Korean artist Kim Ji-won’s uniquely grotesque cockscomb paintings come in different colors -- exuberant red, faded gray.Kim, best known for this cockscomb painting series, is holding a solo exhibition at PKM Gallery in Samcheong-dong, Seoul, titled “Canvas Fly.” His latest exhibition consists more than 90 paintings by Kim, including representative paintings from the series focusing on cockscomb flowers -- maendeurami in Korean -- as well as other works that depict landscapes

Arts & Design June 3, 2019

The eighth edition of Art Busan kicked off Thursday at the Bexco Exhibition Center in Busan, featuring some 4,000 works from 164 galleries in 17 countriesMany galleries at this year’s art fair agreed that the quality of the annual event is getting higher. “The fair underwent many changes, and it seems to have finally settled in, particularly in terms of its program,” a representative from Seoul-based Hakgojae Gallery said.This year’s edition of the country’s second-

Arts & Design May 31, 2019

Legendary Irish rock band U2 will perform at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul on Dec. 8, marking its first-ever visit to South Korea. The upcoming concert is an extension of the band’s worldwide Joshua Tree Tour of 2017, which celebrated the 30th anniversary of the release of its seminal album “The Joshua Tree.” The six-month tour in 2017 attracted some 2.7 million people to 51 concerts in North America, Europe and Latin America. The Joshua Tree tour in 2019, which covers Asia, will r

Performance May 31, 2019

The Bauhaus school’s workshop wing in the German town of Dessau is well known for its stark white volumes, gridded windows and the Bauhaus sign that runs vertically down the facade. The iconic building, conceived by the school’s founding director Walter Gropius in 1919, will be shown at the upcoming Gwangju Design Biennale 2019, which kicks off Sept. 7 for a 55-day run.  Coming to the festival is a 15-square-meter mobile version of the monumental modernist building, set on a tra

Arts & Design May 29, 2019

Ballerina Kim Joo-won will introduce her new work “Tango Ballet 3 Minutes: Su Tiempo” at the Sejong Center July 11-14. Kim’s latest piece follows “Marguerite and Armand,” staged in 2013.  The tango-style ballet, choreographed by Rye Hoi-woong, tells a love story in just about three minutes. Starring alongside Kim are Korean National Ballet principal dancer Lee Young-cheol and former KNB ballerino Kang Jun-ha.La Ventana, led by accordion player Jeong Tae-ho, wil

Performance May 28, 2019

Canadian theater artist, director and actor Robert Lepage is presenting the production “887” for the first time in Seoul. The piece sheds light on the Quebec separatist movement from his own experience of living as a member of a Francophone family. The production is a work of “autofiction,” Lepage said during a press conference Monday at the Embassy of Canada to Korea. “887” runs between Wednesday and June 2 at the LG Arts Center in Gangnam-gu, Seoul. The arti

Performance May 27, 2019

The occupation of curator is not one that most people are familiar with -- many think it’s all about organizing and planning exhibitions.  Korean curator Lee Dae-hyung is someone who pushes the boundary of what a curator can do. Having started his career as an exhibition curator, Lee has contributed to many local art fairs, has done art consulting for corporations, was the director of the Korean Pavilion at the Venice Biennale in 2017 and is now the team leader of Hyundai Motor’

Arts & Design May 26, 2019

You can ride on a swing in the Demilitarized Zone along the border between the two Koreas, and it’s even a three-seater. Danish artist group Superflex’s two-swing set from their 2017 large-scale installation “One Two Three Swing!” has been installed at Dora observatory situated at the northernmost point of the DMZ, in Paju, Gyeonggi Province. Tourists and soldiers visiting Dora observatory were swinging under blue-clear sky on Tuesday. Taking pictures of them was Jak

Arts & Design May 22, 2019

The rooftop of the Sewoon Sangga, the 50-plus-year-old shopping complex in central Seoul, offers a unique panorama of Seoul.From the northern side of this mega-structure you get a view that spans from the mountain Bugaksan to the Confucian shrine Jongmyo. There is also a clear view of Namsan Tower from the southern side. The western side offers a skyline that connects Euljiro 1-ga with the gates Gwanghwamun and Namdaemun, while clusters of low-rise traditional markets can be seen to the east. A

Culture May 21, 2019

Manon de Boer’s video work “Bella, Maia and Nick” shows three teenagers playing instruments in a room with an ocean view. Without any intention to create harmony, they make different sounds with classical instruments. The camera watches the three together, though they sound dissonant combined.This work by the Dutch artist living in Brussels explores how individuals learn how to live together, said Kim Hae-ju, deputy director of the Art Sonje Center.  Artist Ursula Biemann and architect Paulo Tav

Arts & Design May 20, 2019

Sitting in a wheelchair, artist Park Seo-bo appeared feeble, but his voice was energetic as he spoke during a press conference Thursday for his upcoming retrospective exhibition at the Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art’s Seoul branch. “I am very happy to see the retrospective’s opening. This exhibition has everything of me, including the things that I wanted to hide from the world. The exhibition reveals all the steps I have taken so far. I feel naked here. But it will

Arts & Design May 16, 2019

POSING WITH BASQUIAT -- Choi Jung-wha (third from left, second row), head of the Corea Image Communication Institute, Kim Young-ho (fourth from left, second row), Ilshin Spinning chairman, and H.E. Federico Failla (fifth from left, second row), Italian ambassador to Korea, pose for photos next to artist Jean-Michel Basquiat’s painting “TBT,” along with other guests at “Korea CQ, 5.4 Club,” an event hosted by CICI at the Ilshin Spinning headquarters in Yeouido, Seoul, Tuesday. (CICI)

People May 15, 2019

A work by Korea’s most expensive artist Kim Whan-ki will be up for auction in Hong Kong again this year. Seoul Auction, the nation’s largest auction house, will hold a sale on May 26 at Grand Hyatt Hong Kong, featuring Kim’s untitled red-dot painting.  Korea's most expensive artist Kim Whan-ki's 1971 red-dot painting is expected to see good demand at Seoul Auction's 29th Hong Kong sale on May 26.The work included in the auction house’s 29th Hong Kong sale is one he painted in 1971 while staying

Arts & Design May 15, 2019

Suki Seokyung Kang’s multipart installations are neatly organized so as not to interfere with one another. The space invites people to walk, sit and stand among minimalist installations in soft colors. The Korean contemporary artist is introducing two works at the 58th Venice Biennale’s main exhibition “May You Live in Interesting Times,” curated by Ralph Rugoff. An installation view of Suki Seokyeong Kang’s “Land Sand Strand” at Arsenale (Kukje Gallery)“Land Sand Strand” and “Grandmother Tower,

Arts & Design May 14, 2019

PLAYING WITH LIGHT, SHADOW -- This photo shows an installation view of Chinese artist Wu Guanzhen’s solo exhibition at Seoul Arts Center, which ended Thursday. The latest exhibition in Seoul featured works created by applying lacquer to sheets of ramie, which allows the lights to pass the semi-transparent canvas, leaving shadows on the wall. (Wu Guanzhen Art Studio)

Arts & Design May 12, 2019