content

Sept. 11, 2021

Incheon Airport pins hope on bid for world-renowned museum

Incheon Airport has pinned its hopes on a bid to set up a globally renowned museum at the airport by 2024. If the plan is realized, the airport will allocate two sites for the museum, including Terminal 2, which is currently undergoing an expansion. “We have requested to commission research to gauge feasibility, including budget and possible sites to see which museum would be most suitable for the airport. The research is expected to be completed by early next year,” an Incheon I

Sept. 11, 2021

Seoul Mediacity Biennale strikes positive note on escapism

The 11th Seoul Mediacity Biennale kicked off Wednesday at the Seoul Museum of Art and several private and public locations throughout the city of Seoul after a yearlong delay due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Artistic director Yung Ma leads the biennale this year with the theme of “One Escape at a Time” inspired by ideas of escapism in the context of the current popular media landscape. Forty-one Korean and international artists and artist collectives are participating. “W

Sept. 8, 2021

Freedom village in DMZ exists somewhere between fiction, reality

The “Freedom village” is the sole South Korean settlement located in the southern part of the Demilitarized Zone that cuts across the Korean peninsula. Originally named Daeseong-dong, the village has been isolated since the Korean War armistice agreement in 1953. When the residents in the village turn 32, they have to decide whether to remain or leave. The exhibition “MMCA Hyundai Motor Series 2021: An installation view of “MMCA Hyundai Motor Series 2021: Moon Kyun

Sept. 5, 2021

Sculptor Hyun Nahm revives legacy of sculpture with industrial materials

Sculptor Hyun Nahm is the youngest artist to hold a solo exhibition at the Atelier Hermes in Seoul, the exhibition space run by the Fondation d’entreprise Hermes. The 31-year-old artist believes sculptural objects can express sceneries as do the stones that maintain their own characters influenced by the surrounding environment. The sculptures Hyun is showcasing at the exhibition “Burrowing at the Bottom of a Rainbow” are produced with a negative casting technique using mater

Sept. 1, 2021