“About Marriage: the 357-day honeymoon” is a collection of writings by a Christian couple who went on a 357-day-long honeymoon to places like Yanbian, Cambodia and India. Like Japanese female writer Kaori Ekuni’s famous novel “Between Calm and Passion-Rosso,” “About Marriage” comes in two separate books, one written by the wife, Lee Sa-rang, and the other by the husband, Chung Chae-hun. Very different from Ekuni’s novel is that “About Marriage” is not romance fiction. "About Marriage" by Lee Sa-

Books July 24, 2018

The Gwangju Biennale on Tuesday said it has recently received the Ministry of Unification’s approval to contact three North Korean artists. The messages have been sent to invite them to a North Korean art exhibition to be held in September at the biennale, it said. “Gwangju Biennale made a request to the Unification Ministry in June and received the approval in early July to contact the individual artists from North Korea,” the Gwangju Biennale’s officials said.The Biennale will proceed to take

Arts & Design July 24, 2018

Slavoj Zizek, regarded among the leading intellectuals in the world, made his visit to a monthly gathering of the Gwangju Biennale to lecture on Marxism at the biennale’s conference hall in Gwangju. In the lecture titled “Is Marx Dead, Alive or Living Dead,” attended by some 200 people, Zizek talked about what people can do with Marxism in what he called a contemporary society ever-more disintegrated by increasingly permeating capitalism. Slavoj Zizek speaks at a lecture held on Saturday in Gwan

Culture July 22, 2018

Embracing a childlike perspective and naive expression in their work, artists like Paul Klee and Chang Uc-chin explored a then-undiscovered area of art.Minhwa paintings have similarities characteristic of the aforementioned artists. Instead of being restrained by artistic and cultural orthodoxies, late Joseon-era minhwa -- or folk paintings -- show forms of expression that are rough yet free and innocent.Two minhwa exhibitions are currently running in Seoul: “Flower Paintings from the Joseon Dyn

Arts & Design July 19, 2018

Movie buffs will soon have a rare chance to watch old films in Technicolor on proper widescreen.Starting Wednesday, the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art in Seoul will hold “The History of Visual Magic in Technology Pt. 2: Technicolor,” featuring 12 films produced in Technicolor from the 1930s to the 1950s.“Gentlemen Prefer Blondes” (Twentieth Century Fox Film Corp.)Technicolor is one of the earliest film coloring systems developed by the American company Technicolor Motion Picture

Arts & Design July 17, 2018

There are now three Korean ballerinas at the Paris Opera Ballet as Kang Ho-hyun recently joined the company after a year-long training period. Founded in 1669, the Paris Opera Ballet is one of the most prestigious ballet companies in the world, together with The Royal Ballet, Bolshoi Ballet and the Mariinsky Ballet. Attracting numerous talented dancers from around the world, the renowned national ballet company selects only a few outstanding dancers to join its ranks. Here are three ballerinas f

Performance July 16, 2018

Produced on the occasion of the 1993 Venice Biennale, Paik Nam-June’s “The Rehabilitation of Genghis-Khan” is one of the artist’s pseudo-robot sculptures that foresaw the coming of an age. Riding a bike instead of a horse while wearing a diving helmet and carrying TVs on his back, the Kahn of the 20th century suggested a new paradigm of exchanges between human lives and multimedia technologies and data. Paik Nam-June’s “The Rehabilitation of Genghis-Khan” (Nam June Paik Art Center)Nam June Paik

Arts & Design July 15, 2018

Against a backdrop of numerous layers of Songaksan sits the city of Kaesong in North Hwanghae Province, North Korea. Kaesong industrial complex lies not far away from the city. The sun has already set but it still casts dim light above the mountains, and the city looks calm. Such is the evening scene that artist Yoo Soo has captured through his lens. Yoo Soo’s “GIC at Night seen from Dora Observatory in April 2018” (Cultural Station Seoul 284)Although it has gone through political turmoil, the c

Arts & Design July 12, 2018

A concert next month will offer local classical music enthusiasts a rare opportunity to listen to ensembles performed by several internationally acclaimed musicians in one place on a single day.A total of 10 teams of 15 artists will perform as ensembles on Aug. 15 at the Lotte Concert Hall. The 15 featured soloists include pianists Kim Sun-wook, Sunwoo Ye-kwon, Lim Dong-hyek, cellists Mun Tae-guk and Isang Enders, violinists Kim Suyoen, Kim Bom-sori and Soprano Hwang Su-mi. Seven artists from No

Culture July 8, 2018

With dark-and-bright contrasts throughout, young local painter Jwa Hae-sun’s portraits of ordinary people remind us of our own memories of numerous overlooked encounters. Her portraits of unknown people have the power to evoke questions on the otherness of the others and the solitude that we feel among a crowd of unknowns. Jwa’s solo exhibition “The Most Ordinary Stories,” which opened Thursday at Arario Gallery Samcheong branch, comprises of works that capture everyday scenes and people that an

Arts & Design July 5, 2018

Kumho Asiana Cultural Foundation will hold “Here and Now” concerts to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Kumho Prodigy Concert Series at Kumho Art Hall in Seoul from July 20-21. Founded in 1998, the Kumho Prodigy Concert Series is the foundation’s platform for young talents. Since its launch, the series has helped more than 1,000 local musicians. Many of them went on to be part of the foundation’s other programs, such as the Kumho Rising Star Series and Kumho Artist.Those from the Kumho prodi

Performance July 3, 2018

The two renowned Canadian circus companies are presenting shows that offer audiences a dose of escapism from the daily grind. Just around the corner is Cirque Eloize’s “Cirkopolis,” to be staged July 5-8, at the LG Arts Center in Seoul. Cirque Eloize’s “Cirkopolis” (LG Arts Center) Cirque Eloize’s “Cirkopolis” (LG Arts Center)Premiered in 2013, Cirque Eloize’s “Cirkopolis” is an art circus production inspired by futuristic and increasingly technological yet dystopian universes of legendary Germa

Performance July 2, 2018

Voices of the oppressed and marginalized from around the world fill the Seoul Museum of Art in downtown Seoul. A cacophony of sounds from different video and installation works startle the visitors entering the building. The dissonant mixture of sounds is a choir of the voiceless, who speak through works of art. The ongoing exhibition, “Voiceless: Return of the Foreclosed,“ has on display some 30 works by seven artists from home and abroad, featuring various social problems that surround us but

Arts & Design July 1, 2018

SongEun ArtSpace is holding a group exhibition to feature young local artists the institution has supported over the recent three years. SongEun ArtSpace’s “Summer Love: SongEun ArtCube Group Exhibition” is the second such exhibition, following the first in 2015. The 2015 “Summer Love” exhibition was held to celebrate its fifth anniversary and highlight young local artists SongEun ArtCube had supported.Lee Chung-hyung’s installation work “A Wall that Resembles the Shape of a Sculpture” (SongEun

Arts & Design June 28, 2018

The National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art of Korea on Tuesday laid out the museum’s mid-term plan, including its future exhibition schedule and management plan. The mid-term plan was announced alongside the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism’s recent decision not to incorporate the museum, ending a decade of debate on the issue.While there have been talks of incorporation to free the museum from regulations and restraints of being a part of a governmental branch, there were also co

Culture June 27, 2018