[Newsmaker] Govt. plan on 'Lee Kun-hee museum' draws debate on location, purpose

The government's plan to build a museum dedicated to late Samsung Chairman Lee Kun-hee's massive art collection has stirred a debate among art circles as well as local governments that were vying to attract the facility. Last week, the culture ministry unveiled a plan to build the museum by 2026 or 2027 at two potential locations in central Seoul -- in Jongno and Yongsan wards. The announcement came roughly two months after Lee's family announced the donation of around 23,000 art pieces, includ

July 14, 2021

[Herald Interview] Sculptor Yi Hwan-kwon casts light on vanity of things with shadows

Sculptor Yi Hwan-kwon’s works easily catch people’s attention. His signature sculptures, made using 3D scanning techniques, create distorted illusions that provoke curiosity and are readily recognized by many people. While he has gained much popularity with his iconic sculptures, it hit him one day that he was finding it difficult to put his works into words. He then became skeptical about his own work. “Over the past several years, I strived to search for something. I don

July 13, 2021

New committee to be formed to select Korean Pavilion curator for Venice Biennale 2022

The Arts Council Korea has announced that a new committee will be formed for the selection of the curator of the Korean Pavilion for the upcoming Venice Biennale after the previous committee resigned en masse over controversy surrounding alleged conflicts of interest in the screening process. "The selection committee members have decided to quit their positions in pursuit of fairness. It seems they felt pressured about the issue,” an official from the council told The Korea Herald

July 12, 2021

V&A Museum to highlight Korean wave

Responding to the worldwide popularity of Korean pop culture, Britain’s Victoria and Albert Museum will hold an exhibition titled “Hallyu! The Korean Wave” as part of its program for 2022-23, the museum announced Monday. According to V&A Museum, the exhibition seeks to showcase the global phenomenon from the rise of hallyu in the late 1990s to its popularity across the globe. “Hallyu, The Korean Wave” will spotlight hallyu’s making, dynamism, vitality an

July 12, 2021

Aesthetics of Korean art, from ancient to contemporary times, explored in a single exhibition

Art lovers may wonder how Korea’s ancient culture influenced its modern and contemporary artists. The exhibition “Dynamic & Alive Korean Art” is an effort to answer that question by delving into Korean aesthetics. The exhibition from the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea, brings together 35 cultural assets and some 130 artworks from the modern and contemporary era. Presenting modern works along with Korean cultural artifacts from the National Museum

July 10, 2021

Seoul-based a’strict to debut in New York with nature-themed immersive artwork

  Seoul-based media artist unit a’strict will debut in New York, showcasing nature-themed immersive media art in Times Square, starting July 16. The media artist unit has expanded digital technology to the art sphere since it was formed last year. The group will present two works “Whale #2” and “Waterfall-NYC,” which will explore the theme of summer and provide chances to enjoy natural scenery even as the pandemic has restricted people from traveling in the su

July 9, 2021

Seoul city hosts fashion show to address climate change

The Seoul Metropolitan Government and the Green Seoul Citizens Committee jointly hosted a fashion show behind closed doors Friday to underscore the importance of climate variability at Dongdaemun Design Plaza in central Seoul. This year’s fashion show was held without an audience under the slogan “Dealing with climate change with citizens.” Related videos will be available on YouTube. “I would like to thank the citizens and companies for participating in making clean

July 9, 2021

Peonies in all their fragrant glory explored at National Palace Museum show

A light breeze fills the hall with the scent of peonies. In the background, rain falls and birds chirp. The first part of the National Palace Museum of Korea’s special exhibition “Peonies: Flowers of Peace and Prosperity” brings visitors immediately to this peaceful garden.  “The audience will feel like they are at a resting space inside the palace instead of an exhibition hall. They will enjoy the gentle scent while walking in nature. The exhibition will be ref

July 7, 2021

Ministry plans new building to house Lee Kun-hee collection

   The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism is considering two sites in central Seoul to build an exclusive establishment dedicated to late Samsung Group Chairman Lee Kun-hee’s personal collection that was donated to the government.　 The grounds of the National Museum of Korea in Yongsan-gu and the Songhyeon-dong area near the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea, are the two potential sites. The Culture Ministry has been running a separate task force and

July 7, 2021

Korean artist Jun So-jung to join Circa’s project in August

Interdisciplinary artist Jun So-jung has been selected as the first South Korean artist to join a global project showcasing digital artwork. Her newly commissioned work is scheduled to be presented in August. “The details, including the artist’s new work, are still in discussion with Josef O’Connor,” an official from the Barakat Contemporary told The Korea Herald. O’Connor is the founder and artistic director of digital artwork platform Circa. The gallery is the

July 6, 2021

[Feature] Luxury fashion brands’ love of art is talk of the town

When Gucci’s Gaok, the Italian high-end fashion brand’s second flagship store in South Korea, opened in Hannam-dong in late May, the store was the talk of the town not only for its luxury lineup but also the building itself in the posh Seoul neighborhood. The building facade features a nature-inspired artwork titled “Hwan (Illusion)” created by Korean artist Park Seung-mo. The outer walls of the building are fitted with more than 100 panels of overlapping stainless stee

July 6, 2021

Two national museums to show Lee Kun-hee’s collection this month

Two national museums that received the bulk of art donated by the late Samsung Group Chairman Lee Kun-hee will hold exhibitions of some of the donated works starting July 21. “We are planning to showcase around 70 artworks among Lee’s collection along with the MMCA. The exhibitions will be held separately at the two museums starting July 21,” said an official from the National Museum of Korea on Sunday. In late April, a total of 1,488 modern and contemporary masterpieces we

July 4, 2021

Screening for Korea’s artistic director for Venice Biennale to start over

The screening for the artistic director of the Korean Pavilion in the upcoming 59th Venice Biennale will start over, after a complaint emerged over an unfair screening process. A complaint alleged a conflict of interest between an applicant and selection committee member, according to the Arts Council Korea, the commissioner of the Korean Pavilion for the International Art Exhibition of the Venice Biennale slated for April 2022. “There was a complaint submitted that one of the&nb

July 2, 2021

Culture Ministry to announce plans for Lee Kun-hee collection Wednesday

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism is to share plans about the late Samsung Chairman Lee Kun-hee’s art collection, and is expected to mention the possibility of opening a new museum. The ministry announced Thursday that details on some 23,000 artworks donated by Lee’s family, will be shared next week at a briefing at the government complex in central Seoul. On April 28, President Moon Jae-in called for coming up with ways to manage the art collection, including the possi

July 1, 2021

Amorepacific Museum of Art shows more of contemporary art collection

The Amorepacific Museum of Art is circling back with a third edition of its collection, returning to contemporary art after a major exhibition of its Asian art from before the modern period. The exhibition “APMA, Chapter Three” is the third exhibition presented by the museum since it has showcased the cosmetics giant Amorepacific Group’s art collection since 2019. Featuring contemporary art, the show presents around 50 artworks by renowned artists from Korea and abroad. In

June 30, 2021

Creativity of their own presented by artists with mental disabilities

While the art market is hectic with rapidly changing trends, and art fairs have broken sales records over the past few months, there is an exhibition that approaches art more intrinsically, shedding light on the act of creativity itself. The exhibition “Shrunken Paper, Expanded World,” at the SeMA, Buk-Seoul Museum of Art in Nowon-gu, northern Seoul, showcases the work of 22 artists who have developmental disabilities or mental disorders. The artists delved into their own inner wo

June 29, 2021

Works from Lee Kun-hee’s collection to be unveiled in Gwangju, Daegu

The art collection of the late Samsung Group Chairman Lee Kun-hee will be partly unveiled at the Gwangju Museum of Art and Daegu Art Museum, starting Tuesday, offering an opportunity for the general public to appreciate masterpieces by Korean modern artists. The exhibition, titled “A Beautiful Legacy: An Affinity Brought by Lee Kun-hee’s Art Collection” at the Gwangju Museum of Art, will showcase 30 works by renowned modern and contemporary Korean artists along with pieces f

June 28, 2021

Foundry Seoul opens in Seoul’s rising art hub, Hannam-dong

Foundry Seoul, a contemporary art gallery, has opened in Hannam-dong, central Seoul, presenting Berlin-based artist Henning Strassburger and Seoul-based experimental design duo Kanghyuk in its inaugural exhibition. The gallery is housed in the same building as the newly opened Gucci store, the Italian luxury brand’s second flagship store in Korea. The Hannam-dong neighborhood is fast rising as a new art hub with several international galleries opening in the area.  "We ha

June 25, 2021

Seoul stumbles upon the meaning of ‘Our Happy Life’ through urbanscape

“Did you experience happiness during most of the day yesterday?” A video pops up with a self-reflective question the moment you enter a room with yellow fabric curtains at the exhibit‘s entrance. The special documentary clip from global survey firm Gallup shows how measuring the concept of happiness -- an invisible emotion -- has become possible today. “Our Happy Life” is an exhibition initially launched in Montreal by the Canadian Center for Architecture that ope

June 23, 2021

Climate Museum warns against exploitative development

One of the biggest challenges mankind faces today is climate change, which has become a frequently discussed topic globally as more people become aware of humanity’s impact on nature due to the coronavirus and the plastic waste generated from face masks and food containers. The “Climate Museum: Life and Death of Our Home” exhibition at Seoul Museum of Art in Jongno, central Seoul, shows how indiscriminate development has hurt Earth’s ecology through a variety of artwor

June 23, 2021