Hangang Parks across Seoul will turn into sculpture parks from February through 2024. Each exhibition will feature 35 sculptures, which will change for different exhibits across the 11 riverside parks. The project was organized by the Seoul Metropolitan Government in collaboration with K-Sculpture, an organization that aims to promote Korean sculptors. Two exhibitions will take place at different Hangang Parks running for two months at a time. Coinciding with Frieze Seoul -- the global art

Arts & Design Jan. 10, 2022

The National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea will expand international ties with overseas museums and commemorate video art pioneer Paik Nam-june’s legacy this year to coincide with the unveiling of “The More The Better,” the largest work by the artist, after a years-long restoration. The state museum, which has been invited to the dOCUMENTA Kassel 15, a global contemporary art exhibition in Kassel, Germany scheduled to kick off on June 18, will present “20

Arts & Design Jan. 10, 2022

After the first world war devastated Europe, killing millions of people, a number of artistic groups started to become suspicious of human reason, exploring the unconscious and dreams. As the pandemic continues its own devastation, and the response raises its own questions about human judgment, exhibitions that touch on the century-old cultural movement and its artists have been brought into Seoul. As an escape from the reality of war, artists started to turn their eyes to the unconscious tr

Arts & Design Jan. 8, 2022

Kim Kun-hee, wife of the main opposition People Power Party’s presidential candidate Yoon Seok-youl, is accused of falsifying her work experience at Alternative Space Loop, a nonprofit cultural center in Seoul, amid continued criticism over Kim’s exaggeration of her past career in applying for jobs at colleges. Loop was founded in 1999 as a nonprofit organization to share contemporary art and cultural experience with the public as well as promoting experimental artists who have b

Culture Jan. 5, 2022

As the art market grows exponentially in South Korea, the tension between primary and secondary players has heightened with galleries uniting to launch an auction event in late January, claiming the country‘s major auction houses have violated a “gentlemen’s agreement” struck in 2007. The Galleries Association of Korea announced Monday that it will hold an auction on Jan. 26 at the Westin Josun Seoul with an aim to protect the art market, particularly young artists. S

Arts & Design Jan. 4, 2022

The newly-built upscale department store Galleria in Gwanggyo, Gyeonggi Province, was recognized by UNESCO’s annual Prix Versailles Awards, winning the top Prix Versailles 2021 prize in the shopping mall category. The sixth branch of Galleria -- South Korea’s first and major upscale department store franchise founded in the 1970s -- opened in March 2020 in Gwanggyo, a new town just 25 kilometers south of Seoul. The building was designed by OMA, an architectural firm headquartered

Arts & Design Jan. 2, 2022

South Korea’s art scene has enjoyed an unprecedented booming year in 2021 with art fairs and auction houses seeing record-breaking sales. This trend was backed by emerging younger collectors who are increasingly embracing the arts as part of their culture. The late Samsung Chairman Lee Kun-hee’s art collection donated to the country also triggered an interest in art, with people lining up to see the artworks given to two national museums. On top of that, internationally renowned ga

Arts & Design Jan. 1, 2022

A Korean tiger sits behind bamboo trees, glaring as if it is waiting for the perfect timing to make its move. The tiger, however, looks somehow friendly and mischievous, reflecting the painter’s sense of wit.  The painting was created in the late Joseon era (1392-1910) by Lee San, known by the pen name “Myeong Dang.” It was unveiled by Lee Young-soo, an emeritus professor from Dankook University and a collector of Korean folk painting.  “Painting of Intrepidit

Arts & Design Dec. 30, 2021

The Nam June Paik Art Center is showcasing the exhibition “CAMP After Media Promises” by CAMP, a Mumbai-based collaborative studio, who explores various media technologies through research, infrastructural interventions and documentation. Led by Shaina Anand, Ashok Sukumaran and Sanjey Bhangar, CAMP was formed in 2007 as an artist collective but later transformed into a studio where ideas and energies gather and become interest and forms, aiming to redefine the categories of observ

Arts & Design Dec. 29, 2021

A London-based Korean curator has been appointed to head the 2023 Gwangju Biennale. Lee Sook-kyung, senior curator of International Art at the Tate Modern, will take on the role of artistic director of the 14th Gwangju Biennale scheduled to take place in April 2023, the Gwangju Biennale Foundation announced Tuesday. Lee, who has been active in the global art scene for the past 28 years, specializes in “transnational curating.” Her previous posts include being commissioner and curat

People Dec. 22, 2021

Leeum Museum of Art will stream its two permanent exhibitions on Naver TV introducing its key collection as well as offer a chance for viewers to visit the exhibitions in person for a special opening of the museum on Dec. 27. One of the country’s top private museums, Leeum Museum of Art has seen an upswing in popularity since reopening on Oct. 8, with reservation time slots allowing 600 people to visit on a daily basis. The museum is currently showcasing two permanent collection shows o

Arts & Design Dec. 19, 2021

Myeongdong Cathedral situated in the heart of Seoul is a symbolic destination for the Christmas season. The country’s oldest Roman Catholic gothic architecture is now surrounded by soft lights and glittering Christmas trees adding a festive vibe to the city. Passersby in the neighborhood are attracted to the cathedral to take photos against the background of the rose garden, or some would stay for a while in front of the nativity scene set up in front of the cathedral to pray. The manger

Travel Dec. 18, 2021

Photographer Cho Eui-hwan has made it his mission to shed light on a lesser-known side of Jeju Island -- their fields. Some 70 photographs of fields across the island that he has captured since 2014 are on display at the Kim Bo Sung Art Center in Pyeongchang-dong, Seoul. Cho’s attraction to the variety of fields on Jeju Island began in 2014 and turned into a three-year stay. Very few know that the popular tourist destination also has many fields, which play an integral role in supporti

Arts & Design Dec. 16, 2021

A large snake created with life vests is hung from the ceiling of an exhibition hall at the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea, as if crawling toward the audience. The 140 life vests were once worn by refugees who crossed the ocean from Africa and the Middle East and managed to reach the Greek island of Lesbos, in 2016. Chinese dissident artist Ai Weiwei connected the life vests of adults and children collected on the island to create “Life Vest Snake,” which i

Arts & Design Dec. 14, 2021

The legacy of renowned modern sculptor Kwon Jin-kyu (1922-1973) lives on today, serving as a source of inspiration for many young artists. The sculptural masterpieces were recently brought to life by fashion photographer Mok Jung-wook, who creates his own narratives through photographs. 　The exhibition “Images of Eternity: Kwon Jin Kyu × Mok Jungwook” running through Dec. 28 at PKM Gallery in Seoul presents 8 self-portraits and religious sculptures by Kwon along with a

Arts & Design Dec. 13, 2021