Three teams win 2020 Korea Young Architect Award

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism announced five people from three teams as winners of the 2020 Korea Young Architect Award on Friday. The award program is led by the ministry and organized jointly by the Korea Architects Institute, Korean Institute of Architects and the Korean Institute of Female Architects. For this year, B.U.S Architecture (Woo Seung-jin, Park Ji-hyun and Cho Sung-hak), JIYO Architects (Kim Se-jin) and On Architect (Jung Woong-sik) received the awards out of the

July 24, 2020

[Eye Interview] With court battle over, singer-artist ready for limelight

“I am 75. I am past the age for singing. The state has now said that I should make a living painting,” says Cho Young-nam during an interview with The Korea Herald on July 13 at his apartment in Cheongdam-dong, Seoul, overlooking the Han River and Yeongdong Bridge. He is speaking about the recent Supreme Court decision that found the singer and painter not guilty of fraud. In 2016, Cho was sued by a buyer who accused him of fraud. He was alleged to have hired another artist to pain

July 24, 2020

MMCA Gwacheon unveils its largest ever exhibition for kids

The National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea is showcasing the largest-ever exhibition for kids at its Gwacheon venue after reopening on Wednesday. The exhibition, “Driving into the Color,” is held at the circular gallery -- a 2,645 square-meter exhibition hall – and is dedicated exclusively to children. The exhibition consists of “The Exhibition Zone,” “Activity Zone,” and “Learning Zone.” At the exhibition zone, a total

July 22, 2020

MMCA Seoul to hold 'Project Hashtag 2020' exhibition, after reopening

The National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea will unveil its new exhibition “Project Hashtag 2020” at its Seoul venue, starting Friday. This is MMCA Seoul’s first exhibition after it reopens three venues -- Seoul, Deoksugung and Gwacheon -- in the Seoul metropolitan area on Wednesday as the COVID-19 pandemic shows signs of easing. The project, sponsored by Hyundai Motor, aims to promote young artist groups that collaborate across different fields of art. Amo

July 21, 2020

The minjung art movement: The voices of artists who could not ignore social issues

In the late 1970s, a group of young South Korean artists rebelled against the abstract art that was enjoying widespread popularity across the country. They believed the art world was overly focused on aesthetics at the expense of social issues. At the time, Korea was undergoing rapid industrialization and was ruled by an authoritarian military regime with no regard for human rights. In 1979, around 20 like-minded artists who believed that art should reflect the reality of people’s live

July 21, 2020

Lotte Museum of Art to host first major exhibition of Jean-Michel Basquiat in Seoul

South Korea‘s largest-ever exhibition of works by Jean-Michel Basquiat -- the American contemporary artist known for his rebellious style -– will open in October at the Lotte Museum of Art in Songpa district, southeastern Seoul. Titled “Royalty, Heroism and the Streets,” the exhibition will showcase 150 paintings, sculptures and drawings made by Basquiat and run from Oct. 8 to Feb 7, 2021. Basquiat was the first African American artist to establish a reputation in the

July 20, 2020

KF holds photo exhibition jointly with Korean, Ukrainian artists

The Korea Foundation is holding a modern photography exhibition titled “KREAtive Perspectives” in conjunction with the Embassy of Ukraine in the Republic of Korea, starting Monday. The exhibition will run until Sept. 23 at the KF Gallery in central Seoul. The title “KREAtive Perspectives” derives from the combination of the word “creative” and K, R, E and A from the two countries’ English names, Korea and Ukraine. The main theme of the exhibition

July 19, 2020

Lee Ung-no reaches international audience through Google Arts & Culture platform

Artworks by Lee Ung-no (1904-1989) – a modern artist who created his unique style by successfully integrating Korean painting traditions with Western art -- are now available on the online platform of Google Arts & Culture for international audiences. Lee Ungno Museum collaborated with Google Arts & Culture to showcase the artist and his artworks. Lee is the first Korean artist extensively introduced by the Google’s online art platform in collaboration with a local museum

July 18, 2020

Japanese artist Chiharu holds first gallery exhibition in Korea

Gana Art, a major commercial art gallery in Korea, is hosting a solo exhibition of Japanese installation artist Chiharu Shiota -- widely known for giant installation works with entangled threads -- at its two branches, the Gana Art Center and Gana Art Nineone in Seoul. The artist, who is based in Berlin, expresses her emotions about relationship with others by weaving wool yarns. Her large-scale web which is woven with red wool yarns fills the 150-square-meter exhibition hall at Gana Art in J

July 17, 2020

Painting album by Joseon master painter fails to find new owner

A painting album by Jeong Seon (1676-1759), an artist hailed as a Joseon-era master of landscape painting, failed to find a new owner Wednesday at an auction held by K Auction in Sinsa-dong, southern Seoul. The bidding started at 5 billion won ($4.2 million), which itself would have been the highest price for an antique painting.  Designated as Treasure No. 1,796, the painting album of Haeak Palgyeong and Songyu Palhyeondo comprises 16 paintings by Jeong Seon -- eight of Kumgangsan in tod

July 15, 2020

Annual Yeowoorak Festival to continue via online platform

The National Theater of Korea announced Tuesday it would continue its annual Yeowoorak Festival online as the COVID-19 pandemic continues. The state-run theater will live stream a total of six performances of the 2020 Yeowoorak Festival via Naver TV and YouTube without live audiences. The festival which kicks off Thursday will run until July 25. The six performances -- “Master&Master,” “I and My Fellow Traveler,” “Such is Life,” “Four Individual

July 14, 2020

MMCA Gwacheon to revitalize outdoor space with installation

The National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea announced Monday it has selected installation work “The Surface,” designed by stpmj, an architectural practice based in both Seoul and New York, for its MMCA Gwacheon Project 2020. “I hope MMCA’s Gwacheon venue could function as an outdoor shelter for visitors, providing fun and rest during the pandemic times with the installation work,” MMCA Director Youn Bummo said. The Gwacheon venue is located just so

July 13, 2020

Eva Armisen’s paintings about happiness, family offer comfort

Spanish painter Eva Armisen, known as an “artist drawing happiness” in Korea, is showcasing her work in Seoul to offer comfort amid the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic. The exhibition “Eva Armisen Vida” at the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts in Gwanghwamun in central Seoul displays around 150 oil paintings, drawings, installations and media art by Armisen. The exhibition celebrating the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Korea and S

July 12, 2020

[Herald Interview] Expanding Korea’s presence in global art world

Gallery Hyundai, an art gallery with a 50-year history, is set to embark on the next phase of its legacy, presenting Korean art to the international art scene. Founded as Hyundai Hwarang in 1970 by Park Myung-ja, the gallery was an art base for Korea’s representative modern artists. It was a place where artists and art-related figures gathered to talk and meet when there was no such place to do so here. Gallery Hyundai touts itself as a pioneer and catalyst for the arts community, paving

July 11, 2020

Traditional tableware adds whimsy with Line Friends

On the surface of white pottery is an illustration of a bear and a duckling playing surrounded by mokbuyong flowers, a type of lotus. The illustration is painted with blue pigments. The bear is a character named Brown and the duckling is Sally, both from global character brand Line Friends, while the lotus flowers represent Korean premium tableware brand Kwangjuyo. The blue and white color coordination stems from a traditional pottery style especially popular during the late Joseon era. The

July 11, 2020

Students may wear hanbok uniforms from October

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Crafts & Design Foundation (KCDF) announced Thursday the 22 middle and high schools that will adopt hanbok-inspired school uniforms from as early as October. The hanbok-inspired school uniforms project began in February last year when the Culture Ministry and the Ministry of Education signed a memorandum of understanding to develop hanbok-inspired school uniforms. Of the 50 schools across the nation that applied for the project, 2

July 11, 2020

Hermes has upper hand in lawsuit against Korean fashion label

French luxury fashion house Hermes gained the upper hand in a lawsuit against Korean fashion label Playnomore, alleging copyright infringement of its signature handbags Kelly and Birkin. Playnomore is recognized for its use of neon colors and “eyeball bags.” The Supreme Court on Thursday confirmed a ruling saying that Playnomore violated the act of “unfair competition,” copying Hermes’ iconic handbag designs. The Supreme Court returned the case to the Seoul High

July 10, 2020

Horim Museum unveils folk paintings on books, letters

Horim Museum is holding an exhibition introducing paintings on books and letters as the first installment of its three-part series on folk paintings from the Joseon era (1392-1910). The exhibition “The Scenery of Bookshelves Chaekgeori and Munjado” held at the Sinsa branch of Horim Museum, located in Gangnam, southern Seoul, showcases nearly 40 paintings of “chaekgeori” and “munjado” from the Joseon era as the first engagement of its “minhwa” ex

July 8, 2020

Culture Station Seoul 284 to unveil ‘New Discovery of Travel’ exhibition online

Culture Station Seoul 284 will unveil the “New Discovery of Travel” exhibition online on Wednesday at 8 p.m. Audiences can enjoy the online content during the “2020 Special Travel Week” which runs from July 1 through July 19 on Culture Station Seoul 284’s YouTube channel (www.youtube.com/seoul284official). The exhibition is themed around the question of “Why do we travel?” It was originally scheduled to run from June 23 to Aug. 8, but the opening wa

July 7, 2020

[Museum of One’s Own] At age of 90, Park Seo-bo pioneers new phase of life

The following is part of a series that explores museums dedicated to Korea’s well-known contemporary artists that bear their name. --Ed. A white porcelain moon jar, which resembles a full moon with its bluish hue, sits alone at the entrance hall at the Gizi Art Base in western Seoul, a place dedicated to contemporary art master Park Seo-bo. “I do love the Korean moon jars. The jars are created through a repetitive movement on a pottery wheel, and the clay is the only ingredient. T

July 6, 2020