Art institutions push ahead with major shows in 2021

After a year of scrambling to respond to the unexpected pandemic, art institutions are bracing for 2021, a year that is expected to be another challenging one for artists, as well as museums and galleries. Better equipped to deal with the pandemic-wrought havoc after a turbulent year of on-and-off and then on-again exhibitions, major art institutions have announced their lineups for 2021, including two major biennales. The National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea is holding &ld

Dec. 31, 2020

Homage or plagiarism? Solbi’s cake ignites debate

Singer and artist Kwon Ji-an, better known as Solbi, sought to stifle allegations that she had plagiarized artist Jeff Koons’ famous sculpture Play-Doh by uploading a video on Instagram of herself eating the cake at the center of the case. Kwon uploaded an almost 10-minute video on Monday that shows her opening a cake box and eating the cake in silence before ending the video with the phrase, “Just a cake, Seoul.” A previous post on Dec. 22, showing Kwon making the cake, spa

Dec. 29, 2020

Park Seo-bo biography published online in English

The English-language edition of a biography of Park Seo-bo, a contemporary artist who led the “dansaekhwa” movement of the 1970s, was recently published online as an open-access publication at www.parkseobo.life. Dansaekhwa refers to a style of Korean abstract painting that accompanies a process of repetition and meditation. The original biography, “Park Seo-bo’s Art&Life,” was written in Korean by the artist’s daughter Park Seung-sook, an art therapist,

Dec. 28, 2020

[Newsmaker] Moon Joon-yong, President Moon’s son, criticized for receiving artist relief fund

Criticism is rising over President Moon Jae-in’s son Moon Joon-yong, who was selected as a recipient of 14 million won ($12,600) in relief funding for artists who have been hit by the pandemic. The fund is operated by the Seoul Foundation for Arts and Culture, under the Seoul Metropolitan Government. On Dec. 17, Moon Joon-yong’s solo exhibition kicked off at Keumsan Gallery in Seoul, reportedly with the city funding received earlier in the year. The exhibition runs until Wednesday.

Dec. 22, 2020

RM, Henry recognized for art patronage

K-pop singers RM and Henry have been named This Year’s Art Patron by the Arts Council Korea. The state-run Arts Council Korea on Monday announced six firms and four individuals selected for seven awards related to art patronage. The awards highlight supporters of the local arts scene. BTS’ RM, who donated 100 million won ($91,000) to the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea in September made the individual awardee list. The MMCA used the donation to publish its ou

Dec. 21, 2020

Artist who ‘erases’ newspapers till they are ‘burnt’

A whole page of a newspaper is turned into a torn, darkened mess at an exhibition dedicated to artist Choi Byung-so, who has played a pivotal role in the South Korean contemporary art scene. 　Arario Gallery in central Seoul is showcasing 15 of Choi’s works through a solo exhibition titled “Sens et Non-sens: Works from 1974-2020.” 　While many abstract painters in Korea were faced with criticism for having turned a blind eye to social issues when Korea was under dictatorships

Dec. 20, 2020

Jenny Holzer returns as painter with new watercolor series in Korea

American conceptual artist Jenny Holzer is widely known for her large-scale flashing LED signs that display the artist’s ideas, arguments and sorrows in public spaces. “A great function of the signs is their capacity to move, which I love because it’s so much like the spoken word. You can emphasize, you can roll and pause, which is the kinetic equivalent to inflection in the voice,” the artist once said, according to Kukje Gallery in Seoul. Kukje Gallery, the major c

Dec. 16, 2020

Pandemic brings low-key fashion to work

  After all the year-end gatherings were taken off the calendar due to the COVID-19 resurgence, Kim, a 31-year-old office worker based south of Seoul, showed up to work wearing a hooded sweatshirt. Though a hooded sweatshirt might not even count as a minor rebellion for some, for Kim it was the first time she’d gone to work in anything that could be considered less than businesslike. She felt awkward and self-conscious about her casual fashion statement at first, but soon found her

Dec. 15, 2020

Dreamy landscape painter Park Jong-sook opens solo exhibition

Painter Park Jong-sook, known for her dreamy landscapes, has opened up a solo exhibition “Part of Memory” in Ansan, Gyeonggi Province. The exhibition, which runs through April 11 at Glass Island Museum in Ansan, showcases her painting series under the theme “Part of Memory.” The artist’s semi-abstract paintings feature portraits of her mindscape derived from her childhood, a mixture of elements from nature including winding roads in rural areas, trees, farms and

Dec. 14, 2020

Sex dolls at MMCA stir up controversy

Some of the exhibited works for Korea Artist Prize 2020 at the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea, are under fire for including sex dolls. Works by visual artist Jung Yoon-suk are part of the exhibition for Korea Artist Prize 2020, co-organized by the MMCA and SBS Foundation. Four visual artists were selected earlier this year, and their works were unveiled at the MMCA Seoul venue on Dec. 4. At the center of the controversy is the two-hour documentary film “Tomorrow&

Dec. 13, 2020

Fake painting scandal of Lee Ufan continues: report

The forgery scandal surrounding painting master Lee Ufan is opening yet another chapter, according to KBS investigative reporting TV show “Chang.” The TV newsmagazine, scheduled to air at 8:05 p.m. Saturday on KBS1, will look into alleged cases of fake paintings of Lee, South Korea’s leading Dansaekhwa artist and the pioneer of the Japanese Mono-Ha Movement. The investigative program claimed it has captured scenes where the artist’s forged works are traded in art circl

Dec. 12, 2020

‘The Miracles of the Namiya General Store’ unfolds in real world

The heartwarming Japanese novel “The Miracles of the Namiya General Store,” written by mystery writer Keigo Higashino, is coming to life in the real world. The novel, which centers on general store owner Namiya who communicates with neighbors through handwritten letters and offers sincere advice, has been a steady seller in South Korea since its 2012 release. In commemoration of the 100th printing, publisher Hyundae Munhak kicked off a project inspired by the story in collaborati

Dec. 12, 2020

Collector Sohn Chang-kun awarded highest order of cultural merit

Sohn Chang-kun, who has donated more than 300 important cultural heritage items that he collected throughout his life, was awarded the Order of Cultural Merit Geumgwan on Tuesday, becoming the first recipient of the country’s highest honor for cultural heritage preservation. “The honor is given to a contributor who has devoted at least 15 years to preserving Korea’s cultural heritage,” an official from the Cultural Heritage Administration told The Korea Herald. “

Dec. 9, 2020

Art breathes new life into abandoned spaces under bridges

Spaces underneath overpasses are neglected spaces, many of them left shabby and used as illegal parking spots. In Seoul alone, the total space underneath the nearly 200 highway overpasses is equivalent in area to about 55 percent of Yeouido, or 210 football fields. But only 10 percent of these spaces are used efficiently, according to the Seoul Metropolitan Government. “Compared to the density of the Seoul population, many public spaces like those underneath overpasses are left wasted

Dec. 7, 2020

Korea's abstract art pioneer Suh Se-ok dies at 91

Suh Se-ok, a leading artist who pioneered contemporary abstract ink painting, died on Nov. 29 at the age of 91. The announcement was belatedly made on Thursday after the family funeral was conducted in accordance with social distancing regulations out of consideration for the bereaved, according to the National Academy of Arts in Korea. Suh was born in 1929 in Daegu, North Gyeongsang Province, as a son of an independence activist who fought against Japanese colonialism during the Japanese c

Dec. 6, 2020

Jeongho tea bowls carry spirit of Joseon era

An ongoing exhibition in Seoul sheds light on plain yet delicate tea bowls that carry the spirit of pottery art from the Joseon era (1392-1910). Hakgojae Gallery has been holding the serial exhibition “Hak Go Chang Shin,” inspired by the four-character idiom “Beop Go Chang Sin,” meaning to create new things by learning from the old. As part of the series, the exhibition entitled “Spring and Autumn IV. Hwang Joong Tong Ri: Ceramic by Kim Jong Hun” highlight

Dec. 6, 2020

MMCA Wishing Tree event raises funds for art therapy

The National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea, kicked off its annual year-end MMCA Wishing Tree event Wednesday. Visitors to the Seoul venue are invited to make wishes for 2021 amid the pandemic situation. Visitors will be given pieces of paper to write their wishes on, which they can then tie to the MMCA Wishing Tree. Participants can also donate money to World Vision, an international humanitarian aid organization, to support art therapy for children at local institutions. The

Dec. 2, 2020

Exhibition presents modern masterpieces of Joseon-era porcelain, headgear

The Yeol Korean Heritage Preservation Society, a private organization dedicated to promoting Korean aesthetics and cultural heritage, will showcase pieces created by two artisans -- “gat” master Jung Choon-mo and ceramicist Kim Deok-ho. The exhibition “Lines/Layers” will open Dec. 1 at Yeol Bukchonga in central Seoul as part of the organization’s annual year-end showcasing of works by the winners of the Yeol Artisan of the Year and Yeol Young Craftsman of the Yea

Dec. 1, 2020

MMCA to stream synth music performance at Cheongju venue

The National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea will stream its fourth online performance as part of the MMCA Live series planned to reach a wider range of audiences amid the pandemic. The fourth show will feature a performance by Korean synth pop group Adoy. The performance “MMCA Live X Adoy,” which took place at MMCA’s Cheongju location, will be released at 4 p.m. on Dec. 4 via the MMCA’s YouTube channel. MMCA has released the MMCA Live series starting wit

Nov. 27, 2020

[Herald Interview] Dansaekhwa master Ha Chong-hyun makes best of adversity

Ha Chong-hyun is one of the few pioneers of abstract art in Korea who is still alive today. He is also a leading member of the “dansaekhwa” movement, which arose in the 1970s and is regarded as South Korea’s first collective art movement. This year the 84-year-old artist held solo exhibitions at home and in London, which he said were particularly special at a time when the pandemic has disrupted many art events around the world. The pandemic has led the artist to spend most

Nov. 26, 2020